WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM IS RIGHT FOR YOUR ECOMMERCE BUSINESS?
Tuesday, August 25, 2015Global Administrator
How to Choose the Right Social Media Channel to Promote Your eCommerce Site
A single answer to this question does not exist. The truth is that with today’s modern consumer, you should be on multiple social media platforms to really reach and impact your audience. The hard part, for some, is deciding which ones are best for your eCommerce business and your audience. This will sometimes come from trial and error, and sometimes just pure luck, but there are some obvious indicators you should pay attention to. It won’t help you or your company to just hop on the
social media flavor of the week; it’s important that you be strategic and particular about which social media platforms you are on.
Facebook
Facebook, although losing a bit of traction with the younger crowd (Teenagers and Gen Z mostly), is still a great tool for those who are looking to build a community of fans, customers and followers. It’s a great place that combines both visual and text and allows for back and forth conversation. It’s also a great platform to test the waters.
It also should come as no surprise that Facebook is one of, if not THE largest social media platform with regards to user base. This shows how powerful it can be as a marketing tool. Having said this, it can be more of a personal media, used to connect with friends and family.
Pinterest
This is great for a lot of eCommerce retailers if they are in a visual industry. Very rarely do B2B companies have much luck with Pinterest, as it is more of a consumer-based media. Having said that, never say never. If your audience responds to visual content, B2B graphics like a solid infographic would be fantastic on Pinterest. Another fact to keep in mind is that they have a heavy user base of women – it’s a great social media platform for female audiences.
Twitter
Twitter is great for any industry! Although good for reaching both men and women, an eCommerce business may have trouble reaching a more mature audience using this tool. Because twitter allows one to provide information fast, it is great for users and audiences that crave information. That is why it is fantastic for both B2B and B2C. The important thing to remember with this social media platform is that it is best served when you engage with your audience and begin two-way conversations.
LinkedIn
Although more of a B2B social media platform, it is still very useful for any company. The user base on this platform is generally of a higher education and income. In addition, the majority of them are in more of a professional mind-set when interacting on the platform. That being said, it is extremely useful for networking with other industries and growing your business.
Instagram
Similar to Pinterest, this social media platform is highly visual. This should be no surprise as it is solely based on users sharing their self-edited photos. Their user base is generally younger and live in more of an urban setting (
Sprout Social). In addition, this platform makes good use of hashtags like twitter does. This creates incredible trends and communities that you, as a brand, can take part in and engage with.
YouTube
If you’re a follower of our blog, you know that we’re firm believers of
video marketing. YouTube is the go-to site for videos of any kind. The important things to keep in mind with YouTube are that you need to have the budget and time to commit to create good content. Quality is extremely important here.
There are many different social media platforms that can be used to help build a community around your eCommerce store. These are some of the bigger players, but there are some other more niche platforms that might also work for you.
What social media platforms have you engaged on that have worked for your store?