Social Media For E-commerce In 2020 & Beyond

Social media is a valuable tool for e-commerce businesses. It is not without its dangers, but when used correctly and managed well, it can be an incredibly useful resource for marketing. In a consumer-powered age, having a Facebook or Twitter account is now considered a vital component of all business management, and for e-commerce brands, it is even more crucial. 

Unfortunately, it is very easy to fall into the trap of using social platforms the wrong way. When this happens, it is very easy to damage your brand. If your online visibility is lacking, then here are some of the key areas to be aware of as you take your e-commerce brand and your social media pages into a whole new decade.

Know Your Audience

This is an important task for a variety of reasons, but your research will pay off when you start to make use of social media. Depending on your target demographic, you will find that some social platforms yield more positive real-world returns than others. Customer research is critical because if your audience is mainly using Instagram, you could be wasting time on another platform for no reason.

Learn the platforms your audience uses and establish your presence there. 

Social media platforms are all different, and each one is best suited to a variety of different user types. How you use social media will vary depending on your platform choice, for example, marketing on Instagram is very different from marketing on Twitter successfully.

• The more you understand the demands of your business and the needs of your customers, the easier it will be to market your e-commerce brand.

Some businesses also benefit from contacting influencers and getting them to promote their brand. Here’s some information on how influencers operate.

Remember To Listen

Engagement is a key element of social media for businesses, but far too many brands approach this the wrong way. It is very simple to post something on social media and then reply to any comments that are posted. This is the most basic form of engagement, and while it must be done, it’s not the only area in which engagement can be of use. 

Social monitoring is a vital component of managing social media and can be the key to improved audience reach, customer satisfaction, and improved brand loyalty.

Knowing when someone is praising or criticizing your brand online is very valuable, and allows you to engage with your audience even when they are not communicating directly with you. There are plenty of resources available for improved social listening, with tools like HootSuite, TweetReach, and Brandwatch Analytics all consistently proving their value in the digital space.

Using The Rule Of Thirds

A well-established process for ensuring that you get the most from social media marketing is the rule of thirds which simply breaks down how to use your time. The rule of thirds is a good rule of thumb to use when you start streamlining how you use social platforms.

It means that you use one-third of your posts to promote your products, another third on posts that will encourage engagement and interactivity, and the final third for sharing industry-relevant news and product tips that will offer substantial value to your audience. 

Remember, spending too much time on social media is the curse of the modern marketer, and if the value of your social media marketing is not translating into real-world sales and triggered calls to action, your marketing efforts could be better spent elsewhere.

Social media is not going anywhere for the foreseeable future. Platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram continue to evolve. That means e-commerce brands that hope to continue growing in the next decade need to be aware of how to use social media proactively and profitably in a way that reinforces the strength of their brands.