Social Plugins and Features to Use for ECommerce Companies

Social media has become an important marketing tool for businesses, especially those that are relying on e-commerce sales. According to a SproutSocial article, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest contributed to 75 percent of ecommerce sales in 2013, and from January to June of that year, ecommerce sites saw a 17.8 percent increase in revenue simply by utilizing social tools. In other words, social media plays a huge role in guiding consumers through the purchasing process.

To throw a few more statistics at you, 74 percent of consumers are heavily influenced by the effects of social media, and four out of 10 made their purchases are it was shared on social platforms. That is a huge margin, so increasing the effort that you put into your social strategy is becoming more essential in the digital age. The current projections say that $327 billion dollars will be spent online in 2016. That’s only a year away; so social platforms are gearing up for this huge shift by beefing up their features to assist with ecommerce sales. Social plugins and features can help.

Top Social Plugins and Features to Use for Ecommerce Sales

Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and even Pinterest have developed tools that will help brands manage their online sales force as well as boost their potential profits. Poor social marketing can break a business, so it’s important to utilize these tools to their potential. Below are a few examples of some great features you can use, and how to incorporate them into your social strategy to boost sales.

Twitter and American Express

Not many people know this, but Twitter has been messing around with ecommerce tools since early 2013. Their partnership with American Express has led to a very creative tool that is super easy to use. By utilizing special hashtags, American Express cardholders can purchase select products with a simple tweet. Check out the example below:

The simplicity of this feature is genius. Not only is it user-friendly, but the concept will also market itself. Kohl’s and The Sharper Image have both used this feature and found great success. However, it is a third-party network, so a partnership with American Express is required. You can learn more about this feature here.

Twitter Cards

Twitter Cards is another great tool that Twitter provides. This feature allows you to blend your product into your tweets. It’s a great way to get eyes on your product, and is a great way to boost sales. The way it works is simple: Users will see a picture of your product, as well as a description, all within a tweet. Analytics detailing clicks and impressions are also made available so you can track the effectiveness of your post. Below is an example of a company using Twitter Cards, and you can get started here if you’re interested in your own Twitter Cards:

Facebook Offers

Facebook is a social media powerhouse, and has great tools that businesses can use to gain an upper hand in the marketplace. Facebook Offers is a great way to connect with your customers directly by offering them exclusive discounts online or in store. Offers was first introduced in 2012 and has become a very successful tool, as well as a cost effective one. Creating an Offer is free, which is great for smaller businesses that don’t have a large social media budget, but you can pay to have it reach a larger audience if you’d like. Below is an example of a Facebook Offer being used from a Crazy Egg article:

As of February 2013, Facebook has reported that over 42 million Offers have been claimed. That number has continued to grow over the last few years thanks to the new “Remind Me” and “Shop Now” additions. Mobile features have also been added to the platform, which allows users to make purchases online via Facebook, as long as they have their credit card registered. Facebook Autofill speeds up this registration process, which in turn encourages more users to make online purchases leading to a higher conversion rate.

YouTube Shoppable Channel Application

YouTube has certainly grown into something that is truly remarkable.  Once a mere video uploading site, it has transformed into a great tool for entrepreneurs and businesses alike. YouTube’s ‘Shoppable’ Channel application for example, is a great way to connect directly with your consumers. When users watch videos that happen to feature your products, they can be shown what retailer carries that item.  With one simple click, viewers can be taken to a page that allows them to make a purchase. This is really an awesome way to take simple video views and turn them into profit. Below is a screenshot of a video that allows you to click to shop, but you can visit here for the full video:

Pinterest Product Rich Pins

Last but not least, Pinterest. The concept of pinning has become a great tool for driving ecommerce sales over the years, and doesn’t look to be slowing down. Pinterest’s visually stimulating design plays a role in the increase of sales, as well as the ability to Pin certain products and create price alerts. Product Pins allow you to post extra information about your item, and the price alert system will notify users when the price has changed.  Pinterest has reported that Product Pins are more beneficial than normal pins, so it’s highly encouraged to use the Product Pins.

I spoke with Sergio Aicardi from The Miami SEO Company, who added, “Another great thing about Pinterest is the longevity it provides when advertising. Twitter and Facebook are great for ‘in the moment’ marketing, but the effects of a Pin can last a period of months.” Learn more here about using Rich Product Pins or visit here to hear more from Aicardi on social media and ecommerce companies specifically.

The Takeaway

This just scratches the surface of how social media can help your ecommerce sales, but these are some of the more popular tools out there. You’d be wise to incorporate some of these strategies in your in social marketing plan.  Be sure to check out Sprout Social for more social marketing tips.

Do you know of any great social media tools to help Ecommerce brands? Let us know in the comment section below.

About The Author

Jason Hawkins / http://www.themiamiseocompany.com

Jason Hawkins is the CEO & Co-Founder of The Miami SEO Company. He has over ten years of experience in search engine optimization, conversion rate optimization and lead generation. His core responsibilities include identifying ways to increase value of services rendered, training staff on advanced SEO topics, and A/B testing internal processes to consistently improve client return on investment.