3 Tips to Promote New
Products on Social Media
Social media is one of those rare phenomena which need no real introduction. Whether we admit to it or not, the overwhelming majority of us invest plenty of time into our private accounts each week – a fact which, for any brand looking to make a killing online, presents an extremely exciting opportunity for visibility and growth.
Still, promoting any new product is incredibly tricky – even on social media, where e-commerce has long since found an invaluable home.
First, Ensure You Can Follow Through
Social media represents an excellent tool for self-promotion. It offers an incredibly versatile platform that lends itself to the largest eCommerce sites and the smallest, independent businesses alike – provided, of course, that we understand its many nuances and, of course, how to use it to the best possible effect.
As internet users, we are bombarded with flashy marketing campaigns, promotional content, and ad placements every time we scroll. When those marketing tactics work, all tend toward the same next step – that is, we click through to the brand’s page and look for that all-important site link in the bio.
What comes next is the most important stage in your customers’ journeys, although it happens in the blink of an eye… literally.
According to multiple studies, internet users take only 50 milliseconds to make up their minds about a website. That’s a mind-boggling 1/20th of a second, to take in all aspects of a site’s aesthetic appeal.
Of course, none of us our born knowing how to build a website but, as customers, we are all acutely attuned to the features and omens of a bad one. A poorly constructed page will likely deter the majority of your prospective customers on sight, even if your products are exemplary, while a strong, professional, sleek, and fast-loading website will begin the work of conveying your brand’s message, value, and applicability for your prospects in virtually no time at all – 1/20th of a second, to be precise.
Second, Make Sure You are Cognizant of the Fact that Social Media Represents a Mixed Bag
In times gone by, many brands would utilize the full spectrum of social media channels on offer to them in a decidedly homogenous way – and, in light of the relative ‘newness’ of social media as a concept, it was a strategy that likely bore fruit for many.
Nowadays, however, the time for spreading one marketing strategy thinly across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter has long since passed. And, despite the fact that industry critics see a certain amount of ‘homogenization’ taking place between these platforms, the onus has fallen on the brands themselves to ensure that their followers will not see the same photograph, video, and caption on multiple profiles.
Why? Because, put simply, without variation your followers have no reason to follow you on the ‘Gram, within the Twitterverse, or on TikTok if they already follow you on Facebook.
That’s not to say that there cannot be some ‘back and forth’ between the platforms. Your short-form content created specifically for TikTok, for instance, can of course yield a few themed images for your Instagram profile. But, at the same time, you must always remain aware of the risks of complacency – and of the fact that, if you want to boast a strong (and growing) following in all corners of the social media universe, you must learn how to master each one as an independent entity.
Third, Understand How to Make Excellent Content – and Why it Matters as Much as it Does
You have no doubt heard the phrase ‘content is king’ at least once in the past month – and the one before that, as well as the five before that. It is fast becoming a cliché of digital marketing (if it isn’t already) but that’s not to say it is getting any less true. In fact, it may well be growing increasingly central to a brand’s ability to find any success online.
From short-form video reels to YouTube videos, product photography to the punchy captions and Tweets you put out into the world, strong content is as much about recognizing its centrality as it is capturing an air of originality and spontaneity – one which masks the hours of mind-mapping and creative uncertainty that poured into it before it went live.
Take photography: a tricky medium to master, though one that will prove to be invaluable when you get it right. We are all aware of how rapidly the eyes process photographs – particularly when compared with large paragraphs of text – but, just like a poor quality website, a bad photograph has the power to make a terrible first (and last) impression in milliseconds, rather than minutes.
For this reason, working with specialized content creators – whether artists, photographers, writers, videographers, musicians, or anyone else with an aptitude for grabbing the eye and garnering positive attention – to create your new product’s ‘image’ online will be the secret sauce for your successful social media campaign.
