When an e-commerce business is ready to launch its website, it should first devise a social media marketing campaign in order to line up potential customers to its virtual doors for its Grand Opening. When a business launches its website, it does not mean that orders will start rolling in – customers must find out about this business.
One of the most effective ways for people to find out about a new startup is through word-of-mouth within social media sites. Top social media sites that startups should focus on are Facebook , Twitter, and YouTube – if the startup can gain a following and on these sites before opening its doors, then its Grand Opening will have a greater chance of success.
Make sure that the website has a landing page which announces any promotions or marketing tactics currently being used to gain excitement – and direct visitors to those social media sites. The key is to not have visitors land on a blank page if the business does not yet want to unveil the finished website.
Promoting a Website Before Launching on Facebook
Businesses can easily create a Fan Page within Facebook for free to promote their products or services. This should be the first thing any new business does when deciding to use Facebook as a marketing tool. Customize the Fan page so it includes the company’s logo, images, and other information about the business and products. Also, it is good to include the company’s mission and vision statements so that Fans can gain a sense of who the company is and what it wants to accomplish (besides making a profit).
According to Facebook's Help, Fan pages come pre-installed with custom functionality that are specific to the category of the business. These are the applications and information fields Facebook believes will be most relevant to the category selected for the business.
For instance, a Band Page comes pre-installed with a music player, video player, discography, reviews, tour dates, and a discussion board. Facebook does offer an Application Directory, in which businesses can add more features to their Fan page. There are also a large number of third-parties which create applications for businesses to use on their pages for a more customized experience.
Facebook Marketing Strategies and Ideas for Launching a Website
The business will then need to attract and retain potential customers to its Fan page. This can be done by doing one or several of the following:
- A series of videos or clues. Create a marketing campaign where a information about what the company is, is provided in small amounts with each video or clue. The goal is to create a sense of excitement and mystery. Post these clues or videos right on the fan page – for the videos, upload them to YouTube and use that link for Facebook.
- Advertise through Facebook’s Ad Program. Facebook allows businesses to advertise to its members in a very efficient fashion. Businesses can target its ads to members of Facebook based on age, education, income and all types of other specifications.
- Be personal. Talk to members on Facebook in a one-on-one fashion through the use of Facebook’s Wall and Discussion boards. Answer questions and start discussions with the fans. The key is interaction so that these fans feel that they have a personal relationship with the business, as they will be more likely to share the page with their networks.
- Contests and games. Create a contest or game for Fans to create a fun and exciting atmosphere. Offer winners a coupon for when the shop is live, or a free gift. Ensure to keep the contest open for a while so that when it goes viral, those towards the end of the chain do not reach the contest after it is already over. In general, two months is a good amount of time to keep a contest open.
After Starting the Facebook Marketing Strategy
Facebook is just one piece of the puzzle for a social media marketing strategy. After the business has started its marketing efforts on Facebook, it should also ramp up the excitement on Twitter and YouTube as well.
While the more Fans on Facebook does not necessarily mean more sales, it does mean that there are people out there aware of the business and are potential customers. The next step when the business goes live is to convert these fans into paying customers. Some creative ideas can be found in this E-Commerce Strategies - Convert Facebook Fans into Customers article.
Carrieanne Larmore - Carrieanne Larmore has six years of experience in management and executive positions in multimillion-dollar e-commerce corporations within ...
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