Create a compelling social commerce strategy with these 5 tricks Share via

Brands have taken up social commerce in a big way, and the popularity of this medium is increasing with time. Social commerce refers to selling products and services on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. In other words, shoppers can discover the brand, explore the products, and complete the transaction, all without leaving the social media channel. In addition, the ease of finding relevant products at a place where the shoppers spend most of their time and closing the transaction instantly with a quick checkout process has added to the popularity of this channel and made more brands sit up and take notice of its potential. Although social commerce has just started to show brands what it can do to open new revenue sources for them, marketers have to keep up with this rapidly evolving space. This blog will look at five tips that will help brand marketers create a compelling social commerce strategy and reap maximum benefits out of this shopping channel.

Focus on top social platforms

Brands should identify their target consumers and ascertain which social media platforms they are most hooked to, what types of content they engage with most, and at what time of the day they are most active on that platform. As marketers will have a limited budget to spend on their digital marketing initiatives, it would be unwise to spread their investments across all the social media channels thinly and see the whole campaign turning into a futile exercise. Instead, brands should identify their customers and social media platforms to serve their interests and focus on building and investing in those channels. Once you have clarity about the platform, it will become easier for the marketers to pinpoint their strategies and create a winning social commerce strategy. Broadly, which social media you should be targeting depends mainly on the products you are selling. For example, if you are a fashion company, it is more likely that Instagram would be your top priority, while if you are into selling electronic items, YouTube or Facebook can be your platform of choice.

Create a seamless checkout experience

Brands must remove as many hurdles as possible regarding the consumer’s journey between product discovery and purchase. The lesser the number of clicks required to complete the transaction, the higher the conversion rate. Brands looking to build a solid social commerce strategy should ensure that when a shopper discovers a product on a social media platform, they should be able to buy the product then and there without having to leave that channel. This, in turn, will improve the conversation rate as brands were able to capture the shopper when their intent to shop was at its peak, and there was very little chance of them dropping out as the checkout process was seamless. Until recently, shoppers were redirected to the brand’s website after discovering the product on the social channel, which increased the number of clicks to buy an item, thus reducing the effectiveness of social commerce. But now, leading social media channels like Instagram,  Facebook, and Snapchat have started to test the social checkout process, which enables brands to sell directly through their social posts, significantly reducing the number of clicks and increasing sales.

Personalization is the key

However simple it may sound, providing your customers with a high level of personalization in product recommendations has constantly improved its sales. The level of personalization a brand does for its shoppers goes a long way in creating differentiation for the organization in the users’ minds. According to a recent research report, 49 percent of online retailers focused on selling through social commerce said they had seen their sales increase when they personalize customer experience based on the users’ past shopping experience. Personalization also helps brands to create a loyal consumer base.

Highlight user-generated content

Leveraging user-generated content (UGC) is one of the most efficient ways brands can scale their social commerce. UGC, like social posts about the product in photos, videos, or reviews, lends much authenticity to the brand and inspires confidence in the new shoppers to shop from the brand. These work even better than getting an influencer on board to promote your products on social media platforms. Some reports have found that UGC can be over nine times more effective than traditional influencer content. So make your loyal customers who enjoy certain influences as part of your social commerce strategy and see your brand sales going up. Moreover, brand marketers should also look to collaborate with micro-influencers who bring a significant level of authenticity and a high engagement rate to implement their social commerce strategy successfully.

Flawless customer service

Prompt customer service is also an aspect that has made social commerce hot amongst online shoppers. Researches show that most social commerce users expect a quicker resolution of their problems on this channel than any other shopping medium. Hence brand marketers must create a mechanism to offer fast and efficient customer service to drive better sales. Usage of chatbots to instantly provide a solution to the consumer’s query is a productive way for brands to strengthen their customer service and assist shoppers with their purchases.

As social commerce is growing across the globe and gaining prominence with every passing day, brands are jumping on this bandwagon to reap the benefits this e-commerce medium provides. But companies need to understand that just being on the social media platform will not drive significant sales for them, and they need to strategize and optimize for social commerce to make it an important channel that aids them to increase revenue.