By Volusion
Want to create online promotions for your social media channels without scaring away your well-earned audience. One of our market specialists offers tips for creating social-ready promotions.
Never underestimate the power of timely, targeted promotions – a coupon, discount or free shipping delivered at the right time to the right person can mean the difference between a sale at your online store or lost opportunity to your competition. At the same time, never assume consumers on social channels, such as Facebook or Twitter, want to see your promotions at all, especially because data and research would suggest otherwise. According to ExactTarget’s 2012 Channel Preference Study, less than 5% of consumers want to see online promotions in their social feeds, with 77% preferring opt-in email promotions only.
So, how do you avoid annoying your social audience while encouraging consumers to complete a purchase and share the experience with their friends? Read on for a few quick tips:
- Clearly communicate promotions in an easy to understand way. Promotions that engage (i.e. contests, sweepstakes, and interesting content) are better than promotions that directly push sales.
- Create content that is simple to navigate and easy to read. Most social promotions will be viewed on a mobile device where simplicity is key. Promotions should cater to smaller screens, reduced bandwidth and on-the-go mobile consumer behavior.
- Promotions should add value and make sense for your target audience. Know your audience – what makes them tick? Are they bargain hunters or are do they have large expendable incomes? What compels them to take action? If you feel like you cannot answer these questions about your audience look to Google Analytics, Facebook Insight and Search Graph data as well as other social platform analytics (i.e. Pinterest, Twitter and Polyvore).
- Create urgency with clear expiration dates (perhaps related to a seasonal event or buzz worthy topic) and strong call-to-actions. If coupons are related to a specific holiday, be sure to reflect that with the code and copy.
- Use social proof to your advantage. Social proof online is the modern day word of mouth marketing – encourage the sharing of promotions and engagement by making it as easy as possible to do so.
Want to learn more about creating online promotions that convert? Check out the Ultimate Field Guide to Ecommerce Conversions for a 360 view into how to best optimize your website and marketing strategies for visitor conversions.
-Cindy Day, Marketing Consultant
Visit Volusion’s Ecommerce Authority blog for everything you need to cultivate a successful online business. Visit www.Volusion.com to experience the world’s best ecommerce software solution for online businesses.
