Social media is already a common digital marketing strategy for most SMEs and has become increasingly important in recent years. When customers are looking for a solution, they will most probably do their research online. This search could lead them to your social media page and if they like what they see the next logical step would be to make a purchase and this is where social commerce comes in. By making this process seamless you will be making sales in no time. But how do you build a social commerce strategy? Let’s look at the five steps.
STEP 1: Choose a social media platform
If you have a social media marketing strategy, then you will already know where your target audience hangs out the most. But if you don’t then you will need to do some research into which platform your target audience is on the most. This is where you want to be too. In South Africa, we have social commerce activated on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. This is important to keep in mind when choosing a social media platform
STEP 2: Make the journey seamless
When buying online the more hoops the customer needs to jump through the easier it is for them to abandon their cart. The buying process you adopt with your social media platform must be seamless. If you guide them to a link in your biography, then it should take them straight to the product in your e-commerce store. Make sure there is a minimum number of clicks in your buying process.
STEP 3: Create engaging content
One of the main reasons people use social media is to connect with their circle of influence and to see what is going on in their interests. Because of this, you need to ensure that the posts you make give your audience value. What information is of value to your customer? Do they want to see how to use your product? Do they want tips? Another aspect to remember is that people value social proof. Therefore, if you are tagged in a post share it. This will help to build trust and authenticity in your brand. Two things to remember are to ask the person who owns the post if you can share it and to acknowledge them when you share their post.
STEP 4: Make it personal
Social platforms make it easy to make it personal. By reviewing your regular and profitable customers’ profiles you can see what they like, and you can personalise your interaction. You can ensure they see posts which are relevant to them. By personalising your interaction with your customer, you begin to build trust. And when someone trusts and likes you, they are more likely to buy from and spread the news about your product. So, be personal when interacting with your audience.
STEP 5: Check out the analytics
When you launched your social commerce strategy, you need to see how it is going. This is where analytics become important. You will be able to see which posts encouraged sales and which didn’t. By keeping up to date with certain social media metrics you will be able to adjust your social commerce strategy.
With these five steps, you will be well on your way to building a social commerce strategy which could convert likes into sales.
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