If you’ve recently transitioned your offline business online or are looking for ways to up the traffic to your site, you’ve probably done some dabbling on social media. It’s a no-brainer marketing channel to engage potential customers through.
For eCommerce specifically, social media offers an avenue for further developing your larger brand story. It also allows you to build credible content around what you sell while driving eyeballs to product-specific pages.
Here are some tactics to incorporate into your current strategy across a variety of social platforms.
Make Your Instagram Bio Link Shoppable
Instagram has become so much more than a platform for pretty pictures. It’s a place of discovery for customers and conversion for businesses. Instagram helps 80% of Instagrammers decide whether to buy a product or service.
As a business, the content you develop for Instagram plays a big role in the decision-making process. However, accessibility to your products through Instagram is also key.
Setting up Instagram Shopping for your account is one route you can explore for driving sales. Additionally, look into Instagram bio link tools like Linkin.bio from Later. These link aggregators are typically customizable, easy to set up, and quick to drive more traffic to specific pages across your website as needed.
Go Live with Your Products
Live shopping is being touted as one of the next big waves in eCommerce. Through live-streamed video, potential customers can engage with a brand in real-time about featured products and subject matter.
Facebook and Instagram both offer live shopping as a feature with YouTube working to offer similar types of functionality in the not-too-distant future. To get in on this trend as a small business, consider hosting a live shopping event for new product launches or deep dives into product use.
Look Beyond the Hard Sell
If you run prospecting ads on Facebook, Instagram, or elsewhere, you’re reaching people unfamiliar with who you are. Some people who see your ad may click through to the landing page associated with it, while others may head to your social profiles.
Because of this, the look and feel of your brand profile pages is important for developing interest among those not immediately converted by an ad. Make sure your profile bios and About sections are up-to-date and include relevant links to your website.
On a platform like Instagram, you may also want to build out your Story Highlights. Think of highlights as mini landing page extensions of your website. You can develop highlights that showcase FAQs, new products and/or services, your community, and more.
Gain Exposure with Relevant Partnerships
There’s power in numbers and this certainly rings true on social media. For driving awareness and exposure, consider partnering with other small businesses on a giveaway. You could even host joint live shopping events with other local businesses to discuss community happenings and showcase what’s new to your shops.
Additionally, seek out relevant influencers in your space with genuine engagement. You shouldn’t be looking for large follower bases alone — look for individuals who truly align with your business’ values and connect meaningfully with their fans.