Social media has traditionally been used to engage with audiences and raise brand awareness. Ecommerce businesses are now using social media to sell online and build brand awareness. So, how do you sell online in this way?
Social commerce is now popular with many brands. Instagram introduced its ‘shop now’ feature and Pinterest began offering ‘buyable pins’, making it easier for consumers to buy products online.
Which social platform to use?
You can discover this easily by checking your web and social analytics and discovering which of your social media channels drives the most traffic to your site and provides the highest conversions. This data provides you with the cues as to where and how to sell online.
Once you have identified your most successful social media platform, concentrate on using this one to help drive forward sales.
How do I post on social media?
In order to be noticed on social media, you should do the following things:
- Post regularly – you need to maintain a presence to stay memorable. Scheduling software can help you keep on top of your posts.
- Use images – social media works best with visuals and posts that have pictures receive much more engagement. Live videos have even more success.
- Use a Call to Action – you want your followers to buy so when you ask them to do it, make it as simple as possible. Each product should have a clickable link that takes them to a product page with the CTA that simply states ‘buy now’.
Remember to use social media to do more than sell online
Learning how to sell online is all well and good, but if you don’t have a following in the first place, posting will be pointless. Social media drives brand engagement so use it to demonstrate who you are and really speak to your customers. This means engaging in conversations that are happening in your industry.
Get your voice heard. Use live streaming to talk to your audience. Reply to comments and comment on other posts. Fostering a community will ensure people stay with you. Just using hard-sell tactics will not usually be successful in ensuring you sell your products. Social media was designed for people to socialise and connect, so do bear this in mind in all interactions.
Are you mobile-optimised?
Did you know that almost 50% of online purchases are completed on a mobile device? You need to make sure that your website is mobile-optimised. If your website doesn’t work on a mobile device, those sales will not happen. Social media has evolved dramatically over the last decade and people are still learning how to use it as an e-commerce platform.
In general, many of the larger brands are not using social media to sell online through those channels. However, smaller brands are using the opportunities that social media brings and are gaining more exposure than they would do if they relied upon a website alone.
Ultimately, it is up to you to use the tips and tricks available to you. Find the balance between hard-selling and brand awareness tactics in order to increase your online sales.
