On average, mobile users spend about 1.5 hours on social media a day, and due to COVID-19, consumers are spending more time on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. With users spending almost two hours a day on some type of social media platform, there are plenty of opportunities for your apparel and accessories brand to stand out and make a connection with users.
As social media traffic has increased so has the reliance on eCommerce sites for apparel and accessories brands. Now’s the perfect time to sync these assets towards a single goal. In this guide, you’ll learn how to better utilize social media platforms to increase traffic on your apparel and accessories eCommerce website.
Invest in Influencers
A few years ago the term “influencers” began to gain traction in the marketing world. Today, influencers play a significant role in social media marketing. An influencer is a social media personality, who’s status and large following can influence or persuade potential customers to buy a product or service by promoting or recommending items on their social media accounts. Influencers like Kylie Jenner, Chiara Gerragni, Jeffree Star, and Roman Atwood can be found on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.
We know that finding authenticity in social media can be hard especially when using influencers. Influencer marketing isn’t for every company because it can be expensive when executed correctly and disastrous when done wrong. That’s why we recommend influencer marketing to fashion companies that are edgy and youthful with an engaged audience. We also recommend working directly with experienced marketing firms who have influencer knowledge and connections rather than trying to find and employ them on your own. When creating a brand deal with influencers, make sure to determine KPIs and assess ROIs and that your social media campaigns such as brand awareness targets an audience or a specific product.
Increase Your Number of Shoppable Links, Posts, & Ads
For a more direct method of increasing traffic to your apparel and accessories eCommerce store, try implementing shoppable links, posts, and ads. A shoppable post, link, or ad will show up on a customer’s timeline and allows users to buy products directly. These tactics can be very effective because they can be hyper-targeted toward demographics of interest, geographic region, and personal taste. Shoppable posts, especially on Facebook and Instagram, provide customers with a 1-click option to check out merchandise and connect them to your site. Anytime you use a shoppable post, you will need to include some type of call-to-action like buy now or shop now. This social content does not just help you stay connected with existing customers, but also expands your reach to attract new customers.
Shoppable links, posts, and ads do not have to be just for one item. Shoppable links give you the opportunity to upsell multiple products or even completely-styled outfits. While shoppable posts and ads on Instagram and Facebook have been an option for some time now, recently Pinterest has also joined in with their new ‘Shop’ tabs. These shop tabs have the ability to connect with your webstore and accurately display all in-stock inventory empowering customers to find specific items by typing what they are looking for while surfing Pinterest.
Be Present on Instagram & Pinterest
Just like influencer marketing, Instagram and Pinterest marketing is not for every company. However, if your brand does decide to use Instagram or Pinterest to market your products, then you’re opening yourself up to a potentially wide and diverse audience. Pinterest and Instagram are the most visual and shoppable out of all the social media platforms. They give brands the opportunity to offer purchases and direct users back to your webstore.
To fully utilize Instagram, you should follow trending hashtags or hashtags that resemble your company’s brand or image to reach a bigger audience. Also, remember to include call-to-actions like shop now or buy now on your posts to entice customers. Since you cannot add links on Instagram posts, make sure to either include them in your bio, Insta-Stories, or shoppable posts.
As we previously mentioned, to get the most out of Pinterest join the new Shop tabs, so customers can directly purchase from your in-stock inventory. Pinterest also empowers apparel and accessories brands to create fashion boards and paid advertisements to display on existing and potential customers’ news feeds.
Promote Contests & Giveaways
Contests and giveaways have been shown to be useful when attracting new customers. However, they can also come with legal challenges if you do not properly explain the rules, requirements, and disclaimers. We recommend partnering with a marketing firm that is familiar with the pitfalls and peril of contests rather than trying to run and manage one yourself.
Maximize SEO
Maintaining an active social media page can potentially boost your traffic even if users are not arriving at your webstore from a social channel. This is because having active social channels can increase your SEO rankings.
Profiles Rank in Search Engines Results – Your social media profiles aren’t just confined to social media; they also rank in search engine results. They are prominently visible in branded search results, often on the first page. So your brand can increase your search engine visibility and drive more traffic by creating social media profiles and optimizing them.
Local SEO – Social media also affects your local SEO efforts in a few ways. As you already know, your NAP (the name, address, and phone number of your business) plays an important role in local search rankings. If you maintain consistent NAP information across all of your listings and website, Google will consider your business as more credible. And that can boost your rankings in local search results. Which makes it crucial to use the same NAP information across your social media profiles, local listings, and website. Additionally, some social media platforms let you geo-tag your Stories and posts. This is a great way to gain more visibility among a local audience, helping you expand your reach.
Conclusion
These tips are all great social media tactics to increase traffic on your apparel and accessories eCommerce store. Also, check out our digital marketing page. To learn more about how to connect your Magento webstore to your social channels or to find out how InteractOne can help you use social media to increase traffic on your webstore, contact us now.
