Facebook and Twitter are a Given for Ecommerce Sites
It used to be you never saw a link on an ecommerce Web site to a blog. Now, they are commonplace. These days the same can be said for social media sites, specifically Facebook and Twitter. It seems that on almost every ecommerce site I visit, I find a link to those two social networks.
For example, the other day I was on the Avery Web site attempting to find a holiday template for mailing labels. Baked into the site's framework, so that they appeared on every page, were these two links: "Join us on Facebook" and "Follow us on Twitter."
But, you may ask, for what reason? Sure, those are the social networks du jour, but what benefit does it provide to incorporate their use? Plus, isn’t it just that much more I have to keep up with? I have precious little time to maintain my ecommerce site, much less these two on top of it.
I hear you. Maintaining Facebook Pages and Twitter accounts is no small matter, especially if done well. However, there are a number of benefits to using them that may offset the time and effort involved.
Both sites are extremely popular
Recently, Facebook surpassed over 350 million members worldwide (nearly 80 million of those are in the US) and continues to grow almost unabated. It seems as if everyone has a presence there, and we're not just talking college kids any longer. In fact, the fastest growing demographics are those ages 35 and up. Even my 78 year old mother has a Facebook profile!
The latest report I've seen regarding Twitter says that one out of every five Internet users is now on the network. As with Facebook, it too is growing at a frenetic pace.
Both sites are extremely active
While there are any number of social networks, none is more active than Facebook. In fact, as many as 50 percent of Facebook users log on every day to pursue such activities as updating their status, reading newsfeeds, checking in with friends and family, playing games, and uploading content such as photos and video.
Not to be outdone, Twitter users are also extremely active. Try following a Twitter feed for a popular product, movie, or TV show and you’ll soon realize that lots of people are talking about lots of things, and they are doing it all the time. Twitter is a 24/7/365 ongoing river of conversation that never stops.
It makes sense to have a presence
For these two reasons alone, it makes sense to have a presence on these social networks. Over the next few posts, I am going to focus specifically on helping you learn how to maximize the value Facebook and Twitter can provide from a marketing and sales perspective.
I am also very interested in hearing from those of you who are using Facebook and Twitter successfully. I can teach principles and "how-tos," but there is nothing better than real experience to prove the case. Why don’t you leave a comment outlining your approach and even detail some of the benefits you've realize as a result.
6 Comments
ShyamKapur says:
I enjoyed reading this post. I am glad that you are recommending that e-commerce sites integrate more with social media. I have no doubt that e-commerce (both B2B and B2C) and social media are going to be enmeshed with each other speedily. I use Twitter to find deals from merchants all the time. Some sites are integrating best of e-commerce and social media in interesting ways. On example is TipTop http://FeelTipTop.com which shows me both latest search results from Twitter and ranked results for products sold at Amazon.
Elizabeth Bighorse says:
For an average/small ecommerce site one could employ a full-time employee to manage social sites and manage blogs. It is a position that is perfect for a college student or stay-at-home parent. Organization and expectations will be key when we begin the search for the same after the holidays. Our social site work and blogging have outgrown the "side work" it use to be and has become an important resource for customer contact, link building and advertising. It is a direct connection to the end users of our products and a method for working towards retention.
Elizabeth Bighorse
http://www.moodswingsonthenet.com
kalox63mty says:
Dear Paul, for the last 20 yrs. I ´ve been an industrial sales guy, selling mainly special dedicated machines, and welding robots. Truth is, I ´ve never found happiness in my job, while working in wood projects gives me plenty of joy, I even had tried to find a legal job at this trade at the U.S.,but Katrina Hurricane prevented it. I really want to make a career change. as I arrive kind of late in this computer , and sociial media world, it overwhelmes me, I found it quite frightening not to know how to get benefit from them, and them from me either. So, please take me in account,sign me in for any update about this issue. Thank you, and please excuse my engilsh.
fdisale says:
I completely agree that simply building up an e-commerce website doesn't necessarily guarantee customers. You have to implement a marketing strategy to advertise your website and drive traffic. You should register with different social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook to start advertising your site and driving sales.
Jeff LeRiche says:
Completely agree. When we started our ecommerce site, we include a blog, facebook, twitter, flickr and delicious. Currently we see about 25% of our new visitors coming from our Facebook fan page. We have worked slowing on building a good base of fans and followers. The blog was also a must have item and we will continue to use it to connect with our customers. Indeed social media can be a full or part time job but is essential to any online marketing plan.
shivom says:
We agree with the title of the blog, online shopping needs another angle now, and it has to be social. Many online customers like to get second opinions, read reviews from other customers, and current Social Media platforms like Facebook and Twitter allows that collaboration easily. There are already lot of e-commerce sites that have extended their websites with facebook applications, and facebook connect capabilities. To make such integrations easy we have launched S3 platform that allows you to integrate your e-Commerce website with Facebook. (if you are using Zen Cart, OSCommerce, Magento, the integration could be seemless).
The platform allows existing site owners to plan their marketing strategies for social sites like Facebook, and promote their product catalog to customer's network graph. Full details for the platform are at www.shivom.co.uk/shop.html and an example implementation from one of S3 platform clients is www.mustjewels.com and http://apps.facebook.com/mustjewels
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