It’s not often I get excited about a new feature for an eCommerce store. After all, what else is there that we can put on a store to make it easier for people to buy?
Let’s face it, there’s only so many ways a click-to-enlarge can work and there aren’t too many options for displaying a navigation bar. Most of the so-called “new” features I’ve seen lately are really only upgrades to old ones.
This was the situation I faced when the corporate beards asked me to turn the lights back on in the Solid Cactus Development Lab.
I’ll admit, like an old fluorescent tube that hasn’t been electrically charged for a long time, it took a bit for me to spark.
What can we come up with?
What hasn’t been done before?
I was drawing a blank.
Then I started to think about all the time I spend on Facebook everyday. I’ll admit that I was pretty shocked when I figured out how many hours of the day I spend peering into the lives of friends and living vicariously through their posts.
I figured I wasn’t alone, so I set off to look for ways an eCommerce store owner can use the power of social media to drive sales.
Most store owners should have a Facebook page for their business that they post to on a regular basis. Besides using it as a forum to interact with customers, it’s a great way to build up a loyal following and keep your company’s name in the front of their minds.
One struggle eCommerce store owners have is building up that base of Facebook followers, so why not build something that can help with that? My programmer Keith and I looked at products that do this very thing and noticed that all came with something that eCommerce store owners don’t like – recurring fees.
So we set out to build a widget that offers customers a coupon code they can use right away for a percentage off an order, in exchange for a Facebook “like.” So, not only do they get a “like” they hopefully get a sale. Social media and conversion optimization problem solved in one simple product.
Keith worked hard at building what I originally coined, “Get Me Likes.” The name kinda stuck, although I don’t think it struck a cord with the one marketing beard who wanted to name it something more stoic.
Yesterday we pushed out “Get Me Likes” and so far it’s received a fair share of compliments from store owners who ordered it and are waiting to use it in time for the busy holiday season.
With a price point of only $199, it’s something that any store owner can swallow and it’s certainly going to pay for itself in days.
I’ll admit, it’s not something that’s totally unique, but it’s an affordable alternative for those who want to build a Facebook fan base without having to pay every time someone clicks the “like” button, or having to deal with a monthly recurring charge.
I did a one minute demo video about how the product works, so be sure to give it 60 seconds of your time. If you want to add this to your site, drop me an email and I’ll get you hooked up.
Get Me Likes is compatible with Yahoo! Store (legacy and Merchant Solutions), Network Solutions eCommerce, Monster Commerce and 1ShoppingCart Stores (button cart excluded).
If you haven’t jumped on the Facebook bandwagon for your business yet, check out the article I wrote today on the Solid Cactus blog that may light a fire under your butt and get you moving!