You can make the most of these sites with social media marketing by making your products and services easily accessible. This article will learn about Pinterest, Instagram, WeChat, Snapchat, and other social media platforms. But what do you really need to know? It all depends on the type of product or service you’re selling and the platform you plan to use. Below are some of the most effective social media marketing strategies for small businesses.
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Last year, Instagram introduced shoppable posts, enabling users to shop from the photos they view. The shift to mobile has many advantages. Users no longer have to change devices to purchase a product, and retailers can easily target their target audience. According to early adopters, this feature can increase their revenue by as much as 20%. However, it does require some changes to its marketing strategy. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to maximize the benefits of Instagram for your business.
The first step is to connect your social media strategy with your online storefront. Instagram has the potential to become a major eCommerce platform. It has a massive user base and recently added shopping-focused features. It is also rumored that Instagram is working on a standalone shopping app. Instagram and social commerce can make or break a business, and brands should take full advantage of this opportunity. Here’s how to make it work:
Instagram makes it easier for its users to purchase products directly from their Stories. For example, it recently announced a global rollout of Instagram Shopping on IGTV and is testing Instagram Reels. Its customers are likely to buy products spontaneously, as they swipe up on Stories and abandon a product page that takes too long to load. By making the process of in-app social shopping faster, Instagram is helping small businesses stay afloat during the COVID-19 period.
Increasingly, social media platforms like Pinterest are becoming attractive for businesses. What was once a platform for recipes and DIY projects has evolved into an area for shopping with tens of millions of products. A consumer can find, compare, and purchase a product with just a few clicks. Additionally, social media sites like Pinterest offer deep insights into their target demographic, which helps them directly address their needs and help them along the path to purchase.
Shoppable pins on Pinterest come from merchants and verified retailers. Pinterest says that global catalog uploads increased 14 times last year but declined to provide exact figures. Product pricing is pulled from merchants’ websites, but the retailer can turn off site-scraping. Instead, merchants can connect to a database of their products and provide links to purchase them. This database is updated every 24 hours. The latest update is designed to streamline the purchasing process for customers.
Pinterest is perfect for both small and large brands when it comes to product discovery. The search function is similar to Google’s, and the “Guided Search” tool helps users narrow down their options to narrow their searches. Unlike Facebook, the Pinterest user is actively searching for a product or idea, and the site is designed to foster a shopping mentality. Once that mindset is in place, the results can benefit businesses.
In the Chinese market, WeChat and social commerce have become inseparable. The mobile device has become an integral part of digital engagement in China, with over 550 million users using smartphones. In this context, the ability to purchase products in a snap is a big draw for Chinese consumers. Social commerce on WeChat and other social media sites is now made much easier by the use of WeChat store functions. The store acts as a mini-site within the WeChat platform and benefits from instant e-payment. Customers can also benefit from customer support through messaging and group chat.
Alibaba and WeChat are currently on the verge of significant collaboration, though the companies aren’t saying which ones. Alibaba, which owns Tmall, has accused WeChat of blocking links. Tencent responded to this claim, saying that the company would “review” its policies to make them less restrictive. However, Tencent executives have emphasized that they do not intend to block links.
Creating official accounts on WeChat is an excellent way to promote your products or services. The service account will appear as a companion on the list and can send four messages a month, which is more than sufficient for promoting products. On the other hand, a subscription account is designed to go into a specific folder. Subscription accounts are the best options for advertising and marketing, as they are not limited to a particular number of messages.
Snapchat
As more businesses turn to social commerce to boost sales, Snapchat has seen the potential of this new feature. In October, Snapchat began testing its new dynamic ads, which will enable any user to buy a product directly from the Snapchat app. With the help of these ads, brands can easily create their product catalogs and use them to sell products. Users can then tap each product for more information. The feature will likely prove lucrative for retailers, but it will require significant investment in technology.
In terms of technology, Snapchat is still a young platform. Although Snapchat’s core user base has shrunk by 5 million over the past two quarters, the social media app is already trying to make a name for itself through e-commerce. Snapchat’s latest earnings report reveals that it is working on developing its social commerce offering, such as products sold via the app. The company’s revenue rose 43 percent, a quarter ahead of analyst expectations of $278 million.
Retailers can make use of the Snapchat AR lens to sell Disney-branded merchandise. Disney Springs, an Orlando shopping mall, has a Levi Strauss store. Snapchat users can try on a virtual Mickey Mouse hat and buy it directly from the app. The Snapchat app also has a Snapcode for Levi’s store that activates a virtual AR lens that overlays a denim hat onto a live selfie. A user can then tap the “shop now” button to add the $25 item to their shopping cart.
Facebook Shops
Facebook Shops are great for generating massive returns, but you must be sure to abide by Facebook’s rules to make them work for you. Among other things, Facebook’s rules will dictate your products, selling strategies, and process management. If you break these rules, your account may be suspended or shut down. So how do you avoid being banned from Facebook Shops? Read on to find out! And don’t forget to check your store’s terms and conditions before creating an account.
First of all, Facebook Shops are designed to meet all stages of the buying process. Facebook Shops allow users to do all of this without ever leaving the app, from browsing products to placing an order. Convenience breeds sales. And efficiency is one of the key elements of UX/UI design. The fewer steps a user has to take, the more likely he will complete the task. The more seamless the shopping experience is, the higher the likelihood that a user will complete his/her transaction and buy the product.
If Facebook’s Shops are successful, it could change the way consumers shop online in the Western world. They will be accessible from a consumer’s Facebook page, profile, or Instagram stories. Smart brands will use their creativity to entice consumers, and Facebook stands to profit from the resulting advertising revenue. However, Facebook’s social commerce efforts will not be the only ones aiming to make the most of the platform’s popularity. eMarketer estimates that 75 million U.S. social network users will make at least one purchase by 2020.
Heyday
Social media management platform Hootsuite has acquired Montreal-based Heyday, which provides conversational AI to help brands engage with online shoppers. The acquisition, worth $60 million, combines the two companies’ technologies for social media and customer care. Heyday’s chatbots can answer common questions and track orders and products. The Heyday platform integrates with branded websites and apps. Hootsuite previously acquired Sparkcentral, a customer engagement platform.
Heyday is an early adopter of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation like other social media companies. Its aggressive business plan aims to buy up and run businesses instantly. Its strategy is to identify companies on Amazon that have the potential to become breakout brands. In this way, Heyday will be able to pay sellers for their businesses without requiring them to invest their time and resources. The strategy will also benefit Hootsuite, which recently acquired Sparkcentral.
In addition to building the best brands, Heyday is a strategic partner to its business partners. It aims to build relationships with these partners by accelerating their business growth. In the end, it wants to share the benefits of this accelerated growth with its partners. Ultimately, it hopes to become the largest segment of Heyday. That’s why it will support entrepreneur partners. With more than $140 million in funding, Heyday plans to grow into a world-class company.