Last Updated on May 30, 2019 by Numinix Developer
Ten years ago, social media was nothing more than teenagers gossiping about their dates and informing the world of what they ate for dinner.
Today, social media not only has developed into a worldwide platform for businesses to leverage, but it has also become a necessity for many Ecommerce businesses looking to implement a well-rounded internet marketing strategy.
Is social media a necessity for every Ecommerce store? Definitely not. If you sell air flow meters to auto makers, Facebook will not help your cause.
How will you know if social media is an effective marketing strategy for you?
Ask yourself these questions. If you answer yes to both, you should consider creating a social media presence.
Is your audience on Facebook and Twitter?
Are you prepared to spend the time to build a solid reputation on social media sites?
As social media evolves it has become more of a necessity. Here are some reasons why it is a good idea.
1. Everyone else is doing it – Yes, this may sound rather elementary from your point of view, but consider your customers and how they view brands. If your competitor is posting content on Facebook and your customers are interacting with them and you are nowhere to be found, who do you think they will buy from? Unfortunately, social media is akin to “keeping up with the joneses”. You are either “in”, or on the outskirts, missing out on all of the fun.
2. Listen –Your customers now have direct access to you and you have the ability to listen to them. Are they looking for different inventory? Why do they choose one retailer over another? You can be the proverbial fly on the wall and monitor your customers’ conversations. By knowing what they want you can more effectively give it to them.
3. Social Customer Service – Gone are the days of good, old-fashioned customer service where irate customers picked up the phone and spoke to companies privately. Your customers will either rave about your products or complain about your experience—and they will do it on the most popular social sites.
Some of the top Ecommerce stores have created customer service profiles just to battle the madness. Whenever Zappos monitors and sees a comment (good or bad) about its products, it responds within hours. I have seen Godaddy plead with customers on Twitter who have had a poor experience. If your customers are on these sites, you should be there also.
4. Discounts and Offers – Facebook is known as the place to receive great offers from the stores people love. In fact, with the new Facebook Offers, stores can easily set up discounts and deals for free. The feature is currently only available to stores with a physical location but it is being tested and will be available to online stores shortly.
With nearly a billion customers on Facebook alone, the potential to build your Ecommerce brand on social media sites is staggering. Are your customers on social media sites? If so, are you there also?