Have you heard the term Social Commerce before? It would be really cool if you hadn’t and this was your first time. If you already have, you are about to read on some extra benefits of it.
I have to say, I recently found out the essence of the term, as I always thought of the idea as something simple and normal.
Social Commerce is coined from Social Media, the act of selling goods and services online or directly to customers. Unlike E-Commerce where a person or a group of people could come together to set up a platform to sell their goods and services or maybe sign up other vendors to do the bid.
A very popular e-commerce site is Jumia, I am sure a lot of us have ordered either electronics, perfumes, toiletries, or food items from their platform but did you know you could get just as much or even more from Social Commerce?
That’s right, the powerful reach of social media is the transmission of information across borders and a lot of young people are embracing this culture. The act of buying and selling could be done from anywhere and you should be a part of it.
Someone made a joke on Twitter about how his WhatsApp has turned into a market place
because everyone is a vendor now and I know just how annoying it could be to have to look at a thread of over 10-15 items at a stretch and you think ‘don’t you have a tactic’, but this isn’t the topic today.
Our focus for today is, how can you turn your social media into a profit?
How can your presence online be used for the greater good of yourself and your brand?
I’m sure reading these questions, a few online friends/buddies popped into your head, which begs my next point.
When you think of social commerce or online vendors, a lot of people associate it with sellers and distributors of hair, bags, perfumes, food, and other items. We also see this thought and behavior play out more on a thread asking people to market themselves with ‘Tell us what you’re selling’.
I see very little or nobody selling services and I mean creative services in this context.
The best part about Social Commerce is, it isn’t limiting. It is a platform free for all, despite your background and market focus. So be sure to utilize the power of your social media by letting people know who you are, what your brand is, your accomplishments and milestones because people are watching.
Since I realized that I could be myself online and sell my services, I have gotten job offers and projects to work on, so please embrace Social Commerce.
Yes, social media is mostly fun and games, but work could also be fun.
Not sure how to get started or how to really make use of social commerce?
Subscribe and stay tuned for our next post on Finance Friday and I would be breaking down how to get started.
Written by Gold Gerry
