As high-street shops continue to struggle and traditional forms of retail become less effective, an increasing number of businesses are making goods and services available online.

What’s more, interacting and communicating with customers on social network sites is now a fundamental aspect of current marketing strategies.

But what relationship do these two have? What benefits can come from integrating social media and e-commerce?

Greater communication

Never before have customers been able to interact with big businesses so easily. Thanks to social networks, it is difficult to ignore consumer comments, feedback and criticism.

However, you can make this work in your favour. For certain products, ask your audience whether they would be interested in purchasing the item. Keep them updated about sales, promotions and prices.

At PILR Marketing, we understand the value that social media can bring a business. Moreover, we know exactly how to make e-commerce it work in your favour, so get in touch today.

Content is king

While there are benefits of uploading original photos to Facebook and posting unique updates on Twitter, there are various other ways of utilising social media to enhance online sales.

Having a blog on sites like WordPress or Tumblr will undoubtedly generate brand awareness, improve search engine rankings and create strong relationships with the customer.

This is because Google’s search engine algorithm rewards original content with better page rankings. Therefore, having the cheapest prices or biggest inventory of stock online doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be the most successful.

Better targeting

Just like keyword targeting with PPC advertising, social media ensures you will be attracting the right audience.

You can think of social networking as an extension of your sales team, targeting a specific group of people based on various demographics such as gender, age, location and interests.

On Facebook, you might have noticed advertisements popping up that relate to your lifestyle or hobbies. Similarly, Twitter promotes posts you might be interested in based on your followers and who you are following.

Going viral

Coming up with a social media campaign that goes viral is no mean feat, but if you get it right the results can be phenomenal.

In 2012, Lay’s potato chips launched the ‘Do Us a Flavour’ social media campaign, letting fans create a new flavour for its popular snack.

From over 3.8 million submissions, three shortlisted flavours were then made available in stores and customers voted for their favourite on Facebook or Twitter. Sales increased by 12 per cent as a result.