If you have an ecommerce store it has the perfect opportunity to use social media like Pinterest and Instagram to show off your wonderful product images. It is not just a matter of showing them off though; you must do this in a way to gain interaction or engagement from your followers.
“The use of all social media will be a complete waste of your time as a business owner if you don’t generate engagement with the people who follow you.”
Both Instagram and Pinterest give you the opportunity to ask for opinion on your product. For example: Post an image of something you are considering stocking in your store and ask the question. Yes or No, would you buy this, do you love it etc. Instant feedback from your audience as to their interest in your product lets you know if you should order it or not!
You MUST use quality images for all your products or just don’t bother. Your followers are not going to re-pin if the image is bad quality. Learn some techniques yourself, hire a professional or ask your suppliers for their professional images.
According to socialmediadelivered.com – the top 20 brands on Pinterest have several factors in common leading to their success. The list of brands includes companies like Lindt Chocolate, Sony, Etsy, Fossil and more. All of them have these factors in common to their successes: Numbers (followers, following, boards, pins, likes), interaction (re-pinning, liking, commenting, pinning from other sites besides company website), and quality (self explanatory).
With 40% of people responding better to visual information than text alone, it is not a surprise to see big brands diving in to experience the hype of the photo-sharing app, Instagram.
Instagram allows brands like Mercedes, Nike and Red Bull to deliver a whole other level unique stylized promotion. Their work on Instagram is often specific to Instagram, meaning it is not available anywhere else – just for the followers on Instagram. For example Nike allowed their Instagram followers to design their own sneakers via Instagram. These become specific campaigns by these large brands to create large amounts of interaction.
Remember that both Instagram and Pinterest have their unique features so your posts must reflect and utilize these features so to encourage the right amount of interaction from each site.
Use the video that Instagram offers you to better display the usage of your product or catwalk if you have a fashion item. Recently both David Jones and Witchery showed off their new collections instantly as they were walking down the catwalk straight to Instagram!
If you sell an item that is otherwise difficult to photograph then a short Instagram video can give you the perfect medium to show it off. Make sure that every post you are putting on Instagram has your website, while you can’t link it, you want people to know where they can buy your items.
Pinterest has the unique ability to link straight back to your website so make sure you utilize this feature when creating your pins and your boards. Remember that Pinterest in one of the top 4 Social Media sites so if you are not using it to promote your product then you are missing out on a very active audience. Not to mention possible sales.
To effectively use social media you also need to generate followers. Make sure that your website has sharing buttons and links to your social pages. Have links to your social media in your email signature, newsletters that you send out, and any other marketing materials that you use. Remember that for the time being most of these social media sites are not costing you anything but your time. Use them often and use them wisely and you will generate an extensive following and an increased level of sales for your ecommerce store.
Start following the big brands today and see how they are doing things differently – you can adapt their ideas to suit your small business and create a unique experience for your followers.
What social media are you using to grow your business? How can you use it better?
Guest contributor:
Kelly Robinson
My Sassy Business
