Online businesses have numerous ways of reaching their audience, marketing their products and services, and selling their goods. Digital marketing, as an umbrella term, includes many different forms of efficient marketing strategies. However, one approach that has been gaining a lot of recognition lately is social commerce. If you own an online business or work in any type of online store, understanding social commerce and how it works can be very beneficial. Here you will find all the essential information you need in order to apply the best practices for social commerce.
What is social commerce?
Social commerce refers to the type of selling and purchasing of goods within a specific social media platform. In other words, this is a model that gives social media more than its originally intended function. It encourages people to complete their online orders without even leaving the social media page.
Indisputably, this strategy has shown itself as quite successful when it comes to increasing online traffic and the overall marketing-driven revenue. Since consumers are mostly spending their time browsing social media platforms, having the convenience of shopping there as well drives more people towards social commerce. It’s easy and convenient.
How to implement social commerce efficiently?
Social commerce is not only convenient for buyers. It is also easy for sellers to navigate and implement this efficient method into their marketing strategies. These seven following tips will inform you about all you need to know about social commerce and how to use it properly.
Get to know your target audience
One of the most significant advantages of social media platforms is the interaction they allow sellers to have with their customers. Naturally, the first step towards perfecting your social commerce game would be to get to know the audience you’re interacting with.
First and foremost, you should be able to detect who your target audience is. Then, you should do your research to find out what social media platforms your audience tends to use the most. Once you figure that out, you will be able to reach out to your audience through adequate content. Whether it’s Instagram, Twitter, or some other social media app, you will be able to adapt your content to that specific platform. The content you create is meant to send a message across to the particular niche groups you’re trying to reach. It is supposed to present your brand and what it stands for. So, make sure you research your audience and the social media apps they use the most.
Photo by freestocks on UnsplashStay creative
Online shopping has been popular for a while already. With the ongoing pandemic situation, numerous companies have completely switched to online shopping options. While that may be a huge bonus for all the online sellers, there’s a drawback there too. Namely, the competition keeps growing bigger and bigger.
If you want to catch the attention of new potential buyers, you really need to find an efficient way to stand out from the crowd. Focus on the content creation and what you can bring to the table that’s different from other companies. Don’t be afraid to be creative and leave good first impressions.
Organize consistent promotional posts
Promotional posts can help inform people about your brand and what it stands for. It is also a fantastic opportunity for you to present new products or services your company offers. To fully use the potential of promotional posts, make sure to add links to your posts. They can help you create better brand awareness, streamline the purchase process, and help you meet your customers’ demands.
Humanize your interaction with the customers
One of the reasons why people love reaching out to brands on social media is the immediate connection and interaction that feels almost entirely personal and genuine. Social media is a perfect place for you to connect with your customers and let them know you’re there for them. So, to maintain this kind of connection, here’s what you can do other than just give plain and straightforward answers:
- share a direct link to a purchase the customer is looking for
- recommend a product based on what they’re looking for
- offer a promo code for the purchase
In addition to that, make sure you let people know they are welcome to provide feedback and constructive criticism. Knowing that they can express themselves and their opinion is going to form a trustworthy bond between you and your customers.
Photo by Luke Chesser on UnsplashRely on analytics
If you want to master the practice of social commerce, you need to have some trackable metrics. In other words, you need to be able to track your progress in numbers. Every social media app has an algorithm of its own. If you learn how to use the algorithm and rely on the analytics, you can get valuable insight into what’s working and what isn’t. This kind of feedback will help you improve your social media content so that you can drive more sales and reach a bigger audience.
Streamline the checkout process
Unfortunately, mobile phone users tend to have a higher cart abandonment rate than laptop and computer users. For that reason, it’s important that you have full support for a streamlined checkout process. Social commerce is great for this stage of purchasing because it doesn’t have any drop-off points which lead to abandoned transactions.
Collaborate with social media influencers
Lastly, social media is a great platform that offers various different ways of promotion. The most interactive approach you can take includes working with social media influencers. This method of product promotion is the most efficient way for you to reach your target audience. It creates a link between the seller and the buyer through a well-trusted third party.
Conclusion
Overall, social commerce has many incredible benefits for online businesses. It offers a stronger bond between the seller and the customers, allows customers to purchase within their favorite social media apps, and helps you track your sales very easily. By following the above-discussed steps and tips, you can quickly master best practices for social commerce.