Making Social Media Pay Off for Your Business on Shopify

You’ve probably heard that your business on Shopify should have a social media presence. But what you may not realize is just how important that presence really is to your business’ success. Here are some key statistics:

  • 77% of all Americans use social media*
  • Last year, the number of worldwide social media users reached 3.196 billion — up 13% from 2017*
  • 89% of all businesses report increased market exposure thanks to social media**
  • 71% of consumers are more likely to purchase from social media referrals**

Let’s face it: Your customers are social. Millions of people use social media every day to share their passions with the world and connect with what they love. Here are seven strategies for making your business on Shopify part of the conversation and turning followers into buyers.

1. Be authentic. Consider your target audience and how you can connect with it; then stay true to yourself as a seller and a person to build trust and credibility.

2. Consider your options. Think about the purpose(s) for which people use the various social media platforms. Take some time to explore each of those channels before deciding where to start. In general, people use:

  • Facebook for keeping in touch
  • Instagram for telling stories through photos
  • Pinterest for sharing interests
  • Twitter for breaking news
  • YouTube for videos

3. Create separate accounts for your business on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube. You don’t have to start using all of them at once — in fact, you shouldn’t — but you want to stake a claim on your brand identity before somebody else snaps up your desired username.

 4. Start small. For example, create a Facebook business page. Focus on one channel and on activities that are likely to give you the best return on your time invested. What you’re building isn’t just a brand presence, but a reputation, so it pays to learn to walk before you try to run. Read more than you post, too, so you develop an ear (or an eye) for how people communicate via each channel.

5. Listen and engage. Contribute to the conversation by posting fresh, interesting content on a regular basis. For example, if you sell jewelry on Shopify, you might write about the latest trends in jewelry styles.

But don’t oversaturate your feed, and don’t spam followers with product posts. Follow the 3:1 rule: 3 content posts for every shared Shopfy product or other product post. Be sure to also take time to listen to what people may be saying about your business on social media, and respond promptly to any comments or questions.

Remember to keep it professional! This is business, so don’t be controversial. Limit expressions of your personal beliefs and opinions, such as political posts, to your personal account.

6. Cross-promote. Once you’ve established your business’ presence on multiple social media platforms, post your YouTube videos on your Facebook business page, or share a link to your Pinterest boards on Twitter.

7. Don’t expect instant results. It takes time to build a presence on any social media channel. As long as you consistently and regularly post interesting content, your follower count will continue to grow. Your followers will share your posts with their followers, and your customer base will expand accordingly.

*Statista.com
**SmartInsights.com’s Global Social Media Research Summary