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Let’s discover the key principles for the use of social networks for your online store and learn what it takes to come up with a social media plan.
Social networks are one of the biggest showcases for any company, especially those who sell to consumers. In fact, it is the basic way for businesses to make themselves known to their target audience to the public in general. As people say “if you want to exist, you have to be on social media”. So, if you have decided to boost your business’ presence on social media, then here is some advice to make a success out of it:
Create a social media plan
- Choose your goals: Stablish what you want to achieve and what type of posts will generate the most interest and feedback.
- Analyse the competition in your sector. Bear in mind that it is possible that many of your competitors have been using social media for a long time now and that the sector in which you do business has developed in a certain way on social networks. The fashion industry for example, is very much involved with social networks and there are many peculiarities in the way it operates and a lot of competition. Anyway, it is a good idea to investigate how the sector is moving: what type of posts, what campaigns are under way, and which social media do they use… As well as observing how the competition works: what makes their followers engage and interact with the brand and what special things do they do (competitions, promotions…). This is a good way to understand what works and what doesn’t, and to see what your customers expect from a brand like yours. Once you know this, you can plan to break the rules a little and try something different.
- Devise the correct strategy to achieve your planned objective(s). After the first three steps you will be ready for this, you have the key ideas with which to establish your business social media strategy.
- Monitor and study the results. It is very important to analyse the results that you get on a day to day basis. They will show you if the strategy you are following is successful or if you need to rethink things.
Which social networks are the best for your online business?
It is crucial to work out which social networks are the most useful for your online store as this will help you to focus your efforts and to avoid wasting time and effort on other social networks which will not help you to communicate with your target market.
If, for example you have an online store selling cosmetics or fashion, the most important network will be Instagram. Here you can post your products along with a link which will direct interested followers to make a purchase.
Facebook is the social network with the highest number of users around the world.
With Facebook it is a good idea to make one post per day so that your followers do not forget you, and it will make it easier for them to interact with you every day. It is not such a good idea to go over the top and make many posts every day or to only ever talk about your business. The best option is to post some news or information about your industry every now and again so that you can add some value for your followers. For example in the fashion industry, you could post info on the latest trends.
Another recommended way to get more followers and loyalty is to have competitions or prize draws.
Twitter is a very useful social network when it comes to customer care since you can interact with your customers in real time. Of course, we must bear in mind that Twitter takes a lot of dedication and it takes up a lot of time for your target audience to really connect with the business. If you do use it for customer service, then you will have to make sure that you can offer a resolution for their problems quickly, otherwise, you might generate a negative image.
The huge advantage of this social network is that if you monitor the name of your business and the main key words for your industry you will find out what people think about your business and in general. Likewise you will see what needs your market has and follow what the competition is doing.
Instagram is the perfect social network if your company targets a young audience, or if your products are very visual. Your merchandise can be seen in a very visual way through the photos and videos that you post on this network. Therefore, using this social network requires a lot of care when it comes to aesthetics, since the photographs posted are the main focus of attention. The best option is to post your own photographs of your products, study the composition well so that the photo will show off the product in its best light. One type of image which has a lot of scope in this social network is the still, or “mock up”. Here are some examples posted on the Shopify Instagram account:
It is also a good idea to have prize draws and competitions on Instagram, this will increase brand loyalty amongst your followers and reach out to your potential future customers.
Another Instagram functionality which can be very useful is Instagram Stories. You can use this to post exclusive content which will give added value to your followers and hopefully increase their number. For example, you could announce a special promotion which will last for 24 hours. By doing things like this you are communicating the fact that you are constantly updating your Instagram profile and that you are close to your followers. It is a great tool for connecting with your customers and increasing their faith in you.
In the same way as Instagram, Pinterest is based on sharing images (of your products). Post them with a link which directs users to your web page for that product and where they can purchase it. Customers will appreciate the speed with which they can make a purchase which will guarantee you a sale.
Google +
Out of the five, Google + is the least used, but it is important to include it since it influences your position in Google searches.
With all of this information, you already know what you need to start having a business presence on social media. The important thing is to be creative and observant so that you can differentiate yourself from the competition, reach a larger number of people, get more followers, and generate interaction with them which will also earn you their loyalty.
