How does social media really help to improve ecommerce web traffic and sales? Though not directly a selling channel, we can see many ways in which social media is influencing consumers decisions when making online purchases, in this blog we will take a look at some key points to consider.
It is reported that Black Friday online sales generated $1.2 billion in the US though IBM found that only 1% of purchasing visitors to ecommerce websites could be attributed to having come direct from a social media portal.
So, if reports state that social media has very little recorded direct influence on consumers purchasing activity – what role does it really play in online ecommerce marketing? Another trusted report from Google Think Insights states opposite and that social media does play a needy role in the world of ecommerce. The ways inwhich social media is working includes:
Brand Awareness: Social Media allows for active companies that use them to see an increase in their brand awareness – Generates more business exposure.
Viral Marketing: For brands that are clever in marketing, the chances of going viral increases and helps to push relevant web traffic to an ecommerce website. These viral campaigns also increases fan and following base for companies which allows for ongoing marketing possibilities.
Recommendations: If trust is important when making a purchase upon a recommendation, then social media allows for sharing of brands and offers across individual consumer timelines which in turn gains exposure across their close connections, friends and families. This also builds customer loyalty as social media platforms such as Facebook and Fan Pages maintains audiences that receive regular updates on relevant products / services to their original purchase. Social Media allows for building relationships and customer loyalty.
SEO – Increased visability: By maintaining a strong presence on social media and sharing regular content, search engines are shown to rank such posts in higher positions. It is also rumoured that Google+ activity shows a relationship between Google+ 1′s and higher placement / rankings.
Added Exposure: Channels such as Facebook and Pinterest allow ecommerce sites to exhibit products socially to be shared across other social media platforms. A purchase may not be made directly on Pinterest, but can lead to consumers to visit the website sharing images of interest.