3. While social media is a growing channel for selling products, at its
core, social is about community. Build your audience with
authentic and engaging lifestyle content. Then, nurture that
community to turn followers into customers and customers into
brand advocates.
Sell lifestyle, not (just) products.
4. Getting Started
‣ Conduct a social audit – do any owned social
properties or content hurt your image/
brand? Nail down handles, report imposters
‣ Listen, research competitors
‣ Who is your customer? What do they eat,
watch, wear? Where do they hang out on
social? Who do they follow?
‣ Establish goals, voice, tone and content
strategy
5. Handle, name, URL, bio are
important! Consider search. How
are Pinners finding you?
Set up your boards with
purpose. Titles, header
images and descriptions a
tell a story.
7. Question Everything
‣ Why are you doing it?
‣ Who is your audience?
‣ Is it on brand?
‣ Will it help achieve your social goals?
‣ How do you measure success?
‣ Is it the right time?
‣ Does it make sense for the platform?
10. Created
‣ Original content is hard.
‣ Ask: what comes naturally? Is it realistic (within your budget/schedule)?
‣ Evergreen vs. trending – keep a bank of “anytime” content but stay on
top of trending topics
‣ Not a photographer? Add gadgets and apps to supercharge your
smartphone’s camera
‣ Consider other content types: webinars, social live stream, quizzes, etc.
11. Use a tool like Canva to add text
to your images
Shoot pro images with your smart
phone by using indirect natural
light from a large window
Use your Shopify store’s blog to
host DIY or lifestyle content
related to your products
Partner with other
complementary brands or blogs to
give your content more reach
Add a strong call to action to your
posts
Consider ideal share sizes/aspect
ratios for each social network
when shooting products or
lifestyle images (ex. taller for
Pinterest, wide for Twitter)
12. Create consistent, compelling
content that is network
appropriate, even if your product
is toilet paper and canned soup.
Ask for engagement
Partner with designers or
photographers to create social
content
Give your audience a reason t
stick around.
13. Tell a story: inspire your customers
with images that feature ways to
use or style your product – great
for related product
recommendations
Incentivize engagement and UGC
Don’t set it and forget it. Continue
to monitor and engage.
15. You’re not a photographer.
‣ Camera+, UltraLight, VSCO – shoot/edit
‣ Touch ReTouch, Instasize, Facetune – edit
‣ PicFX – filters
‣ Phonto, Wordswag – add text to images
‣ Vinyet – 1:1 video/stop-motion for Vine
‣ Cameo, Videolicious - video, filters
‣ iMovie, Splice - video editing
‣ Snapseed, Pixlr (Android)
‣ Tripod/stabilizer: Gorilla Pod,
Spiderpodium $15-25
‣ Lenses: Photojojo, Olloclip $10-100
ea.
‣ Lighting: natural, from a window $0
16. You’re not a designer.
‣ Royalty-free stock images: Unsplash, Life
of Pix, Death to Stock
‣ Canva, Wordswag, Pablo - combine
photos, text and design elements; create
infographics
‣ Gimp - free Photoshop alternative
‣ Creative Market – licence photos, fonts,
graphics, logo templates, etc. (some free)
‣ Instasize
17. ‣ Created 2.0: working with
influencers is a great way to
generate original content
(+reach, -work)
18. Let influencers “do what they do”
so that your sponsored post mixes
well with their other content
Find influencers who are ideal
customers OR have audiences
that resemble your ideal customer
Choose influencers who can
connect with your product. The
resulting posts will feel genuine.
19. ‣ Group and
guest boards:
work with
(P)influencers
who embody
your brand’s
lifestyle
20. ‣ Find influencers using tools like
Buzzsumo or Crowdfire
Local business? Find
influencers in your area.
Find specific types of
influncers (like bloggers)
21. Curated
‣ Use curated content to flesh out your own, add depth/variety and
access new audiences
‣ Borrow, don’t steal: be sure to give credit
‣ Include up to 20% content from other sources
‣ Especially important on Pinterest!
‣ Tweet from your perspective, add commentary (vs. RT)
‣ Use sources like Buzzsumo, Medium, Feedly, Pocket and Topsy to find
and collect relevant, trending and complementary 3rd party content
25. Crowdsourced
‣ Ask your customers to share their experiences
‣ Gather submissions using a hashtag or an app
‣ Reward your engaged audience with social currency
‣ Use a contest to incentivize
‣ Use receipt emails or product packaging
‣ Protect yourself: consider usage rights (try an app like getchute.com)
26. ‣ Use an app like Socialphotos
(integrates with Shopify) to pull
customer Instagram photos into your
product pages
30. Put it together.
‣ clear bio ✔
‣ call to action ✔
‣ consistency ✔
‣ good mix of CCC ✔
‣ not overtly sales-y ✔
‣ nurtures community ✔
31. How to enjoy it, what
complements it
Tells a story, shares
glimpse behind the
scenes
Relates to lifestyle of
target customerclean grid of professional on-white photography,
easy to shop, highlights product details
VS.
33. Follow up!
‣ Keep it “watered”: a community, like a plant, needs attention
‣ Be consistent
‣ Provide prompt, helpful support
‣ Acknowledge and reward your most engaged followers
‣ Host conversations, ask questions
34. Separate support channels don’t
have to be boring, and should
maintain brand tone and voice
Humanize your social support