Tim Ash on the Good and the Bad of Social Media for Conversions

Is social media good or bad for online conversions?

Digital Marketer caught up with SiteTuners CEO Tim Ash at the Traffic and Conversion Summit 2014 to pick his brain about using social media to improve conversion rates.

Tim explains that social media serves as a shortcut to decision-making– when people see others doing something, we are more inclined to do the same thing. However, he warns that there are both good and bad ways to use social media.

One good way of using social is having a lot of user-generated content, such as reviews, as they make people comfortable with decisions. Social media also provides proof that a lot of people have done the same thing.

On the other hand, Tim points out that some brands gratuitously use social media widgets on their sites. When you have your Twitter feed coming down the page, that’s going to interrupt your visitors and take their attention away from your message. He also warns about putting a grid of the people who follow you on Facebook. You might have followers who use photos of things (as their profile pictures) you don’t want associated with your brand. He says it’s easy to lose control of your brand this way.

Tim says it’s okay to use social media to establish credibility, but make sure you’re keeping away from widgets and are taking over your real estate and brand.

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