Whether shopping online in the comfort of your own home or at a store where you can see and try the product is all a matter of preference and has become a topic of a much debate among social media marketers.
However, it has become almost a necessity for businesses to have an online presence on one or more appropriate social media platforms, whether they have a brick'n'mortar store or not. Not only do they need strong online presence, it needs to meet every more strict SEO quality standards. Which leads to a question:
Social media marketing is a type of digital marketing campaign that amplifies the unique power of many of the most popular social media networks, including, but not limited to, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest. It's important to realize that there are dozens of other major social media sites where your users congregate. Social media marketing is both a powerful and proven way to reach prospects and customers.
Many businesses have the mistaken idea that social media sites are just for posting paid ads. Nothing could be further from the truth. What they're really for is given in their name, 'social media'. While users understand that all social media sites have to generate revenue, and that they are the 'product' so to speak, the wise business understands that you must be social on these sites. That can include:
By doing all of the above, on a sustained basis, you'll be well on your way to being the brand and business that people think of when they are in the market to solve a problem. However, for many businesses, the first problem they face is focusing in on the right social media channel.
For example, stores that market themselves on Etsy are mostly small business owners from all across the globe who run their business' selling online only.
However, several businesses have taken the concept of online shopping to another level with the wonderful ways of social networking online.
Recently, I have stumbled across a couple of very unique websites that offer a whole new way to shop using a very unique and effective social media strategy. Each of these social media platforms also offer a variety of advertising options.
Pinterest is a social media platform which has been around for quite a while, allows users to “pin” or share things that they like from any website onto personalized boards based on whatever themes they like.
Luvocracy, unlike most social media platforms, is a website that is similar to Pinterest but instead the website acts like a shopping broker where you can actually purchase items based on the boards created by others and have the capability to make money off your boards if other people purchase your recommended items.
Now the website StyleSaint has some of the same elements of the other websites, which is to create a fashion community by creating personal fashion magazines for users to share online but they have also turned to its users as the inspiration for their own StyleSaint clothing brand where it's sold only online and at an affordable price.
These three websites are proving how a business can turn their consumers into the creators, the sellers, and the buyers all in one online social community. Some call this social marketing. I call it having a brilliant social media market plan!
These are just a couple of good examples of how businesses are taking their ecommerce websites and changing the way people shop with the implementation of social media concepts and community sharing. It also reflects the power and impact of different types of content.
What has happened is that shoppers have morphed their shopping habits because of all the different social media tools and social media marketing platforms and businesses have used these new social media platforms and changed consumer behavior to their advantage.
Take a look at three ways that social media has changed the shopping habits of the average person:
Have you assumed any of these roles with or without knowing it? Probably! It just goes to show that social media has massively affected our shopping habits and will continue to do so.
With businesses increasingly depending on social media for sales and exposure, a sense of social connectivity and community has become a very crucial aspect to the modern day shopper.
While there are a variety of social media platforms out there, each offering their own take on the social media space, as a business owner, you want to know what the primary benefits are you can expect:
Social media marketing agencies come in different flavors. We specialize in developing social media marketing plans that leverage the power of your Hubspot based, Inbound Marketing focused, business website, with Facebook and LinkedIn to reach your target audience, exactly where they are. Our team also includes experts in Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram. Your unique customized social media marketing plan will be tailored to attract just the right people to your business.
Like every business process, developing and executing a successful social media marketing plan follows a process:
After all of those steps have been accomplished, then we continuously monitor the analytics of each channel and make adjustments to the plan as required.
While the key to success of any social media marketing plan is execution, most business owners don't have the time to actually do this. What's the key, then to success? Social Media Tools. These tools are an essential part of digital marketing, allowing users to measure the performance of their posts, create and publish content, engage with customers on social media, and much more. They come in three main categories:
Part of the social media plan and execution includes selecting the right tools as well as the right social media platforms.
Want to learn how a social media website like Pinterest can work for your business to generate leads and sales? Check out our e-book on How To Use Pinterest For Business.
Until Next Time...
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