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In the content-riddled world we live in, it’s no secret that standing out as an e-commerce brand is no easy task. Despite the difficulty, there are a handful of proven tactics to help you cut through the noise across the crowded online marketplace. One of those methods is fully embracing social media.
In fact, according to Constant Contact, brands that engage with customers via social media gain 20-40% more revenue per customer relative to companies that do not . From Facebook advertising to leveraging live video to partnering with Instagram influencers, the benefit your store will gain from social media is undeniable, but the problem lies in knowing where to start.
Let’s look at four effective social media strategies your business can utilize to take your online store to the next level.
Maximize Your Impact With The Facebook Pixel
When it comes to the world of digital marketing, there are few “hacks” more effective than retargeting. Defined, retargeting is simply placing ads and other media in front of individuals who have taken action within your sales funnel in the past. This content typically encourages them to finalize their purchase, subscribe to your newsletter, or other call-to-actions to take them further down the funnel.
According to SalesForce, in the noisy age we live in, it takes anywhere from six to eight touch-points to create a legitimate sales lead. With data points such as these, it’s hard to deny the power of retargeting, and the single greatest opportunity to conduct retargeting is with Facebook’s tracking pixel. Whether you wish to re-engage a visitor who scrolled down your entire home page, one who clicked through but quickly exited the site or something else entirely, the Facebook Pixel makes it possible. On top of that, from Shopify to Magento or other third party solutions, the Facebook Pixel is compatible with just about every e-commerce platform.
“To ensure you capture relevant data at all major stages of your online sales funnel, it’s important to know which segment or content caused a visitor to purchase your product or elect not to,” says Lance Essihos, a social media marketer who has had success building online businesses on the back of great content and helpful affiliate products.
To get started with the Facebook Pixel for your e-commerce store, Essihos recommends adding the following custom conversions to your website once the pixel is successfully installed:
- View Content
- Add to Cart
- Initiate Checkout
- Complete Purchase
As a result, you’ll be able to segment these groups into custom audiences, making for effortless retargeting.
“Specifically, the custom audiences that are most advantageous to zero in on are your site visitors, email subscribers, those who have added your products to their shopping cart but have yet to purchase, those who have completed a purchase, and those who purchase from you on an ongoing basis, “adds Essihos.
All of these touch-points represent crucial phases of the sales funnel, making it important to treat each of these audiences differently as opposed to speaking to them all in the same way. In e-commerce, personalization is key to long-term success. Plain and simple.
Leverage Live Video
Over the past few years, live video has become an indispensable social media strategy for e-commerce businesses because viewers thrive on the immediacy and engagement that live video creates. In fact, 80% of people prefer watching a live video rather than reading a blog post , and 82% of people would choose live video over any other type of social post, according to Neil Patel. These types of metrics cannot be ignored by e-commerce businesses looking to increase their bottom line.
Maybe your customers are on Facebook, or maybe Snapchat has been successful for you. Wherever you’re reaching customers on social, there’s an opportunity to be connecting with them via live video. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter all offer the ability to stream live.
For instance, if you’re an e-commerce fashion company, what better way to create hype around new styles than a live unveiling of your newest designs? Or maybe you’re launching a new line of dog treats for your online pet store. What pet lover wouldn’t want to see adorable puppies chowing down on your latest flavors? There are endless ways to connect using live streaming video and it’s a worthwhile strategy. According to Agorapulse, users watch live videos on Facebook three times longer than pre-recorded videos and live videos get ten times more engagement in the comments section.
As a final tip, remember to be authentic. Live videos have been successful because they present an unscripted look into your brand. This content gives customers the chance to relate to you and your brand further when you showcase the human qualities that make your brand unique.
Split Test Your Way To The Top
Without consistently split testing your online ads, you will always run the risk of leaving money on the table, and with the technology available to us today, there’s simply no excuse not to be A/B testing ad performance.
On Facebook alone, users are able to split test based on everything from the country one lives in to their relationship status to their age and more. Take advantage of this data by testing to see who your brand resonates most with.
The key to effective split-testing though, as Essihos explains, is to never try everything all at once. Instead, similar to science experiments, isolate the variables to be certain of which preferences are resulting in the desired outcome. He also recommends running your ads for three to fourteen days for the sake of statistical significance. You will then be able to apply the insights gained to revise your ad copy, creative and more.
Whether you decide to utilize a platform like AdEspresso, Optimizely or Adobe Target, the important thing is to remain consistent in your testing and relentless in your pursuit for customer data.
Integrate Social Proofing
Believe it or not, it has been reported that 92 percent of consumers are more likely to trust recommendations from individuals they don’t personally know over brand recommendations.
As a result, consumers today are looking to their peers, influencers and customer reviews to help them make a decision, so social proofing is more important than ever. While influencer marketing is one of the fastest growing methods for gaining customers, it can also be an expensive endeavor if you only focus on major influencers.
If you’re considering using influencers as a form of social proofing, focus on micro-influencers as opposed to macro-influencers. Today, consumers are gravitating toward influencer content that is authentic and believable. This is great news for your bottom line because you can partner with real brand advocates who truly love your product, even if it’s niche. In return, the influencer’s audience will trust their recommendation. If you already have people online advocating for your product, reach out to them and propose a partnership.
User generated content is another effective way to grow your business, as it engages your customers and lets them shine using your stage as a platform.
Encourage users to tag you in their product photos for a chance to be featured on your page or run a contest for the best live video that shows customers opening their product packages.
Establishing yourself as a viable force in the world of e-commerce can be a daunting task, but with a clear strategy and the right tools to track data, you can tap into the 3.1 billion consumers using social media across the globe.
