In the world of e-commerce  combining social media with your Shopify store is a big deal. If you haven’t already integrated social media with your Shopify store, there’s no better time than now (and no, it’s never too late). We’re here to help, especially if you're not a big fan of social media or don't know much about how it can help. We'll look at the good things about social media and why it's super important for businesses. Whether it's reaching a bunch of people around the world or making your marketing more interesting with pictures and videos, social media can do a lot for you. Let's find out why it's not just a cool thing to do but a smart move for your Shopify store.

Why should I integrate social media with my Shopify store? 

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If you’re wondering why social media is important for your shopify store: don’t worry, you’re not too late to the party. Integrating social media with your Shopify store provides a multitude of perks, and maybe you’re a bit traditional, maybe you’re against how social media takes advantage of its users, or maybe you simply aren’t yet aware of how to use social media to its full advantage. In all cases, we’re here to help!

Before going into details, perhaps the most notable advantage of social media is that you’re going to where your customers are, saving you a lot of time and effort and enhancing your reach almost effortlessly.

Important Social Media Statistics 

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• 90% of Instagram users follow a business
• 62.3% of Instagram users worldwide say they use the platform to follow or research brands and products
• 70% of users are open to seeing ads when watching videos on Instagram
• X posts can reach over 544 million users worldwide
• 9% of web traffic referrals are driven by X
• YouTube ads have the potential to reach 2.51 billion users
• 68% of users watched YouTube to help them make a purchase decision
• 13.8% of internet users aged 16-64 use videos for brand research
• Almost 10.4% of Internet users between the ages of 16-64 use online pinboards for brand research
• 80% of weekly users have discovered a new brand or product on Pinterest
• Snapchat’s total potential ad audience worldwide is over 575 million
• 66% of Facebook users visit a local business page at least once a week
• 69% of online shoppers who use Meta platforms weekly made purchases after seeing personalized content on Facebook or Instagram

(All stats retrieved from: Social Media for Business: A Practical Guide from Hootsuite)  

Benefits of integrating social media into your shopify store: 

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1. Reaching more customers: social media users are basically the entire world. When you integrate social media with your shopify store,you’re already reaching your potential customers where they spend most of their time.
2. Streamlined shopping experiences: through integrating with Shopify, you can implement a “Shop Now” feature that enables customers to shop right within the product they found you on. This creates a new direct sales channel that narrows the distance between discovery and purchase, making a much better shopping experience. 
3. Better storytelling marketing: with visual storytelling such as TikToks, Reels, and stories, you unlock a whole new level of storytelling that showcases your brand and products in a captivating way that appeals to potential customers and makes them fall in love with your brand before even trying out the product. 
4. Targeted advertising and acquisition: with paid ads, you can target specific audiences with whatever demographics, interests, and behaviors you believe your store will meet, which makes acquiring new customers and increasing sales a lot easier.

How to Develop a Social Media Strategy for your Shopify Store

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1. Finalize setting up your shopify store and make sure your product catalog includes captivating images, detailed descriptions, and accurate pricing info. 
2. Choose which social platforms you want to focus on. To do this, you need to know which social media platforms your target audience uses the most. So for example, if they’re gen-z, you’d want to focus more on TikTok and Instagram rather than, say, Facebook and X.
3. Since most people access social media through mobile devices, you need to make sure your Shopify store and social media integrations are optimized for mobile experiences  and provide an easy experience. 
4. When it comes to creating content, there are so many ways to go. The most important thing to bear in mind is to create content that  resonates with your audience. It can be tempting to copy your competitors, but know that customers are smarter than you think and will surely catch on to what you’re doing. A key guideline is to create content that is both unique and relatable. 
5. Different platforms have different shopping experiences for merchants. You can tag your products in posts and stories via Instagram Shopping, and Facebook allows followers to shop directly through your Facebook page. Make sure you enable these features so that customers can have a seamless shopping experience. 
6. You can take advantage of social media platforms to hyper-target customers and create ads and campaigns that reach your customers more effectively and speed up the sales process. 

How do I integrate social media to my shopify store?

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Integrating Your Shopify Store with Facebook and Instagram

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1. Make sure you have access to your Facebook account and your Shopify Admin Dashboard.
2. Go to Shopify Admin Dashboard and go to Settings → Apps and Sales Channels.
3. Click Shopify App Store and find “Facebook”
4. Click “Add Channel”
5. Connect to your Facebook account through “Connect Account” button
6. Customise your Facebook Shop by selecting which collections or products you want to showcase.
7. Click “Finish Setup”
8.  Once Facebook Shop is set up, it will automatically sync with your Shopify store. 

Since Facebook and Instagram apps are synced through Meta, this automatically integrates your store with Instagram as well. 

Integrating Your Shopify Store with Pinterest 

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1. Make sure your pinterest account is set up and ready. 
2. Go to Shopify Admin Dashboard and go to Settings → Apps and Sales Channels.
3. Click Shopify App Store and find “Pinterest”
4. Click “Add channel” 
5. Connect to your Pinterest account through “Connect Account” button
6. Customize your pins by selecting products and collections to showcase. 
7. Explore options like “promoted pins” or “shopping ads” to maximize exposure. 

Integrating your Shopify Store with Twitter 

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With Shopify’s Twitter or Shopify’s X professional profiles

1. Make sure your twitter or X account is set and ready 
2. Go to Shopify Admin Dashboard and go to Settings → Apps and Sales Channels.
3. Click on the (+) button to add a new sales channel
4. Click on Twitter (or X) and log in and then click on the connect account button.
5. Then connect to Twitter Shopping Manager and begin managing how your products appears to other.
6. Once done, click Finish setup.

Conclusion

As the digital realm continues to evolve, the fusion of social media and e-commerce is crucial to all Shopify stores looking to grow.  The statistics presented underscore the immense reach and influence these platforms command, making them indispensable channels for connecting with your target audience. From streamlined shopping experiences to innovative storytelling and targeted advertising, you just can’t go on without a social media strategy for yoru Shopify store.  As you embark on this integration journey, remember that it's not just about being present on social media; it's about crafting a strategy that aligns with your brand, resonates with your audience, and, ultimately, propels your business to new heights in the digital era.

If you’re on Shopify and looking for a way to engage and retain customers, we at Gameball have a solution to help you achieve just that. Find us on Shopify here.