Everything Brand Marketers Need to Know About Social Commerce

Brand marketers today have more options for engaging leads and turning them into customers now than ever before.

Of course, not every option is created equal.

At the moment, one of the absolute best available is social commerce.

3 Things To Understand About Social Commerce

Despite its reputation, you may be hesitant about investing in a new channel, especially if you’ve been let down by other popular options in the past.

In that case, here are three essential reasons social commerce is one of the best ways to market your brand.

1. Social Media Is Becoming the New Google

Up until recently, brand marketers targeting consumers needed to invest large sums into SEO (search engine optimization) strategies to draw in potential customers through Google and other search engines.

Thanks to the growing popularity of social commerce, that’s beginning to change. Currently, adults spend 45-minutes-a-day on social media. Expect that number to keep rising.

Furthermore, consider the following social media statistics:

– 26% of Facebook users like using the site to search for new purchases
– 73% of customers report that social media is part of their shopping process
– 55% of shoppers purchase after discovering an item on social media

Most importantly, 95% of people between 18-34 are likely to follow a brand’s social media account. So, while people used to turn to Google to shop online, social media is becoming the go-to place for
companies to get found.

2. Asia Offers a Window into What’s to Come

We don’t need to speculate about whether or not this will be the case, either. In Asia, social commerce has already exploded and in numerous other countries too. Forbes has described Southeast Asia as “the world’s hottest online battleground.” By 2017, it was already made up of 200 million shoppers. More and more, these millions of shoppers are turning to social commerce.

Companies there are adapting to this trend. For example, in Thailand, 95% of merchants view social media as a promising business channel. What’s more, Thais are beginning to see e-commerce as a social activity, which explains why 20% of their online sales are attributed to social platforms. In China, as much as 70% of Gen Z shoppers buy directly through social media.

Merchants throughout the world would be wise to take note. Popular social channels are quickly becoming favorite shopping channels.

3. Social Media Supports Brand-Specific Marketing Strategies

Other e-commerce channels restrict your marketing options. Amazon is a perfect example. You’re limited to the same template as all of your competitors for engaging and converting shoppers.

Alternatively, social media platforms allow for a wide range of
different strategies.

If your company is a lifestyle brand, you can use Instagram to show them off in context, tagging each of them in the photo. For example, if you sell clothing and fashion accessories, you could show someone wearing them while enjoying an activity in line with your brand (e.g., hanging out at the beach, hitting the gym, etc.).

Maybe your brand thrives by creating a community of impassioned customers. In that case, Facebook groups would be an excellent opportunity.

There is also an army of social-selling tools that make it even easier to hit your brand-specific goals. Marketers don’t have to struggle to retrofit their highest-ROI strategies to existing channels’ demands.

All kinds of companies have succeeded on social media because of this flexibility. Yours can, too.

Turn Social Commerce into a Priority

Social commerce holds limitless potential for any brand marketer who is willing to put the time into making the most of it. While social media platforms are completely free – and most tools are incredibly
affordable – there’s no replacement for the actual effort it requires.

Give social media as much as your other channels, and it could soon become your most profitable.

Marketing Matters