Optimizing Social Sales
This year, social commerce sales in the United States are expected to reach over $45 billion. It’s estimated that half of the country’s adults are making at least one purchase on social media. That’s a lot of social commerce, and if you’re a retailer looking to sell on social media, you need to optimize your social commerce to increase conversions and connect better with your consumers.
Social commerce sales are expected to grow to $79 billion over the next few years. This means there are plenty of opportunities to sell on social media and strategically increase sales over time.
Let’s get into some ways we can optimize your social commerce.
Utilize Social Checkout
Most social media platforms give you two different options for social commerce. You can allow users to check out on your website or enable them to check out directly through the social media platform. While some retailers will have restrictions and won’t be allowed to let their users check out on social media, if you do have the opportunity for social checkout, we highly recommend that you take it. By enabling social checkout, you’ll create a much faster and more seamless experience for the user. As we know, the faster (link) someone can check out and engage with your content, the more likely they are to make a purchase.
Put more effort into your top social channels
User-generated content is an easy and effective way to showcase your products in real-world scenarios. When your customers love your product, they want to share it. Using the content that they create helps build trust for your brand. With social commerce, UGC can be a direct link to selling the product.
Tap into Influencer Partnerships
Influencer marketing seems to be on the top of everyone’s to-do list lately. But to be effective, you must partner with the right influencers for your brand. Typically, we’re finding that micro or macro influencers are much more effective in terms of loyalty and trust; therefore, their recommendations of your products or brand will be much more impactful to their following, even if it’s smaller in size, as is the case with micro-influencers.
Also, when working with micro or macro influencers, you will find that the content they produce is of higher quality because they want to continue the partnership with the brand and create the best experience for their own audiences.
Make your customer service seamless
There are several platforms out there today that can help you with social customer service. Having someone ready to answer questions or look up orders is essential for social commerce. Moving a potential customer from a maybe to a yes can come down to not only your customer service representatives but how quickly they can respond and how helpful they can be. Using a platform that will allow your customer service teams to be active and responsive on social is a step in the right direction.
Make your product showcase natural
Sometimes less is more; in this case, having your products in natural settings where users would use them is much more realistic. You can captivate your audience on social media with toned-down looks rather than highly styled and produced images and videos.
Don’t underestimate group shopping
Group shopping has been around since 2019, yet brands are still often under-utilizing or ignoring the option. Group shopping is the idea of giving your customers a shared experience. We all know that the best recommendations come from friends, family, and others we know and trust. That works, but what if you could take that concept and put it in a live shopping event? That’s where group shopping comes in. Rather than recommending a product to a friend, users get to shop together online, and retailers get to provide live discounts. This creates a positive experience for your customers and will increase sales exponentially if executed correctly.
Social media is your friend
With the vast impact social media has on our current world, it’s as important as ever to make sure your brand has a strong and optimized social presence. These seven tips are a great start, but remember to keep an open mind, as the world of social media is constantly changing!
Need help with your social media presence? Check out our Digital Marketing Services!
