In our last few articles we have looked at creating a foundation for your eCommerce social media marketing and creating a content plan. In this article we will look at getting to grips with being active on social.
If you think social media success is just about posting up lots of great content then you have really missed the point. Social Networks have grown to be so big online by bring people together to interact with each other.
If you don’t interact on your social channels with your audience and potential customers you are missing a huge part of what makes social media successful.
Audience Engagement
In the physical world if a customer says to a sales assistant they like a product or asks a question you would expect the sales assistant to acknowledge the customer and respond.
Well it’s no different for social media, when people interact with your content through likes, shares and comments it’s your opportunity to be the sales assistant and give a response.
You should always answer a comment even the negative ones, staying positive and be helpful is the key here.
You can thank people for sharing content, but if you have a lot of shares you might not want to do this on an individual level. It’s the same with likes you might not want to thank each person, but you could post how blown away you are by how many likes you got.
Make your audience feel valued and appreciated by not only engaging with them, but also actively asking for their opinions and feedback through questions.
Fan Hunting
As I said in my first article Social Media for eCommerce – Creating a Solid Foundation you need to actively go out and find your audience on social media.
Try searching on key hashtags to your brand or products and you will find a whole host of content being shared that is relevant to you.
These fans may not be interacting with your channel of page, but are promoting you independently.
Liking, sharing and interacting with these posts can help you:
- Grow your audience
- Connect and build relationships with people already advocating for your brand
- Increase sales
You can also use this method to find key topics being discussed that you might want to contribute on. In this case rather than fans your looking for potential fans/customers, for example someone might tweet about a beauty problem they have and as a relevant beauty brand you can comment with tips and ideas to help.
Following and Sharing Content
On social media it pays to follow the right people this not only gives other a feeling for what you are about, it can also help you connect with industry influencers and find content gems.
So who should you follow?
It’s up to you but a good rule is to follow:
- Industry news and key publications related to your brand and products
- Influencers on your subject – that could be a top beauty blogger with a huge following
- Organisations, charity and bodies that post related quality content
- Partner businesses – these could include suppliers, sister companies and business you collaborate with
I don’t recommend following competitors, do by all means keep an eye on the competition, but you don’t need to follow them to do this.
While most content on your channel should be your own its good practice to regularly share great content from others. It’s another reason to follow good content on social media.
When sharing keep it relevant to your audience and objectives, check and read what you are sharing carefully and be sure not to share competitor content.
Sometimes you might be asked to share content, which is fine, but always check it carefully to make sure you’re not being caught out with a hoax.
So by now you’re well on your way to making social media work for your brand with a good foundation, content plan and active social profile.
In my next series of articles I will take things a step further and look at social advertising, running competitions, retargeting and much much more…
Is your social media marketing working for you?
If not we can help, including strategy planning, creative content and winning campaigns.
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