A round up of top tips to consider and implement now to improve your social media presence in 2022 and stop potential customers scrolling passed your content.
How to successfully sell on social media
In real life shopping experiences will never be the same again.
The pandemic has seen more and more people turn to online shopping. The knock on effect has meant many big name retailers sadly closing their doors, changing the face of the high street forever.
With IRL shopping experiences on hold, social media has quickly become a valuable revenue stream for retailers, brands, and small businesses worldwide.
And as more platforms adopt e-commerce tools to give consumers new, convenient, and highly-visual ways to shop from the brands they love, the importance of social commerce is only going to skyrocket.
Image via Pinterest
Confused about social commerce?
Hootsuite describes social commerce as the process of selling products directly on social media and consumers are loving it.
The statistics from Smart Insights speak for themselves:
87% of users turn to social media for help in making a shopping decision.
1 in 4 business owners are selling through Facebook.
40% of merchants use social media to generate sales.
30% of consumers say they would make purchases directly through social media platforms.
But what makes social commerce so appealing for both consumers and brands alike, is that the online experience is the modern way to develop meaningful relationships with potential customers so your brand is the first to come to mind when they’re ready to buy.
Why choose to sell on social media?
Unlike shopping experiences via a website and especially during the pandemic, social media has allowed shopping to be social once more. For one, it’s more interactive. You can comment on an item you’ve seen, share it with a friend and get opinions before and after you buy. Buying directly on a social media platform like Instagram or Facebook also takes away those unnecessary steps you may have on a website, from clicking, then adding to cart, then paying. Now you can you can discover and purchase directly all in one space.
make the most of selling on each platform
Let’s start with Instagram:
Instagram is one of the few platforms that offers multiple ways to sell online as both a product or service based business. With the introduction of Instagram Shops, it offers a great way for businesses to build a curated and completely personalised shopping experience. Shopping opportunities have been integrated in almost every part of the app, from feed posts and stickers in “Stories” to tags in “Instagram Reels”, “Guides”, “Lives” and “IGTV”. It’s a game changer for influencers to drive sales on behalf of brands. According to Forbes - 63% of social media users trust influencer recommendation.
Facebook was the earliest social media platform to build tools specifically for e-commerce and is still the biggest platform with over 2.7 billion monthly active users. Over 90 million small businesses use Facebook and its related products. There are options to sell via Facebook Marketplace, Facebook Shop and Messenger. Business owners can create a dedicated “shop” section on their Facebook Page and build a catalogue of products and services that visitors can browse, save, share, and even purchase. What Facebook offers which other platforms don’t, is the chance to build a community of online shoppers. Facebook also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, so you’re getting three platforms in one to sell your products and services.
Image via Facebook Business website
Pinterest is a visual discovery platform. It is perfect for reaching new, relevant audiences. Plus, the whole experience is fully clickable, making it easy to turn browsers into customers. According to a survey by Cowen and Company, 47% of social media users saw Pinterest as the platform for discovering and shopping for products – more than three times higher than Facebook or Instagram. Business owners have the option to create catalogues and create pins for products. Because it is a visual search engine, businesses would do well to have relevant tags and keywords to ensure they are discovered on the platform. Create boards that people would want to share and boost discoverability.
TikTok is the fastest growing social media platform and number one for trending content. It is also poised to be the next “big” social commerce platform thanks to the rollout of several new shopping features, including a recent announcement partnering with Shopify. It’s younger demographic makes it appealing to bigger brands. You can add e-commerce links to bios, “Shop Now” buttons for brands have been launched for video ads, and “Hashtag Challenges” are great e-commerce features which allows users to shop for products associated with a sponsored hashtag.
do more than just sell on social media
Engage with your followers
To create a great social commerce experience, you’ve got to remember the “social” part. Answer questions, offer value and interesting content, be human and authentic.
Listen to what your customers need
Keep a close eye on comments and shares on your Shop, and respond or offer customer service when necessary. This could be a be a great way to get feedback.
Encourage reviews
93% of online shoppers say a review can make or break their decision. If you’ve got a product people are happy with, get them to help spread the word. Whether it’s an automated follow-up email asking for a review after a product has been delivered, or incentives like a contest to encourage previous customers to weigh in and share their experience, collecting social proof is vital to building a positive reputation online. Share the reviews on social media or host a Live video or create a Reel with happy customers.
Remove those moments of friction
The easier you make the purchase process, the more likely someone will be to follow through. So what moments of friction or hesitation can you remove? Make sure the product description covers all the details. Integrate autofill options into the purchase process. Maybe even set up a chatbot to answer customer FAQs
Fundamentally, social commerce is just one piece of your overall marketing strategy
Create a strategy that engages, sells, and intrigues your audience so that you have the best chance at success, online or offline.
Not ready to set up Shop yet?
Promote your business locally, make sure your website is up to date. Create a Google My Business profile so customers’ can leave reviews, link up with local networking groups and connect with the local press.
Social media is an immensely powerful tool for retailers to use to sell their products. Now that it’s such a popular way to shop online, hardly anyone can argue it is unnecessary. Quite the opposite: social commerce is here to stay, even if we aren’t yet totally sure where it’s headed. The best we can do is be prepared.
Find out more about my Instagram Shop Training or book in a power hour to unlock the best ways to boost your social media.
