How to Showcase your eCommerce on Social Media
Social media feels best when it’s exactly that – social! We all want to be connecting with readers, not simply selling to them. Focusing on communities rather than customers is more fulfilling for everyone involved and safeguards engagement and brand loyalty. To that end, you need to showcase your eCommerce in a way that stays true to the voice and culture that you’ve cultivated so far on social media, using the channels that feel best for you and your readers, and building on the visual identity that your readers are already familiar with.
Mastering the basics: Linking, tracking, and reader intent
✅ Link to your eCommerce site everywhere
Showcase your eCommerce with a website link in your bio on every platform, and use link stickers or CTAs in stories and posts. Consider how people are increasingly using social media as a search tool and make it absolutely effortless for readers to find – and buy – your books.
✅ Measure what matters
If you’re going to link to your eCommerce site across your social media, you need to make sure you are tracking clicks to your eCommerce site. The number of clicks you can get is a conversion-driving metric, as opposed to number of followers – of course a huge following is great to have, but engagement and conversion is where it counts!
✅ Focus on reader intent
Different platforms attract readers of different demographics at different stages of discovery. You’ll know your readers best, so you’ll know which channels to make the most of – for example, TikTok vs Facebook. Match your message to the mindset.
Driving sales with creative social media:
There are countless different ways of approaching social media – that’s the fun of it! We’ve put together some ideas below, many of which you might already be doing, but some of which might get you thinking.
✅ Engage, don’t just broadcast
Ask followers questions (“Which format do you prefer?”) and reply to comments. Come up with mini challenges (“Your weekend read in three emojis”), or reading lists tied to events (e.g. Earth Day titles). The more you can connect with your readers, the more you’ll learn about what they want from you, and what kind of promotions would actually benefit them.
✅ Capitalise on your calendar
Your marketing calendar as it stands likely involves plenty of promotional opportunities – things like international coffee day give you a chance to showcase reads that would go just great with your favourite cuppa, whereas days like Black Friday offer obvious commercial opportunities – customers are expecting promotions at this time, so making use of socials will be an easy way to capitalise on this.
✅ A multi-media approach
Speaking of calendars, it’s hugely beneficial to align promotional content around your titles with other media that your readers are consuming. For example, Bridgerton fans will likely be on the lookout for more romance reads in between seasons. Take a look at how we leaned into this trend on TikTok. Considering the behaviours of your readers and framing more promotional posts with these associations will increase engagement and build a richer ecosystem.
✅ User-generated content
Encourage authors and readers to share how they read your books. Repost their photos and reviews – with links back to your website, of course. This builds your social proof and social proof builds trust – turn that trust into sales by making the titles that your readers are most excited about easier to access. We often post about what Team Glassboxx is reading on Instagram, with peeks into our book club meetings.
✅ Trend-based Storytelling
Jump on relevant audio or visual trends – the emphasis here is on relevant ones! If something connects naturally to your brand, your books, or can be approached in a fun or inventive way, go for it. For example, use trending sounds on TikTok to dramatise quotes or moods – “POV: you just finished the twist in our latest thriller”.
✅ Thinking outside the box(x)
When you think of showcasing your eCommerce on social media, you likely think about what other publishers, and bookshops etc are doing. But consider the sorts of posts you see on socials, and promotions that land in your inbox – getting inspired by ideas outside of the book world can be a great way to reinvigorate your strategy – borrow from lifestyle, fashion, or entertainment brands to stand out.
✅ Behind-the-Scenes
Show what happens #BTS with snippets of different teams, or an unboxing moment from your print run. Authenticity builds connection, and now more than ever, readers are craving a look behind the curtain. They want to know where their books come from, and who is behind them!
✅ Title spotlights
A well-built post around a specific recommendation can grab more attention than a long list of titles. Working around themes, you could feature one book per post, with clear CTAs. Compare this to posts that feature catalogues, and see what works for you and your readers.
✅ Digital know-how
Many of the publishers we work with have promoted the accessibility and availability of their digital titles by highlighting the benefits of their eReader apps – the more readers know about your digital titles and how to access them, the more appealing they’ll be!
