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Top 4 Benefits of Utilizing Social Media in Ecommerce Gateways

Social media optimization is a surefire method to increase the ROI of an eCommerce business. 

The advancement of technology has introduced abundant digital tools that business leaders can use to reach their core audience. Today, most businesses gain customers by reaching them through social media. It is considered as the most widely used platform where socially active users communicate. It seems evident that social media has become influential in a customer’s shopping preferences; hence, it is necessary to leverage social media in relation to marketing and selling eCommerce products.

Human interaction is still a necessity for businesses to thrive in a dynamic and fast-paced industry. As such, businesses with an active online presence are preferred by most online shoppers since it enables them to communicate with the company’s customer service representatives with ease. Customers who are quite meticulous when buying products online may need to know a few more details before they make the final purchase. Keeping this in mind, it would be essential for businesses to have support representatives ready to engage directly with customers and assist them while they are on the website. This would result in a better shopping experience for shoppers and a higher conversion rate for eCommerce businesses. 

As social media has become an integral part of humanity, businesses must continue to have a better understanding of how to use social media as a marketing strategy. Knowing how social media can play an integral role in growing a business essentially paves the way towards reaching a wider audience who may have an interest in a brand’s lineup of products. 

To be knowledgeable of the importance of utilizing social media means acquiring feasible strategies to attract potential customers. 

If you are a business owner who is fairly new to the marketing potential of social media, the top 9 benefits of utilizing social media for your eCommerce business are outlined below.

1. Social Media Builds Customer Community

People sharing the same interest make up a community. That said, it is crucial to building a community for potential and existing customers, where they have the freedom to interact with one another as well as with the people involved in the business itself. Start creating an interactive social media page that your target audience can easily relate to. Create valuable content related to your product and your core audience’s interest such as informative articles, engaging photos, and educational videos that will increase your followers and build loyalty. 

Establish rapport by initiating conversations. Generally, polls and questions are effective in encouraging customers to interact with your page. People love to share their thoughts, especially if the polls or questions are relatable to their life experiences or timely to what is currently trending at present. In creating timely surveys or questions, your team should be updated with the latest events and news in the business world as this serves as a guide for brainstorming an engaging theme. 

2. Social Media Affects Buyers’ Decision

It has been mentioned that creating valuable content to attract your audience’s interest is vital. Your social profile should not lack valuable content that most people seek. Maximize on the products and content that generates that most engagement and value and post it on your page. 

Meanwhile, a page that has a cluttered look would seem unappealing. Unorganized content leaves the impression that the page was not designed for business. 

To prevent driving away potential customers from your page, start by analyzing your marketing strategy. Research compelling content related to your product that will capture customers. Next, conduct a trial-and-error approach to see which ones would have the highest engagement. Evaluate data through social media monitoring. If videos have higher engagement compared to photos, concentrate on creating different types of videos. Produce a diverse array of video content by including webinars, live streams, explainer videos, testimonials, event promotions, and infomercials.

3. Social Media Strengthens Brand Image

A positive brand image increases customers’ trust for it provides them the assurance that you are true to your mission. Consider the following pointers to ensure the success of establishing and strengthening your brand image:

  • Know your core audience. Identify your target audience. Your target audience includes your customers, business partners, industry analysts, and employees. This will pave the way to a better marketing strategy that targets their unique needs. 
  • Identify your business goals. Determining your short-term and long-term goals will help you decide how you want to be perceived.
  • Build out your brand persona. Your brand persona is the trait or human characteristic that appeals to customers. It is the way your brand speaks or communicates.
  • Create your key messaging. A core message that’s simple, believable, easy to understand, and is also supported by concrete evidence is what customers expect to hear. 
  • Post your brand reviews. Share on your profile positive customer reviews, feedback, testimonials, and case studies to boost your credibility. 

4. Social Media Enables Promotions and Discounts

Promotions and discounts make real engagement possible as customers can comment on the posts as well as like and share them. Put simply, it is a simplified and practical approach to raise brand awareness, given that social media currently has billions of users. Besides, there is no doubt that people, even those who do not have any intentions of buying, are enticed to shop when they realize that they can save a few dollars with the different types of retail sales promotions that you offer, such as:

  • Discount promotion – n% of anything is typical yet one of the most effective types of retail promotion that absolutely persuades customers to shop. As a matter of principle, discounts in odd numbers convert into sales.
  • BOGO – Buy One Get One (BOGO) works either by making a customer purchase one item and get one free item with it. It can also be implemented by offering discount-priced items in exchange for purchasing a particular product. Before pushing through with this sales strategy, it is best to do a test run first and discover which one would work best for your business. Also, try not to overuse BOGO in an attempt to increase sales. BOGO-free marketing strategies generate higher conversion rates for eCommerce business; making it more applicable as a limited-offer promotion instead.
  • Free Shipping – Offer free shipping for all of your products. You can also offer free shipping for certain products, or for individual orders or purchases that have collectively amounted to a specified price range.
  • Try-before-you-buy – When customers are not able to see and feel the product personally, it affects their buying decision. The try-before-you-buy initiative enables customers to have a closer look at the product. Offer to ship products with high satisfaction ratings to customers and give them a trial period. 

Initiate an agreement wherein if customers are unable to return your item within the specified trial period, they will be charged for it. In this manner, you protect your business from unwanted losses. It is highly recommended as well to secure your customer’s credit card information (with their consent, of course) in your system should the need to make necessary changes as a consequence of breaching the trial agreement arise.

The Bottom Line: Social Media Marketing is a Must

It cannot be denied that people are more inclined to browse social media pages and websites when searching for specific products that they need as it provides convenience. They can browse for their desired items for hours even while sitting comfortably in their home, car, or office. If they decide to purchase an item, they can use social media messaging to gain real-time answers to their queries—a factor that is crucial for customers to make a final purchasing decision. For these reasons, utilizing social media to your advantage will result in long-term business’ growth.

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