In the age of social media, it’s no surprise that ecommerce businesses are looking to these platforms to build their profiles and grow their customer base. However, it can be intimidating for new business owners or marketers to figure out which social media platform is right for them.
The goal should not be to spread yourself so thin that you feel overwhelmed by the hundreds of different customer contact points. You want solid content that is aligned with your brand identity and engages your current and potential customers on an emotional level.
The more you can build this relationship between social media, the greater your chance at maximizing profits.
Why Social Media Matters to Ecommerce?
Social media is a great way to build your brand and get in front of potential customers. It’s also a great way to get feedback on products, reviews, and even customer service queries. Think of it like having a public meeting house where you get direct feedback on the popularity of your brand’s products and services. There you can benefit from things like:
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- Higher customer engagement
- Stronger brand reputation management
- Incredibly targeted social media advertising
- The ability to generate exponential leads
- Enhanced web flow and traffic to your landing pages
- A much-needed boost in your brand awareness
- A way to humanize your online store and make your brand relatable
- Convert potential leads into buyers through convincing content creation
- Track the activities of your competition on their social media accounts
- And more!
Social media can be used for so many different things. From sharing posts about new products or sales to answering questions from customers who may have purchased something from you before. This is a fantastic way to build a solid rapport with your clients from every background.
Top Social Media Platforms for Ecommerce
1 – Facebook (2.934 billion monthly users)
Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world, with more than 2 billion active users. It’s also a great place to promote your business and get your brand out there. You can use Facebook to reach a wide variety of customers who might be interested in what you have to offer, so it’s an excellent platform for reaching new markets or expanding into other regions.
Many younger users have moved away from this platform, but it still offers key insights into those with the most purchasing power ranging from 25-45 years of age. You need a Facebook Page profile for your ecommerce business if you want to make use of this social media platform’s incredibly strong paid advertising.
2 – YouTube (2.5 billion users)
YouTube is the second most popular social media platform in the world, and it’s a great place to build brand awareness and reach potential customers. You can use YouTube to promote your ecommerce store, increase your online sales and boost traffic to your website by creating videos that are relevant to search engines.
YouTube videos are also great for increasing customer loyalty because they allow customers to connect with you as an individual or business owner. This will help them feel more comfortable when purchasing from you in the future. This is a fantastic social media platform for anyone with a lot of unique content to share, like how-to videos or daily vlogs.
3 – Instagram (1.3 billion users)
Instagram is a great platform for ecommerce businesses to promote their products. The second most popular social media platform, Instagram, has more than 1 billion monthly active users, and it’s growing fast.
Businesses can create an Instagram profile, post regular updates, and use hashtags to reach a wider audience. Instagram also provides businesses with the opportunity to run advertisements, target specific demographics, and drive traffic to their online stores.
The key to unlocking this social media platform is to tell a story using the visual photos you take of your business operations, products, and customer relations.
4 – TikTok (1 billion users)
TikTok is a video-sharing app that has taken the world, especially younger users, by storm. This social media platform is used to create 15-second videos with music or sound effects added for entertainment purposes.
The purpose of TikTok is to allow people worldwide to express themselves through short clips that can be shared with others. TikTok’s popularity makes it one of the most effective platforms available when promoting your ecommerce business because there are so many people using it every day.
While you may not build a strong brand following, this is currently #1 for rapid brand recognition in an industry.
5 – WhatsApp (2 billion users)
WhatsApp allows you to send text messages, voice messages, and pictures from one person or group of people to another person or group of people using their phone numbers. It does not require an internet connection, so you can use it anywhere.
The best part about this app is that it’s free! You do not have to pay anything to send messages through this platform which makes it very cost-effective when compared to other social media platforms.
WhatsApp allows businesses looking for new ways on how they can reach out directly to their target audience through marketing campaigns such as giveaways or discount codes during sales periods and more. If you have an ecommerce business requiring a lot of customer handholding, this is the social media platform for you.
6 – Twitter (544 million users)
Twitter is one of the most popular social media platforms, and for a good reason. It’s a great place to connect with customers, share your content, and interact with them in real-time. Even though the platform has had some growing pains as management is changed, this is still where a good portion of the online world gets its news and updates.
It also allows you to engage with other businesses on Twitter by following them or mentioning them in tweets. This can be a great way of building relationships with potential partners or influencers in your industry who have larger followings than yours.
Twitter is also beneficial for customer service purposes because it allows companies like yours to respond quickly when someone has an issue or product-related problem.
7 – Pinterest (433 million users)
Pinterest is an ideal platform for ecommerce businesses because it allows you to share products with your audience in a visual way. Pinterest users are highly engaged and love to shop, so if you can get them interested in what you’re selling, they’ll be more likely to click through and make a purchase. So many ecommerce small business owners underestimate the power of Pinterest, especially when their brands have women-led or socially conscious related products and services.
Pinterest is also one of the best social media platforms for driving traffic back to your website or blog because users tend not only click through from images but also spend time browsing around those pages before deciding what they want to buy (or not).
8 – LinkedIn (900 million users)
LinkedIn is a professional networking site that’s perfect for businesses. It’s where you can connect with other business owners, find new customers and employees, learn about industry news and trends, and more.
LinkedIn will help you build relationships with potential partners or clients by allowing you to message them directly through the platform. You can also use their groups feature to connect with like-minded individuals who share similar interests.
This is a solid B2B selling social media platform for your ecommerce online store.
9 – Snapchat (576 million users)
Snapchat allows you to create stories that are visible for up to 24 hours at a time or until they’re viewed by all your followers. This is great if you want people who aren’t following you yet but might want updates on new products or sales events happening soon.
Snapchat is a popular social media platform that is particularly popular among younger generations. Snapchat provides ecommerce businesses with the opportunity to reach a younger target audience and create brand awareness. Companies can create snaps, share updates, and engage with potential customers. Snapchat also provides businesses with the opportunity to run advertisements and target specific demographics.
10 – Reddit (430 million users)
Reddit is a social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website. It is divided into many subcommunities called subreddits. These subreddits are devoted to various topics such as technology, gaming, movies, or music.
Reddit is a popular discussion platform that provides ecommerce businesses with the opportunity to reach a vast target audience, create brand awareness, and engage with potential customers. Reddit is ideal for ecommerce businesses looking to participate in relevant discussions, share updates, and answer questions from potential customers.
This is another often underrated social media platform. We highly recommend you host AMA (ask me anything) sessions on Reddit in your relevant niche subreddits and watch your following skyrocket.
Start with Only 1-3 Platforms for Your Ecommerce Business
One of the most common mistakes ecommerce businesses make is spreading themselves too thin across multiple platforms. It’s tempting to want to be everywhere at once, but this is a mistake.
The reality is that not all your customers use every social media channel. In fact, most people tend to stick with just one or two social media sites and if you do decide to go with more than one platform, you’ll need time for each to develop a rewarding online community.
The goal here isn’t necessarily about getting as many followers as possible or being present across all channels. Rather it’s about connecting with potential customers where they’re already spending their time online.
The Bigger the Profile – The Greater the Ecommerce Security
The problem with finally hitting it big and gaining a massive following is that your ecommerce website has to be ready for that visitation increase. While there are many ecommerce platforms out there with their own native security features, you will want to increase the layers of protection around your site, so when the big day finally comes, you aren’t losing money to fraudulent purchases or chargebacks.
Our team at OPMC has spent years working in the online business world and has developed a powerful Security for WooCommerce plugin that ensures your ecommerce site is well protected. This feature is designed to enhance your security by crafting rules like IP blocking, blacklisting, and more to ensure you have complete control over your site’s integrity.
The next time you go viral on social media, make sure your site is prepared with our Security for WooCommerce plugin.
Conclusion
There are many social media platforms to choose from, but it’s important to focus on just one or two at first. You want your business to stand out and be memorable, so don’t spread yourself too thin by posting on every platform available.
Stay consistent and craft engaging content relevant to your target niche, and you will do extremely well in the social media space. Just don’t forget to give your ecommerce storefront the security boost it needs from our custom plugin.
Download Security for WooCommerce plugin today
The next time you go viral on social media, make sure your site is prepared with our Security for WooCommerce plugin.