MarketingSherpa Blog

At this year’s Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition in Chicago, Daniel Burstein, Director of Editorial Content, MECLABS, sat down to discuss the growth and value of visual social media with Jason Miles, Co-founder, Liberty Jane Clothing, and Aime Schwartz, Digital Marketing Manager, King Arthur Flour.

Aime shared the importance of identifying what makes Instagram different from your Facebook and Twitter efforts. The goal is to showcase your value to multiple audiences through images, and think about reasons why people should engage with you and your brand.

Showcasing your value means being transparent, and with images, you can convey trust much better than just with words. (Want to learn more about trust through transparency? Watch a replay of Michael Norton, Associate Professor, Harvard Business School, speak at Web Optimization Summit 2014.)

In social media, we’ve all heard that adding an image to a post will drive more traffic, and together, Aime and Jason presented ways to leverage images on social media, regardless of the product or service.

“The research shows that even on Facebook, pictures get more engagement than normal posts,” Jason said.

For example, one way to be creative with the photography, Jason suggested, is by using the 80/20 rule – the happy balance between uploading meaningful posts alongside your product images.

As you think about where to start with Instagram and Pinterest, make sure you conquer one platform before expanding and jumping onto all of them. Also, don’t forget to provide plenty of social sharing options on your website to allow users ample opportunities to gravitate toward their preference.

During this interview, Jason and Aime even highlighted some dos and don’ts when diving into the visual social world:

• Do have a strategy when you dive into a new platform, as you want to make sure that you are utilizing it effectively. “Almost any strategy is better than no strategy” Jason said.

• Don’t abandon your page, as it can cause your brand to look unorganized or uncommitted. Make sure that you stay active and consistent when posting, Aime suggested.

Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits all approach for using social media in ecommerce, but one thing is certain: Visually stunning images of your products can offer an appeal that words often work very hard to capture. 

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Categories: Ecommerce Eretail Tags: ecommerce, instagram, marketing insights, Pinterest, social media