As a business owner, you rely on the loyalty of your clients to drive the success of your enterprise. Today, retaining that loyalty means keeping up with customer expectations for seamless social commerce that takes users from idle browsing to buying in seconds. From shoppable media to advertising through social media stories, this guide will help you stay abreast of the latest digital marketing trends so your brand doesn't become a fossil in the eyes of your audience.
Get ahead before you fall behind
If you aren't already selling your products and services directly through your brand's social media accounts, you're missing a valuable opportunity to meet your desired customers where they spend time online.
According to a 2021 report from Statista, 48% of Americans ages 18 to 34 years old have purchased a product or service through social media. Approximately 18% of those users have bought something through a Facebook ad or story, more than on any other social media site. The firm projects that U.S. sales made through the social advertising sector will exceed $36 billion in 2021.
The bottom line? If you aren't already taking advantage of the e-commerce and social ad tools on popular platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, you're losing a valuable market that will continue to expand and evolve with the speed of online trends.
Know your social commerce MVPs
You've developed a client persona and have a target audience in mind for your brand. Instead of sticking to a single social media platform, you need a customized strategy that puts you in front of the eyes of your desired customers as they scroll through their favorite feeds. The Social Media Use in 2021 report released by the Pew Research Center ranks the use of various platforms by American adults as follows:
- YouTube - 81%
- Facebook - 69%
- Instagram - 41%
- Pinterest - 31%
- LinkedIn -28%
- Snapchat - 25%
- Twitter - 23%
- WhatsApp - 23%
- TikTok -21%
- Reddit - 18%
- Next Door - 13%
Don't sleep on meaningful results from sites like Pinterest, as most of these platforms have their own dedicated social sales tools. They also display demographic differences. For example, the Pew researchers found that Instagram and TikTok are especially popular among young adults, while Hispanic adults use WhatsApp much more often than Black and White users.
Code3 clients have successfully driven sales on both online and brick-and-mortar locations with social advertising. You can use these tools to bring customers to your direct website, large retailers like Walmart.com or Amazon, or the sales platform of your choice. With every social media platform equipped with its own marketplace, extensive knowledge of your options can help you succeed in channels you may have otherwise ignored.
Amplify reach with stories and social ads
We encourage our clients to adopt the Story format on sites like Instagram. Placing social ads directly in a brand story has increased both impressions and engagement, according to our data. The reason? The format feels more intimate and personalized than targeted in-feed ads, allowing your offerings to stand out from the onslaught of organic and paid brand content on social sites.
In 2021, Statista researchers reported that while social media advertising sees an average 20% increase in impressions every year, fewer users click on traditional online ads. Digital marketers see the biggest increase in conversions and impressions when they place social ads in stories and videos.
In response to customer expectations and behavior, our teams strongly emphasize creative services to help create ad experiences that don’t feel like sales pitches. We tend to see the best results with campaigns that have a natural feel. For the type of true authenticity that customers trust, it’s important to understand your ideal customer’s expectations surrounding how they interact with your brand (or any brand) online via social media. Incorporating these wants and needs into all aspects of your social strategy establishes the resonance that drives digital marketing success. Get in touch with us to get started today.