2016 should be a record year for social commerce. More than 59% of marketers believe that social commerce will be the fastest growing trend in the coming year. Leading social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are producing different eCommerce features to help their users take advantage of this trend.
If you run an eCommerce business or depend heavily on different online channels for generating sales, you need to be prepared for the social commerce boom we’re likely to witness in the next 12 months.
Here are some of the trends you need to stay ahead of the social media game:
1. Customers Are The Backbone Of Your Sales
Social networks have had a giant impact on the way people purchase items online. A study by Hubspot shows that people are 75% more likely to purchase a product when referred by a friend on a social network. In general, over 90% of people take brand recommendations from friends and 70% trust consumer reviews more than advertisements.
With such a significant number of people trusting the opinion of their social networks, customer referrals and reviews can prove to be the x-factor for your business. To ensure that your customers refer your brand to their friends on different social networks, you need to provide them incentives like check-in discounts, and engage with them regularly. The better your engagement level with your target customers, the greater chance you have of generating positive word of mouth for your brand.
2. Facebook Will Reach And Engage Your Target Audience
2015 was the year when Facebook ads boomed as compared to the previous years. Marketers invested heavily in Facebook advertising due to which Facebook’s ad revenue increased by more than 42% from 2014, and is expected to reach almost $27 billion dollars by the end of 2017.
The audience targeting and if/then features of Facebook ads make it ideal for your eCommerce business. A study by Invesp demonstrates that nearly 92% of marketers in the US are using Facebook ads to promote their brand and special offers.
But creating efficient Facebook ads requires intricate competitor analysis and an in-depth understating of your target audience.
If you want to invest heavily in Facebook advertising, this step by step guide by Neil Patel will help you get started.
3. Focus On Timing And Frequency Of Your Posts
No matter how much you invest in paid advertisements, organic reach and engagement on social networks is still important for your business. Facebook, and some of the other leading social networks have significantly cut down the organic reach of user-generated content, but there are still ways you can get more eyeballs on you posts without spending money.
Two key factors in this regard are the timing and the frequency of your posts. Posting at the right times, and with the right frequency, will not only help you reach more people but also increase your chances of generating user engagement and driving action.
For example, according to research, the best times to post on Instagram is between 2 PM – 5 PM on Wednesdays, while the worst time is between 6 AM – 9 AM on any day. Similarly, Tweeting on weekends can get you almost 300% more engagement that weekdays. You can find out the peak times and ideal posting frequency of the top social networks in this detailed infographic.
Retrieved from:https://www.socialmediaexplorer.com
By: Jawad Khan