10 Ways To Drive Traffic From Social Media To eCommerce Site
If you want to increase traffic to your eCommerce website, then it’s essential to build an active social media presence. Nearly ⅔ of all Americans use social media, making it a valuable tool for acquiring and connecting with new customers.
What Are The Main Effects Of Social Media On eCommerce Websites?
Social media can be a powerful tool for many companies as it can influence the shopping habits of many consumers. In fact, brands that use social media have, on average, 32% more sales than those that don’t. Having a social presence allows you to connect directly with prospects and customers while also helping you raise brand awareness and build customer trust and loyalty.
In addition, using social media can also increase traffic to your eCommerce site. The more traffic your site has, the more likely it will show up higher in search, creating a rippling effect of even more potential buyers. Building an effective social media presence can be a great opportunity to convert followers into real-life customers.
10 Ways To Drive Traffic From Social Media To eCommerce Site
Here are a few actionable steps you can take to improve your social media strategy.
1. Choose The Right Platforms For Your Website
Determining which social media platform to use for your business can be tricky. Not only do you want to choose a platform that caters to your target demographic, but you also need to consider how you want to utilize those platforms for advertising. Some social media sites are better suited for videos or infographics, while others rely more on influencers and user-generated content.
In addition, different social media platforms are better suited for different types of businesses. For example, research shows that food and culinary products do well on Pinterest, technology companies thrive on Twitter, and fitness items sell on Facebook.
Your marketing goal will also impact which platform you use. If you’re purely after customer referrals, Facebook can be a great channel. Instagram is also a must for brand awareness and loyalty. But if you’re after site visits, Twitter can work wonders if your tweet happens to go viral.
Remember, you don’t have to be on all platforms to increase traffic. It’s better to develop a realistic marketing strategy that works on one site rather than spreading yourself out thin trying to reach everyone on multiple sites.
2. Optimize Social Media Profiles
In addition to your website, your social media profile should also be optimized for SEO. While social media doesn’t directly impact your search rankings, it can help provide value and social proof to your users, resulting in more conversions and a higher ROI.
The more valuable content you are actively providing, the more likely it is that you’ll attract new followers. And those followers have the potential to become loyal customers.
Besides creating content and facilitating user engagement, there are a few ways you can optimize your social media profile to get more traction. High-quality pictures and images, relevant and up-to-date contact information and brand-related hashtags can help you attract more followers. Don’t forget to add your website to your bio – that will point people directly to your site to make a purchase.
3. Promote Your Blog Posts
If you run a blog on your eCommerce site, then you should be promoting it through social media. Not only is this exciting content for your followers, but it also increases the chances that they remain engaged with your brand.
Make sure you monitor the activity of your post (you can use one of these social media management tools for analytics and reporting). Content that attracts a lot of attention should be reposted at a later date to drive even more traffic.
4. Encourage Social Media Sharing
Every company wants its post to go viral. However, that can only be done if you make your content sharable. 57% of consumers follow brands on social media to learn about new products, while 47% want to stay updated on company news. By providing content your consumers crave, you can increase the chances that they will eventually share it with their followers and peer groups.
It’s also important that you use a platform that facilitates content sharing. Twitter and Facebook are great examples of platforms that give users the opportunity to share content with their friends and followers. Each post can be reposted or shared privately, increasing the chances that your content reaches new eyes.
If you are using a platform that does not have post sharing, don’t worry. You can still paste a link in your text (we recommend using a URL shortener) to make it easy for your followers to share valuable content outside of the platform.
5. Post Consistently And At The Right Time
Knowing when to post on social media is almost as important as the content itself. Posting at the right time increases your chances of being shown earlier in the feed. Ideally, you’ll want to reach your audience when they’re the most active on social media.
Studies have shown that the best time to post on social media is generally from Tuesday to Thursday at 9 am or 10 am. However, specific platforms also have times where audiences are the most active. For Facebook, plan on posting Mondays through Fridays at 3 am, and Tuesday at 10 am or 12 pm. On Instagram, Mondays at 11 am, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10 am or 1 pm, and Thursdays and Fridays at 10 am or 11 am are ideal.
In addition to when to post, it’s also crucial to know how many times to post. Consistency is key, as it keeps your posts relevant and your followers engaged. On Instagram, aim to post anywhere from 3 to 7 times a week. With Facebook, you can post 1 to 2 times a day.
Distributing your content to multiple sales channels, including social media, can be challenging if you want to build a successful omnichannel strategy. The requirements of the eCommerce platforms are constantly changing and delivering your content manually can take too much time that could be spent on more strategic or creative tasks.
Automating data collection, enrichment, and distribution with the help of a product information management solution can increase your sales, business awareness, and customer trust – all with the help of standardized and always accurate product content. For such goals, consider Gepard PIM – a cutting-edge solution for eCommerce businesses of all sizes and types: brands, manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, or any enterprise where the human resources and time are the highest priority.
6. Collaborate With Influencers
Influencer marketing isn’t just for brand awareness – it’s also for driving conversions. In return for your product, the influencer will post a (hopefully) positive review to entice their fanbase to purchase. Keep in mind that these types of posts can be very expensive. Not only do you have to provide your product for free, but you’ll likely have to pay the influencer for their post.
However, it’s not always in your best interest to collaborate with the most well-known influencers. Sometimes, it’s better to seek out an influencer that belongs to your niche. That way, they’ll already have the desired user base that could turn into potential customers.
7. Join Groups And Communities
There’s a group on social media for almost every type of interest or hobby. If you can tap into those communities, you’ll be immersed in a pool of people who are your exact target demographic.
On Facebook, you can search and join different Facebook Groups. Most group administrators prohibit self-promotion or sales pitches, so you’ll need to be creative with how you reach out to the members. Instead, consider commenting on the posts to raise awareness rather than posting something too sales-y.
8. Target Your Ecommerce Audience With Social Media Ads
Exponentially increase your site traffic by running targeted ad campaigns on social media. After you determine your desired audience and ad budget, you can display promotional ads enticing users to convert.
Almost all social media platforms support paid advertising. Facebook and Instagram have two of the most robust advertising tools, allowing you to create posts, photos, and videos for your exact niche audience.
Paid ads can be expensive (the average amount is $15 to $200 a day), but they can be a powerful strategy for those looking for new users or more sales.
9. Use Social Media For Customer Service To Build Social Proof
It should come as no surprise that consumers value brands that provide excellent customer service. Engaging with your audience through social media can build relationships and hopefully result in more website traffic. It can also be a useful tool for gathering customer feedback. By interacting with your customers, you’ll learn more about their behaviors and interests to help you define your product roadmap or marketing strategy.
To provide top-notch customer service through social media, it’s crucial that you respond to all customer inquiries. Answer their messages, reply to their comments, and respond to any feedback that they leave on your content. You can also encourage active discussion by asking for thoughts or feedback on your posts.
10. Post User-Generated Content
Peer-to-peer recommendations can be incredibly effective when it comes to recruiting new customers. Some examples of user-generated content include product reviews, unboxing videos, testimonials, or personal images. When other users see these types of content, it builds trust and brand loyalty for your company.
Therefore, it’s beneficial to repost user-generated content or UGC, to your social media profile. If you’re struggling to get content, incentivize your customers by sending them reminders or discount codes for their reviews or photos.
Wrapping Up
An effective social media strategy has the potential to generate more traffic, leads, and conversions for your eCommerce business. While it does require time and patience, the results will be well worth the effort.