Flutterwave Store is quite simply the best and easiest way to launch and manage an e-commerce business that accepts payments from anywhere in the world without creating a website, knowing how to code etc. Flutterwave Store allows you to upload products, set prices and (in some markets) have our integrated delivery partners pick up when you have an order and deliver to your customer.
A lot of efforts go into running a business, especially an e-commerce business. You need to have all these sorted out: logistics, products, excellent marketing and overall a good experience for your customers.
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In this article, we would love to share 5 social media marketing tips that can help you improve your sales and grow your business. Technology has advanced & continues to advance; we have seen how companies use social media to convert customers & grow their business. In the 21st century, if you are going to run an online business of any type, you need to make the most of social media to market your business. We expect that as an online business, you have social media accounts that you use to communicate with your customers and also promote your products. However, if you don’t have one, the best place to start is to create one. You need to study your market to know where your current or prospective customers are and which social media platforms they use. You may only need to be present on one social media platform or multiple platforms. The top social media platforms in no particular order, are Twitter, Facebook Pages & Instagram. These platforms are very good for promoting your business.
Here are 5 battle-tested social media marketing tips that can help you increase sales and grow your business:
Social Media Profile – Photo, Header, Description & Link
Your social media profile has to be very good and should clearly describe what your business is about. You should also put up a profile picture, and you could put your logo or a photo of one of your products, something that can help people know what the business is about. Some social media platforms also have a place for headers in the profile, you can create a header on Canva with images & words about your business, or you can also upload a photo that relates to your business there.
Most social media platforms have a place for bio/description; you should update it with a detailed and clear social media description of your business. People need to know what you are about when they visit your social media page, know the services you offer and how they can get that service or product. We expect that you would also add a link to your Flutterwave Store in the bio, this is as important as the reason you created the page in the first place.
This a good example of a good social media profile of one of our store owners
Make Noise About Your Business
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When you start running your business, one thing quickly becomes very clear: you are the captain of the ship, you are responsible for the success or the failure of your business. With this realization comes the desire to succeed at all cost.
You will have to make a lot of noise about your business online, people need to know what you sell or the services you offer. You can start with sharing your social media pages with your contacts, friends and loved ones so that they can follow your account. You can even ask them to always share your social media posts whenever you post, this way, you will be building an audience and more people will see your business and patronize you.
You will need to be posting consistently about your products, services, experiences, how people can use your products, the value they can get it from it, you can even share customer feedback (of course, the good ones) and so on. Strive for consistency and creativity.
To make the most of social media, having a social media content strategy is vital. This strategy will guide you on what kind of content you need to create to share on your pages, this article on social media content strategy is quite insightful & helpful.
Here’s a post from one of our merchants, H.S.F Naturals
Valuable Content – How-Tos, Benefits & Customer Feedback
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You need content to keep your social media pages running. There are different kinds of content you can share on your pages, however, to keep your customers/followers engaged, you will need to post content they can relate to, and that is valuable to them. Some examples of content you can share are:
– How-Tos: These are posts that explain how to use your products. If you have products that require some directions on how to use, how-to posts are very important to engage and inform your customers. This can take the form of articles, thread (on twitter) or even videos, the most important thing is that your customers are educated.
Example: Check out this how-to video by one of our merchants, Everything Souvenirs
– Benefits: You should also have posts that sell the value your product will give your customers. We can classify these as benefits, people need to know what they will be gaining from your products/services.
Example: Here’s a post from LuxeByNatureCosmetics that highlights the benefits of their product (Luminous Glow Face Soap).
– Customer Feedback: To further build trust with potential customers, getting & sharing feedback from your existing customers is important. At this point, I need to state that service to your customers needs to be excellent. Happy customers are the best, they are most times willing to share their experience with you or even online. You can make the most of this by also asking them to share their feedback with you and you can share that online. You can even ask your customers to post their order once it gets delivered to them and tell the world about your product.
Example: Here’s an example of a merchant (Smiley Socks Co) sharing the feedback their customer gave them.
Engage With Your Customers
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You will need to constantly engage with your customers on social media. Don’t shy away from chatting or making some jokes with them online. Whenever your customers message you about your product, be ready to respond politely. Also, whenever you share a post about your business and they reply or make comments, continue the conversation with them. You need to be as relatable as possible, humans are behind businesses and it is always great to have that human touch to your business so that customers feel welcome. You can engage them by asking different playful questions, like: “what do you enjoy most about our product?”, “Is our product the best thing that has happened to you?”, “how long have you been waiting to meet our product?” There are many you can ask about your product, you just need to be creative.
Example: In this post, Dermaspace engages with someone who used their product and is willing to purchase a bigger one.
Measure Your Progress – Analytics
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Tracking the progress you are making on social media is necessary. Each social media platform has an analytics function that shows you how your posts performed over some time: day, week, month and year. Having this information will help you better understand your social media pages it will show you the kind of posts that do well and vice versa. Once you know this, you will be able to know where to focus your efforts. You can learn more about social media analytics here.
We are certain that these tips will help you improve your social media game, increase your sales and grow your business. We wish you the best as you take charge of this ship.
If you want to learn more about the Flutterwave Store, watch this short and insightful video. If you do not already have a Flutterwave Store, you can set it up for free here.
PS: Don’t forget that August is our Small Business Month and you stand a chance to win FREE IG ads for your business. Carry out at least one successful transaction and enter your details here.