It’s official. Social media has taken ecommerce by storm. So if you’re one of the stragglers who isn’t on the bandwagon, it’s time to get on board. As your customers spend more and more time on social sites, it’s imperative for your brand to become part of the conversation.
Even if you already have a social presence, you’re probably wondering how to make more money out of it. In addition to selling your products on Facebook etc one of the easiest ways to drive more revenue is to share your discounts socially. According to an eMarketer survey, the number one reason people follow brands is to receive notifications on discounts and promotions.
BUT HOW YOU ASK>>>>>>>>
Today we’re going to blend two emerging trends in ecommerce: price-conscious consumers looking for discounts and social media, which is becoming more and more popular throughout your entire customer base. So let’s dive in!
First, you’ll want to incorporate your promotions into your social media communications. Quite simply, just tell people on Twitter and Facebook that you’re running a promotion – letting people know is half the battle. You’ll want to layer these messages with other communications so you don’t seem too spammy, but this is a great start.
Next, get into user forums. Now this is a little more time intensive, but the returns are much greater. If you’re offering a promotion on a particular product, perform a Google search on that product to find related user forums. If there’s a question being asked, you can easily jump onto that thread and provide an answer. You can also provide a direct link to your website and feed the coupon code. This is a great way to move the needle and get new people in via acquisition.
Thirdly, integrate your promotion into a blog post. For example, if you’re offering a promotion on a product, write a blog post about the benefits of that product, new developments, etc. By providing the benefit of the product to your customers, they’ll be more educated and more likely to buy.
Next, make deals with influencers. This is most appropriate for channels like Twitter. The goal here is to make a relationship with someone with industry expertise or a large following. Once you’re comfortable, you can provide that promotion to the influencer, and once they “retweet” it, you’ll have exposure to an entirely new customer base and get traffic moving to your site.
And last but not least, always create a sense of urgency and exclusivity. This is the truth for any communication avenue you’re using through social media. Letting customers know that they’re getting something special for following you online is huge, especially when it comes to discounts. On the same token, you’ll also want to create a sense of urgency, whether it’s through a countdown or calling out there are only a few hours left. This will get people to act faster and help them purchase when you want them to.
Hopefully this was helpful in integrating your promotions with social media. If you have any questions, we’re happy to help.
From Hypnotic Lashes to you, happy selling!
