As an agile ecommerce business owner in 2023, being active on social media is a must.
There are currently 4.89 billion social media users worldwide. And counting. It’s no wonder platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok have become powerful marketing tools for reaching new customers and driving sales.
Fashion, Beauty Care & Make-up, Tech, Home products are just a few examples of product categories that Generation Z and Millennials purchased more as a result of social media brands' posts in US as of 2021.
Besides, social channels are also an easy way to shape a strong brand identity, build brand awareness and stay connected with your community and on top of customers’ minds (or, simply put, stay relevant).
Now, as aware as you might be of the importance of social media, there’s still some questions which are bound to keep you awake at night: What kind of content should I be posting? How often should I post? Where should I post?
The bad news - there’s no easy answer to these questions, no magic formula. You’ll have to put in some effort to discover what works best for your brand, your products, and your audience.
The good news – it’s not impossible. In fact, it’s easier than it seems. There are studies and statistics nowadays that offer a bit of clarity on where to begin, best practices to adopt and strategies to try out.
This is exactly what I’ll be doing in the next few paragraphs – trying to shed some light over these daunting questions considering the latest ecommerce marketing trends. Buckle up!
What kind of content should you be posting?
This is perhaps one of the trickiest questions.
There are a lot of options when it comes to content. From animated to static, to GIFs and UGC (User Generated Content). Even memes?
However, no matter the type of content you choose to make, there are two things you should always keep in mind.
First, the content must accomplish one clear purpose. That is, highlight your products. In the end, it all comes down to the products. They’re the core of your business and the main reason your audience is following you.
Second, you must include video.
With the rise of channels like TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, posting videos on social media is no longer a matter of content preferences, but of staying relevant and on top of your competitors.
In fact, TikTok videos are the number one factor influencing Gen Z females’ purchasing decisions in the US in 2021.
With that in mind, it’s arguable that at least 70% of your weekly social media content must be video.
Now, in terms of what videos you should make, again, there are many options. In a previous article, I highlighted 5 of the best types of social media marketing videos to scale your ecommerce brand. It includes Product Demos, Unboxing Videos, Short Animated Videos, Customer Testimonials and Behind-the-scenes Videos.
Live-motion videos are great for different reasons including showing your products in action, building trust between you and your audience, highlighting social proof, or simply creating a fun visual your audience enjoys watching. You should make sure you’re uploading at least 1-2 such videos per week.
However, today I want to talk more about Short Animated Videos. While live-motion videos require you or someone else picking up a camera or smartphone and starting to film (so, a bit more work), animated product videos are a very easy way to highlight your products in a nevertheless impactful way, using just software.
Posting these kinds of videos regularly, you get to always be present in front of your customers with updates on your product catalogue, discounts and offers, so that all the effort you put in on your website translates into engaging social media content as well.
This makes animated product videos an important part of your marketing strategy, and, since they’re easier to make, they should account for at least 50% of your overall video content.
There are tons of stuff you can choose to highlight in these videos, but I’d like to note three of them:
1. Discounts and Offers
Nothing’s more appealing than seeing a product we need or want being on sale. It’s in our instinct to say – “I should take advantage of this offer now”. And even if we don’t specifically want that product, a generous discount might be able to create a need we didn’t even know we had.
That’s why highlighting your offers on social media, where your audience can see them in an engaging video format, without having to visit your website first, is an extremely powerful opportunity to generate new leads and increase sales.
2. New Arrivals
Adding new products to your collections is super exciting, and your audience should be the first to know about it.
This is a great way to keep your clients constantly up to date, and your brand on top of their minds. Maybe they won’t all convert, but you can be sure they won’t forget about you, either.
3. Best Sellers
Best-sellers videos are great for telling your audience – “Hey, lots of customers LOVE these products – I think you will, too”.
It’s a way of showcasing social proof in a very subtle, but impactful way. And, when presenting this information with a nice, animated visual, it’s sure to spark some interest for your amazing products.
Tools like eyeris.io allow you to generate these types of videos in literal seconds, as it takes your product information directly from your Shopify feed, and automatically turns it into beautiful, brand-representative creatives ready to be shared.
How often should you be posting on social media?
The short answer is, well, often.
The long answer depends on your brand identity, your target audience (“Think about how often your audience wants to hear from you”), and, finally, the social platforms you are using.
A study by Hootsuite shows that, while for Instagram you shouldn’t be posting more than once a day, with 2-3 feed posts per week being the recommended magic number, for Facebook you should post every day, but no more than 2 times a day, so you don’t trigger a drop in engagement.
For both platforms, however, it’s safe and better to post even up to 2-3 stories per day.
And for TikTok, it’s actually best if you post 1-4 times per day.
Of course, these numbers are indicative, and although they highlight some best practices, it doesn’t necessarily mean that this is the best formula for your brand. You’ll need to undergo some trial & error before you find out what works best for you and your audience.
But one thing is clear, you should be posting, and you should be posting daily, even if just a FB or Insta story, or a short TikTok.
Building a strong ecommerce marketing plan for social media
After everything we have learned so far, we can argue that, in order to build a strong ecommerce marketing plan for social media, you need to keep some things in mind:
1. To grow your ecommerce brand, you must be active on social media on a daily basis.
2. You should be active on all major social channels, and at least on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
3. At least 70% of your weekly social media content must be video.
4. Out of these, at least 1-2 must be live-motion, interactive videos, such as Product Demos, Unboxing Videos, Customer Testimonials or Behind-the-scenes Videos, especially for TikTok and Insta Reels.
5. The rest, or at least 50%, should be represented by Short Animated Product Videos, which are easier to make and allow you to highlight discounts, offers, best-sellers and new arrivals, keeping your customers updated and with you on top of their minds. This is a simple, easy to digest form of content great for any social platform, either for feed posts or stories.
Conclusion
With these guidelines in mind, and with some patience, you’re bound to find the best formula for you and your brand.
And one thing’s for sure – you need to be present and active on social media to stay relevant. You need to be posting daily, and you need to be posting videos. Both live-motion, interactive videos that build trust and engage your audience, and short animated videos that highlight your products and offers and keep your customers up-to-date and ready to purchase.
eyeris.io Express Video Studio is now free to try on the Shopify App Store, where you can start creating impactful animated videos for your amazing products right away.
