Best for clever content, conversations, or social support

Twitter, according to Pew research, and most of them under age 50. This network, which limits your updates to 140 characters, has long been used by brands if only because so many of their customers use it. But does every brand need to be on Twitter? Or do certain companies find more success here than others? Rather than specific types of brands finding success on Twitter, it appears that specific types of brand content determine how successful you are on this network. One study found that images outperformed video, links to how-to and list blog posts outperformed all others social media marketing strategy template in terms of the number of retweets received, and that users who tweeted quotes had 43% more followers than those who did not. So if your eCommerce brand — regardless of what it is you actually sell — tweets links to interesting content, posts images, and occasionally offers inspirational quotes (provided they have something to do with your company, that is), you seem to have a better chance at attracting clicks, retweets, and followers than brands who do none of this. All this aside, Twitter is really the best place for a brand to have a conversation with its customers. Because the platform is so accessible and widely-used, and it takes far less time to compose a tweet than an email, you’re likely to receive questions, comments, and complaints here. If you answer social media marketing resume quickly and appropriately, research shows that this good experience may help motivate more sales. Be prepared to watch those @mentions and respond appropriately! Finally, due to the speed factor mentioned above, some brands choose to use Twitter as a dedicated support channel. This isn’t for everyone, but if you sell electronics or other products that have a high risk of needing service, you might find it useful to set up an account if only so you can help your customers solve their problems efficiently.

Best for brands with attractive physical goods

Almost half of Instagram‘s 300 million monthly active users log in daily, according to the latest research on this growing photo-based social media network. Instagram’s frequent usage by consumers, simple system for publishing photos, and relative friendliness to brands — no posts are ever filtered, hidden, or shown out of order in your feed — make it an ideal pick for many eCommerce companies. But what kinds of brands will find the most success social media marketing campaigns on Instagram? Much of any user’s popularity on this platform will depend on the content and quality of their photos. As such, if you lack physical goods, have trouble taking photos of your products, or only sell a few items, you may struggle to find success after joining this network. What does this mean for you? Well, if you offer clothing or accessories that can be modeled, products that can be staged, or items that go together in a collection (as IKEA’s do, shown above), you’ll have no trouble taking beautiful photos for this network. You can also find success if your product lends itself well to “stories,” like GoPro, or attracts customers to share social media marketing service their own photos using a unified hashtag. If you don’t sell physical goods, or have a limited number of products, all hope is not lost. But you’ll need to invest in some creative strategies if you want Instagram to work for you. User generated content is usually the way to go in this case, and you can read more about how to curate and use it here.

The best way to pick the right networks for you

Choosing the right social media platforms on which to promote your eCommerce brand can be tricky. Going into it, you might be fearful of investing a lot of time and seeing little to no return, or spending advertising dollars that don’t result in purchases. But by doing your research beforehand and knowing what each platform can do for you, you stand a much better chance of succeeding on social than a brand that signs up for every option under the sun. We hope the tips in this post have given you a good starting point for choosing how to launch your social media presence. If you have any additional questions about picking the social media marketing conference right networks for your business, or want to offer some tips of your own for fellow business owners, please feel free to do so in the comments below. We always love hearing your feedback and suggestions! It’s easy to get caught up in social media trends. With each new and emerging network, you’re probably curious and eager to try each hot new app for yourself. But before you start sending snaps to customers or streaming live video for your website visitors, think carefully about the long-term benefits of each of these emerging or niche networks. One important fact that you should especially be aware of is that new social networks often emerge without any kind of brand standards, guidelines, or features. Because they’re created with users in mind, not companies, brand features are often introduced much later, and they might restrict the your activities, or even put an abrupt end to a new source of revenue you’ve come to depend on. Again, as we said before, your time is precious. Don’t invest effective social media marketing in a social media network simply because it sounds cool or is trending. Invest in one that your target audience is attracted to, has set standards for brands, and has clear long-term benefits for your company, like increased revenue or easier communication with customers.