Role of Social Media in Promoting Your Online Store’s Products

A study by the leading business analyst group Nielsenwire has revealed some startling facts about the American web surfers. The study shows that 23% of an American’s time used online, is spent on social media websites. As for online search, they spent only 3.5% of their time. The growth in affinity for online social media has increased by 43%, whereas time spent on emailing has declined by 29%. Instant messaging which was a must-do for everyone using the Internet even a few years back, has only 4% of share in the whole pie which is steadily declining.

These facts and others point to only one thing – social media rules; at least for the time being. Naturally, the most likely places where you can find people (read customers) are internet media networks. Being an online retailer now is the time for you to focus on social media and make your presence felt there.  Here are a few tips to make your online ecommerce shopping cart visible in social media:

• It is important that your shopping cart software display icons that links to your accounts – put the icons for Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn etc. in one place and give proper visibility.
• While socializing, people are mostly in joyous mood. Entice them by running games or lucky-draws; give away a few prizes (Why - use your least sold products!). This will give people a chance to visit your online shopping cart– even if they don’t play or win. Chances are that 4 out of 10 visitors will return.
• Update your social media website regularly. This is very important, as your followers will always get the latest info; otherwise they would conveniently walk to the next ecommerce shopping store.
• Don’t ‘push’ your products; rather try helping your followers. Don’t portray yourself always as a businessperson who is after profit. Instead, be a friend first, people will automatically follow. Do not go gaga about “what you have”, tell people “what you can give”.
• Use shopping cart software that offers interface to link products directly to your favorite social media site.  For example, there are ecommerce store providers who can help you to take your products directly into the Fan pages of your Facebook account. Your Facebook fans can see all the latest products from your online shopping cart from inside their Facebook accounts only.

Interacting with your fans/followers/customers is the key to spread your brand’s value in social media. Search engine optimization techniques are good for enhancing your search ranking. However, to be known in the social media front, you need to a have different strategy in place. You must give your followers the freedom to judge your products, comment on them and compare. On your part, you will need to analyze people’s views, follow trends, and implement changes and so on.

Social media networks have immense potentiality to expose your products sold through your ecommerce shopping cart to new customers. Furthermore, it’s the perfect platform to help you retaining customers and build a sustainable relationship with new ones. So, when the social media rules, you can take your online ecommerce shopping cart to new heights, if you closely follow the rules of the game!