How to Leverage Social Media with an E-Commerce Business

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There isn’t a single business out there that can’t benefit from the use of social media. It’s all about finding what strategies work best for your industry to leverage social media. When it comes to the world of e-commerce, you have a leg up in 2022 that you may not realize.

Mobile commerce has become one of the most popular ways for people to make purchases. Billions of people are scrolling on their phones searching for what they need. Indeed, with a mobile-friendly website or a custom app, you can offer simple solutions that cater to a person’s buying behaviors.

Social media now provides more opportunities for users to purchase products within the apps themselves. Instagram shopping, Facebook Marketplace, and Pinterest are great ways to showcase and sell products for your e-commerce store.

But before you start listing all of your products on social media, you need a strategy to back it up. Here are some helpful tips when learning to leverage social media for your e-commerce business.

Don’t Oversell Your Products

Your social media feed shouldn’t be a bunch of photos and videos about your products. This will come across aggressively, which people don’t want.

Direct messages (DMs) with users are primarily where sales will occur – not in your feed. Social media users are looking for influence, information, and community in their main feed.

Your job is to cater your content to fit all three of these categories. For example, if you’re an e-commerce store that sells faux panels online, you want to think about ways your content can benefit your target audience. Certainly, share informative videos on DIY projects for the home or beautiful home decor inspiration with high-quality photos.

Have Consistency in Everything You Do

If you want someone to buy from your store through a social media platform, you need to be consistent. Consistency is what will help build trust with followers.

This means being consistent with your branding, messaging, the type of content you create, and how often you share your content.

Provide Quality Customer Service

Twitter has become a popular place for people to reach out to companies for customer support. They mention a business and submit complaints that can be viewed by everyone.

However, Twitter isn’t the only place this is being done. Unsatisfied customers are taking to various social platforms on their stories or feeds to share their complaints.

Indeed, the best thing you can do is be active on social media with your customer service and support. Always read your messages on any platform your business is on.

But more importantly, you need to respond. Showing that you’re there to help regardless of how a customer reaches out will show a level of care that many businesses don’t currently offer.

Get Good at Storytelling

A brand is only as good as the story it’s telling. Sure, it’s one thing to build a following online, but it’s another to have an active following.

Brand loyalists often are looking for companies they want to return to. But they won’t return if there isn’t a strategic story your brand is telling them.

When you promote your products on social media, don’t just list the benefits as to why someone should buy from you. Think about the brand and products as a lifestyle.

Users need to have a desire to be a part of that lifestyle you’re selling if they’re going to invest time and money into your products. Social media is the most aesthetically pleasing and engaging way to go about building your brand lifestyle.

Conclusion

Leveraging social media for an e-commerce business starts by having a plan. Think about unique ways to project a story you want to tell or a lifestyle you want to sell.

Certainly, utilize creative and captivating content to help tell this story that offers education or insight that adds value to a potential customer’s life.

Remember, social media isn’t all about overly selling your products. It’s about building a community of like-minded individuals who want to be a part of your brand’s story.