Using Facebook to Sell More Products Online
Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the states. It's also the biggest shopping day of the year, both online and in retail. Research released today shows that 57% of shoppers found their deals of choice through Facebook and other social networks.
Getting your products online is easier than you may think. We'll guide you through the process and get you up and running quickly.
Red Carrot has long suggested websites blog frequently. Blogging about what you know, about what you’ve done and about what you can offer of value to your potential customers should come easily - it’s what every business does day in, day out with the advantage of you being able to perfect your pitch before saving it to your site.
We help our customers connect their blogs with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and in the future we’ll be pushing Google+ also. Today’s research is further evidence that expanding your web presence on social media is an incredibly valuable marketing tool to have in your arsenal.
Viral Shopping
If you were an electronics retailer, blogging something as simple as “30% of all Sony Televisions” with a bit of information about why the product is great and how they can redeem it will be sure to catch the attention of savvy buyers shopping around. Furthermore, the social element could make your deal spread virally. Admittedly this deal wont take the Internet by storm, like ‘Charlie Bit Me’ but if one customer sees it on their Facebook feed and shares it with a friend (who may otherwise not know of you) who is looking for a TV then you quite likely just made a new sale.
Savvy Shopping
Last year, 67% of US shoppers looked online before going to a retail store to buy a product. When in store, 80% of shoppers used their mobile phones to check online prices before they handed over their money. As an online retailer this should be an exciting prospect; by doing things as simple as talking about what you sell, you can potentially increase your sales just by being a bit more active online.
It also links into our commitment to finding new ways for our customers to market their products on the web. Since listing a client’s product on Google Product Search they have seen a rise in sales without them having to do any additional work.
The ultimate goal is to have your website be a self-promoting marketing machine which feeds off to Facebook, Twitter, Google and more to let you do what you’re good at - running your business. While this isn’t fully achievable yet, here at Red Carrot we are constantly trying to push what is possible in eCommerce for small businesses.
Research provided by the National Retail Federation (US)