If you have an online store, or sell your products or services to your customers via your website, ecommerce is part of what you do. Making your ecommerce operations smooth, functional and secure ensures the effective operation of your business and your ongoing sales success. One factor that ecommerce businesses need to take into account is the increasing importance of digital marketing. Social media is an integral part of the digital marketing approach that’s been continually gaining increasing importance. Here we look at 3 ways social media is changing ecommerce in 2017.
Social Sharing Has Real Value
While it may seem obvious that the more people who share or ‘like’ your product online the better it is for your business, research has been able to put an actual dollar value on likes, shares and clicks from social media networks. Addshoppers recently created an infographic that breaks down exactly how much shares and likes on social media are worth. One measure was Incremental Revenue per Click, for example, someone sees a like or a share, clicks a link and makes a purchase. Addshoppers found the incremental value of these social media actions to be –
- Facebook “Like” – $0.82
- Twitter – $0.67
- Email – $0.54
- Facebook – $0.41
- Google + – $0.31.
These small actions in your customer base or followers can greatly increase your market and sales potential, so no business can afford to miss out on the connection between social media and ecommerce.
Direct In-App Purchases
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest now offer users a platform to directly purchase products through their app. This offers an ideal way to reach your target market at a time and place where they are actually looking for a product and investigating their options. On social media platforms, marketing a product is all about creating unique, diverse and engaging content, not simply a picture with a ‘Buy Now’ button. With a recent survey finding that 56% of consumers saying they followed a brand on social media to browse products for sale, and 31% of online shoppers using social media specifically to look for new items to purchase, businesses both large and small can’t afford to miss out on the opportunities social media offers for ecommerce sales.
More Avenues To Reach Your Target Market
Social media reaches a larger audience every day, and in 2017 social media is offering more ways than ever to reach your target market. Social media apps and platforms often use interesting and unique forms of content to attract an audience, whether it’s live videos, disappearing content or personalized content. Another trend that’s increasing in 2017 is using social media to contact ‘ambassadors’ who can recommend your product to their followers and fan base. This can help raise the profile of your product while specifically targeting your niche market. In fact, through using social media, any user can recommend your product and promote your business using their social media account, becoming your business ambassador.
Social media promises to become an even more powerful tool for ecommerce businesses to use in 2017, so contact your local digital marketing specialist today to talk about a focused effort towards promoting your business online.
