As promised, a follow up on our last topic on Finance Friday titled The Magic Of Making Money Using Social Commerce only this time, we are going beyond the surface level and into the depths of successful social commerce, how to get started and ways to stand out.
Be sure to read on if you have a product or service you would like people to know about.
Social commerce is a subset of electronic commerce that involves social media, online media that supports social interaction, and user contributions to assist online buying and selling of products and services. (Wikipedia)
Steps To Successful Social Commerce
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The Right Social Platform Makes All Difference
What is your favourite social media platform? I love Twitter because it gives me an avenue to express myself in ways other platforms haven’t. So think about this for a second, or maybe you don’t even need that much time to come to an answer, point is, when you figure out why you prefer one or two social media platforms over the others, you should be able to do the same for your business.
What factors did you consider before picking out Instagram or Facebook as your personal best? Think about your business as a separate entity from you (except if your brand or business is revolved around your personality).
You have to break down your thoughts into bits, where do I get the most traffic? Where do most of my customers/clients come from? Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter? How old are my clients? What do they do for a living?
If you can answer these questions, then choosing the right platform for your business would make all the difference. So now you could put up this platform as your ad page and get your successful social commerce started.
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You Need A Plan
Heard of a social media strategy before? Yes, digital marketing companies use them a lot, even small businesses like yours so before diving into the sea, get yourself a plan. Just having a social media account isn’t the same as a social media strategy.
If you don’t define what you want out of your social media and social commerce efforts, you will be floundering trying every possibility with little ability to track actual success.
Identify your goals and set realistic expectations and deadlines for yourself. Having a social media plan helps you know when you are deviating from it and what areas you need to make adjustments on for you to engage in successful social commerce.
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High-Quality Content
You’ve figured which platform is best for your business, now it is time to put out content.
Social media is driven by content most especially pictorial and videos, so make sure that whatever you’re selling is captured clearly and intentionally because you are selling a visual.
Nobody wants to see a rumpled dress in a blurry picture, iron rumbles out, clean your camera lens and take a clear picture.
High-quality content also means engaging your followers and clients in some helpful or beneficial tips about your brand, product to show expertise. We learn every day and creating a connection between you and your client through content is the only way to increase your sales.
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Influencers Are The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread
Since you’re in the business of building an online following that transcends into sales you have to know who the influencers in your industry are and engage with them on social media.
This is almost as important as having a business page these days, because what is the essence of a business page and all the good content if it isn’t reaching the right audience?
Social media influencers help you with visibility, so what is the harm? Building relationships with influencers does amazing things for your social media credibility because people want to buy or patronise a brand that has been vouched for by their favourite online personality/someone that they trust.
PS: Building these relationships take time and money but the returns are priceless in the long run.
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Analytics Is Your Friend
Think of it as your primary school report card, we see clearly the subjects we failed at, those we are average at and our best performances. Our strengths and weaknesses are made known on the card.
Social Media Analytics is just the same. If you’re managing a business page, always check your analytics, at least weekly to see the performance of your content and hard work. Analytics lets you know which content your audience wants more off, so listen to it even when it is hard.
So, there you have it, 5 tips for successful social commerce.
