Skip to main content

Throughout the pandemic, it has been particularly difficult for small businesses to stay afloat. The need for social distancing has contributed to the rise in e-commerce. For small businesses that already have a social media presence, the switch to social commerce can be a simple solution to declining sales. Social commerce is the subset of e-commerce that utilizes social media sites to promote and sell products and services. The two big sites for social commerce are Instagram and Facebook; both are excellent choices but target different audiences.  Most people won’t buy products on their first trip to your company’s page, so getting them to return to your page and build that brand recognition is critical.

Business.Instagram.com has a step-by-step guide on how to set up your online store. Unfortunately, there are some prerequisites, such as having a company Facebook page and a website domain to sell from. Once you go through the steps outlined by Instagram and get approved, you are ready to begin tagging products onto your posts!

Setting up a shop is completely free and integrates sales with advertising by allowing your audience to shop directly from your page. Social media is also a significant channel for your company to engage in customer service. This only becomes more important when your page becomes your storefront. Being consistent with responding to your audience increases brand awareness and loyalty.

Creating good networking habits is critical to your company’s success online. You need to be conscious of your brand’s voice and message to have more distinct brand recognition. Think about Burger King’s witty responses to people on Twitter– they have a distinct voice people remember. Adding personality and humanizing your company is key to creating meaningful connections with your target audience. These connections bring potential customers back to your page, increasing the likelihood of purchasing your products or services.

Short videos are the new big thing for social media because they can be super creative and personal; people can even access your shop from your Instagram story when you use the shopping sticker. Instagram stories have so much opportunity for creativity and reaching new audiences. When your customers post your brand and tag your page, Instagram allows you to directly repost their content.

User-generated content gives potential customers more trust in your brand and can massively increase loyalty amongst existing customers. Looking for user-generated content to repost is a part of social listening, another significant aspect of running a social media page. Social listening involves scraping networking sites for mentions of your company and learning the context around how potential customers view your brand. This is important for understanding what people like and dislike about your brand, which can tailor effective changes to your business.

Whether your company needs support building an online presence or developing a social commerce plan, the Miner Agency can work with you to create a unique, flexible, and efficient method of attack to maximize your growth and profits.