If there’s one thing every eCommerce business owner can relate with, it’s the constant need to make sales and increase profit and to do so predictably. If you’re an entrepreneur who is selling on Amazon, the pressure is even more.

As with most online businesses, one important marketing strategy to drive sales is social media. Social media and its role in increasing sales for companies apply equally to Amazon. It has tremendous benefits in increasing brand awareness, improving visibility, and turning followers into customers.

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing refers to the use of social media platforms in marketing goods and services. This is done by pushing content and running paid ads to interact with existing customers and reach out to new ones. 

According to reports, there are now over 4.88 billion social media users in the world today, which accounts for 62% of the world’s population. 

At the same time, Amazon features about 33 product categories. Is it possible that you’ll find your target audience lurking around on social media? Most definitely.

You may or may not be able to control different factors that determine whether social media will help drive sales for you on Amazon. However, if your product category is doing well on Amazon, it likely means that the demand for that product is high in the market.

Consequently, you’ll have a  higher chance of intersecting with shoppers demanding these products out of the almost 5 billion users on social media and ultimately increase company sales.

If you can use the influence of social media through the strategies discussed here, you’re well on your way to having more orders than you can handle. 

Read on to discover how to increase online business revenue on Amazon using social media.   

What is the importance of social media for Amazon business owners? 

Here are a some of the reasons social media is important for Amazon business owners: 

• Social media helps create brand awareness which exposes your brand to millions of potential customers. It also allows you to freely market your products and provide further information on the usefulness of your product. 
• Social media allows you to build connections with your target audience
• You can direct external traffic to your Amazon page through social media, boost sales and increase company revenue. 
• You can carry out market research and keep up with relevant trends in the industry using social media.
• The cost of entry is zero, making it relatively easy to penetrate. What creates significant expenses when it comes to social media is running ads and integrating social media tools into your business page. 

It is important to note that with social media, going viral might not necessarily bring in conversion, which should be the ultimate goal for your business. Instead, focus on adding value and pulling in the right customers. 

8 ways to drive sales to Amazon using social media

Here are eight ways to take advantage of social media platforms to increase company sales and grow revenue with Amazon: 

1. Decide your social media platform 
2. Research content relevant to your target audience 
3. Be consistent with creating content 
4. Create a hashtag strategy 
5. Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC)
6. Partner with niche influencers 
7. Run social media ads
8. Use social media to generate your email list

Decide your social media platform 

Choosing which social media platforms to use depends on your brand, product(s), and target audience, among other factors. While platforms such as Tiktock, Instagram, and Facebook all have significant numbers of users, they are not all necessarily going to be appropriate for your product. Even if they are, audiences in each may be receptive to different methods of marketing.

Also, to actively get customers on Amazon to follow you on social media, you can include your handles in your product packaging when shipping your product. You can even take it further by encouraging them to use your product and tag your brand when they post. 

Research content relevant to your target audience 

This is important because you always want to meet your audience where they are. For example, if you sell fashion items on Amazon, consider the top fashion pages on platforms like Instagram, where you know many followers visit frequently. Comment on their posts, like, and share. 

Take note of the kind of content your target audience is interested in. You can create similar content to attract them to your social media page. Some of the tools you can use for this type of research include Facebook Insights and BuzzSumo.

Be consistent with creating content 

Results from social media marketing can often take more time than we imagine. So don’t expect to get the engagement or followership you seek within weeks. Instead, focus on creating relevant content and pushing it on the right platform. Be creative and create a memorable experience for your audience. 

Also, optimize your bio so your audience knows who you are and the products you have available. You can follow the 80/20 rule when creating content. 80% of your posts could be valuable and educational, and 20% could be sales. 

Create a hashtag strategy

A hashtag strategy is still a very effective method for gaining visibility on social media. After all, potential customers must first find you before buying your product, right?

Here are some tips to help you create a hashtag strategy:

• use relevant and specific hashtags
• Infuse branded hashtags
• Avoid using too many hashtags. Keep them at a moderate number depending on the social media platform. For example, Instagram allows a maximum of 30 hashtags per post

When it comes to branded hashtags, consistency and the proper context matter. Also, make sure the hashtag is particular to just your brand and is memorable enough. That way, you can easily track its impact, and your followers can find you with ease.

Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC)

User-generated content refers to any kind of content created by followers or customers of a brand. It can come from your customers,  followers, or even potential customers. This content is found in customer reviews, posts made by followers tagging the brand, comments, etc. The goal of using User-Generated Content is that it highlights the brand in a more positive light.

But how does it help drive sales to your Amazon business? It is an indicator of how genuine your brand is. People are more likely to be influenced by a post from customers than a well-planned post from your brand. The bottom line is that UGC is just more trustworthy to prospects than marketing material produced by the brand. Therefore, it is more effective at building trust and dispeling objections that potential customers may have. 

Partner with niche influencers

Influencer marketing has gradually become a mainstay as it is beneficial for brand awareness and can also bring in quick conversion if done right.

Here are some ways to convert with influencers:

• Make sure the influencer operates in your niche and their content aligns with your brand’s voice.
• Go for Influencers that have not just high following but active engagement. Look out for those who have taken time to build their brand and have created a vibe of authenticity amongst their followers. This way, their followers are less likely to doubt the usefulness of your product. 
• Assure that any influencers you choose match your brand and have the ability to move your target audience.

Run social media ads 

Social media ads present tremendous benefits. It is easy to set up and personalize. It is also very flexible, meaning you can experiment with different ads and reach as many people as you want on a budget. Also, it allows you to target potential customers, increasing your conversion rate and sales. Some examples of social media advertising platforms include Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads. 

Use social media to generate your email list 

You can use social media to create an email list. With emails, you can make your marketing message more personalized, send your customers reminders on promos and coupons, encourage them to send reviews, and collect feedback on how you can improve your business.

To do this, you can run ads directing traffic to a dedicated landing page before you collect their details. 

Bonus tips

Amazon Attribution Program 

The Amazon Attribution Program is an analytics and advertising measurement solution that gives sellers a deeper insight into off-Amazon performance. 

It’s one thing to drive sales to your amazon store through social media. However, scaling will only be possible if you can measure and retain sales. Thankfully, the Amazon Attribution Program, allows you to set up links to external services (like social media) to track clicks, views, etc.

With Amazon Attribution, you can get insight into the following: 

• Page views
• Purchases
• Units sold
• Product sales 
• Add to Cart
• Customers new to the brand
• Impressions
• Click-throughs

The Amazon Attribution Program is open to sellers enrolled on Amazon Brand Registry and vendors in various countries like the US, Uk, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.  

You want to be wary of the kind of traffic you drive to your listing as Amazon will penalize you if your traffic is not converting. Also, optimize your listing for searchers to see your product. 

Furthermore, you can use your personal social media page alongside a dedicated business page to build your brand. This way, you’re tapping into two different audience sets on both accounts and giving your brand a more human feel. 

Conclusion

The benefits of social media for your Amazon business are endless. From building your brand to connecting with your customers, driving traffic to your Amazon page, and ultimately increasing sales. You can implement these strategies, measure your results and modify them over time.