Do you promote your products online?

Probably you are familiar with these traditional digital marketing methods – SEO, AdWords, email marketing, affiliate marketing and display advertising. But have you thought about integrating social media into your digital marketing mix? Social media tools are great not only for boosting brand awareness but also for driving sales.

Social media must be an integral part of your business. A rule of thumb is that social media and other marketing channels should go hand in hand. Integrating social media into your marketing strategy means that social media, websites and e-commerce are not stand-alone components.

Here are 3 helpful tips how to use social media to promote your business:

#1 Be aware of social media conversations and use customers’ feedback

When promoting a product you must speak the language of your customers. Start monitoring social media platforms as user conversations are a great source of valuable consumer insights about your brand, products, or services. Do a search for forums, blogs and groups on Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ related to what you sell. Listening to customer conversations about your brand or business provides incredible insights into your customer’s needs, preferences and attitudes. Moreover, you can find helpful customer reviews and use them in your marketing activities. For example, you can design your landing page with fresh positive user comments or include positive customer feedback in your promotional emails to encourage customers to make a purchase on your site.

#2 Link product images with product pages on your e-commerce site

You can build a strong social media presence by using image and video sharing social networks like Pinterest and Instagram. The way people consume the Internet is shifting from text to visual based content. Image-sharing social platforms are getting great number of visitors as people love to spend time online watching funny, viral and other images. For example, creating a board on Pinterest is a great way to attract your customers’ attention and encourage them to take a closer look at your products. When uploading product photos on Instagram or Pinterest, it is important to start sending people directly to product pages. The result is an easier way for fans to buy the products they love.

#3 Include user-generated pictures on product pages

Ask your customers to take pictures of themselves wearing or using your products and tag the pictures when they share them to Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook. You can pull the tagged pictures into your product pages so other customers can see how the products fit and look on others. This is a great form of social proof to product pages and it is one more way to encourage website visitors to buy. To add this kind of content on your site, there are plenty of widgets such as this Instagram plugin for WordPress that can show your tagged photos, as well as other users’ photos in the sidebar of your website.

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