The following aspects play an important role in social selling:
- Active participation of the customer (for example, through comments, likes, shares, etc.)
- Direct integration of the customer in the design and development of products
- A personal connection and good communication among customers – word of mouth via the internet, messengers, or apps is particularly important, as it helps brands boost sales and customer engagement through offers or competitions
- Personal and emotional long-term connection between the customer and the brand
Social commerce harnesses these factors to advertise products or a brand. By tying a product to a target audience, entire communities can be built and fostered by a single brand. At the same time, social commerce is all about sharing product and brand information with customers. Businesses can even recruit brand ambassadors for events and campaigns. With social media usage on the rise, customer conversion has become an important task for retailers. But how can you turn a targeted (and interested) individual into a potential customer? Brands that succeed in turning a target audience into customers are said to have high conversion rates.
As social media became increasingly differentiated, marketing methods evolved. With the success of Instagram, for example, the connection between creators and fans has moved into the foreground. That’s where influencers come in. Influencers and creators are often treated like idols across popular social media apps. This has created an entirely new arm within marketing – influencer marketing – which utilises the endorsement of branded or sponsored products by influencers. It’s a more organic way of achieving conversions than adverts, which may be disruptive.
These strategies are useful because they boost the acceptance of sponsored posts and intensify the connection between the customer and a product. Customer willingness to engage with a product and their desire to own it increase. The emotional involvement and direct link to a product (for example, via a web shop link) make the purchasing experience much more efficient.
But trust remains the most important factor in turning potential customers into buyers. By using social media, brands can establish a more personal connection with their customer base.
Social proof is another important aspect of social commerce. Customers tend to trust popular opinion: if other users in a community purchased and liked a product, it cannot be a bad product. That makes product likes, comments and positive customer reviews all the more important as part of a successful social commerce strategy. If a product has positive reviews, other customers are more easily convinced to purchase it. This psychological and social phenomenon is particularly evident on Amazon: products with few or predominantly negative reviews rank lower in search results and are rarely bought. Sellers with positive reviews tend to make more sales.