How To Use Social Media To Promote Your Products

Social media is obviously a great way to connect and engage with current and future customers, but how should you use social media to promote your products?People seem to carry a negative connotation with promotion. They don't want to come off as too "sales-y." Which I totally get. Nobody wants to be inundated with advertisements everywhere they go.But part of the reason why you are on social media as a small business is to promote your products. Getting the word out about the latest and greatest you have to offer is a great way to get new customers.There are ways to promote your products through your social channels without being too annoying to your audience. Let's take a look at some options below.

How To Use Social Media To Promote Your Products

Twitter cards

With Twitter cards, you can attach a photo, video, or media link (think article preview) to your tweets. This helps catch a follower's eye, as we are more naturally drawn to visual images versus straight text.For driving traffic back to your website for a product you are trying to sell, you would create what is called a summary card.Here is an example of a summary card:Do you see how the content is expanded to include a title, a brief description and image? This essentially gives followers a visual preview of your product, before clicking over to your site.Getting started with Twitter cards only takes 15 minutes to set up. Read more on how to get started with these tips.

Facebook ads

Ah, Facebook. I know a lot of people say Facebook is dead, how bored they are with Facebook, and  you might have even threatened to get off Facebook forever when they made the last big update (isn't it funny how so many people say they'll get off Facebook when a big change is made and then...they never do? I always laugh :))The truth of the matter is, Facebook still works. People are still spending a ton of time on Facebook.The key factor to remember is, how you should use Facebook for your business. And if you're selling products, Facebook ads can have a huge influence on your sales.The most important aspect of your Facebook ad is not the ad itself, it's the target audience for the ad.Your target audience for your Facebook ad should not be a random selection of people in your target demographic. You are wasting your money having a broad audience like that.You want to target people who are already coming to your website. Why? Because they are already familiar with you. So familiar, that they have already been to your website or better yet, they have already looked at your products on your website.How do I target those people who are already visiting my website?Inserting a Facebook ad pixel.  It may sound complicated but I promise it's not. Facebook does a great job explaining how and where you should place your Facebook ad pixel, as well as tracking any conversions.

Rich pins on Pinterest

Rich pins, like Twitter cards, give a little extra information on a pin, giving a follower all of the information they need about a particular pin. There are 6 types of rich pins: app, recipe, article, movie, place, and you guessed it: product.Here is an example of a successful rich pin for a product:See how it has the price of the cardigan listed at the top of the pin? As well as more detailed information about the cardigan at the bottom (style, color, brand)? That is the type of information included on a rich pin.Setting up a rich pin is even easier than setting up a Twitter card or Facebook ad pixel (I swear!). It takes only seconds of your time, and it's definitely worth it.

Work with popular Instagram users

If your target audience is on Instagram, working with popular users is a fantastic way to get your products in front of the right audience.Having an Instagram influencer use and share your product on their account gives their followers a feel for what your product is actually like. Most times, these influencers have had these followers for awhile and they trust the opinion of this person.Instagram is neat because people can share products in a non-sales-y way, so the promotion of your product won't come off as an ad, just a way for someone to share a product they genuinely love.Make sure to only work with quality influencers, ones who you are proud to have represent your brand.

Use social proof

A quick description of social proof, in case you aren't familiar with the term: Social proof is simply an influencer sharing your product/business on a social platform. Providing "proof" on social media that your product actually is as awesome as you say it is. This proof gives consumers a boost in confidence in your product and in turn, ends up buying it.Here are a few examples of social proof:Mariah Coz from Femtrepreneur.co retweeted this tweet from a webinar attendee that was satisfied from a recent webinar of Mariah's.Sarah Morgan from XO Sarah retweeted a complimentary tweet of one of her blog posts.

Question: How else have you used social media to promote your products?