How Social Media Affects Customer Purchasing Behaviors
Social media evolved a lot these past years. It started as a means of sharing photos of family and friends. But now, it’s also one of the most important parts of business marketing strategies.
This is understandable since about 74% of consumers use social media to make their buying decisions. The shift isn’t limited to B2C organizations since their B2B counterparts benefit from this as well.
Here are some trends you can use to leverage your business using social media:
Social Influencer Reviews are Valuable
These individuals have a lot of people following them on social media platforms. A large audience will see their posts every day. That’s why businesses collaborate with them to get their products promoted.
Take note, social influencers’ content has a large effect on consumer buying decisions. It doesn’t matter whether it’s sponsored. They’re often at the forefront of the bandwagon effect.
Reach out to influencers within your chosen industry. Ask them if they can try out your products and make a review post on their social media. Make sure to get influencers with a large audience.
Do your research and look for influencers with followers that match your buyer personas. It might take a while to get in touch with bigger influencers, though. They’re likely receiving review requests from lots of other businesses too.
Social Media Advertisements
Advertising on social media platforms is simpler nowadays. The good news is that their targeting capabilities are more comprehensive than ever. You can put up ads that align with specific business goals, such as:
- Establishing brand awareness
- Driving sales
When people click through an ad, they will land on your website. The best part is that you can place retargeting ads for moving people through the sales funnel. With that, social media ads can become a great tool in gaining more repeat sales.
Social Media Algorithm Present Popular Posts First
Facebook and Instagram posts that get more engagement tend to appear at the top of news feeds. That means these posts have lots of comments, likes, and shares. They’re trending posts that can make people interested, especially if it’s about a product.
To make the most out of this algorithm, make sure to engage your audience in your posts. After all, trending posts need more than likes to push them on top of the news feed. That means your post captions should have something your audience can engage with, such as a question or a poll.
Social Media Search Engines
Buyers often search for solutions or suppliers using social media. As this trend becomes more popular, keywords are starting to play a bigger part on various social platforms. That’s why it’s better to take advantage of it now since it’s easier to get to the top of the search engine results page of social media websites than Google.
Take advantage of this trend by researching keywords that relate to your business. This can differ, depending on the social media platform you’re using. Once you find them, make sure to include those keywords on your post headlines, captions, comments, and profile information.
Awareness-Generating Contests
If you run a contest on social media, your business gets several benefits. Depending on your contest’s terms, you’ll often get a huge boost in either of these:
- Engagement
- Followers
- Brand awareness
- Sales
When your new follower learns about your products and services at the first contact, they’re likely to buy in the future. You make them more aware of your brand. That means the potential buyer is more willing to learn more about you.
When running the contest, make sure to do it smartly. Use your blog and homepage to promote it. Record your stats and sales sources before and after the contest to gauge whether your efforts are fruitful.
Social Media Brand Presence
Your brand’s presence on social media will influence consumer buying behavior. Even if you get social influencers to put your business in the spotlight, your social media presence will affect its effectiveness. Minimal social media presence means you get less perceived credibility.
That’s why you need to have a consistent presence in social media. You need to showcase all your products and how they give value. That way, your visitors will become followers and eventually buyers.
A strong feed is a key element that affects buying decisions. When people see that you have a large following, they will think that they’re satisfied with your products and services.
Use Social Media Today!
Most people will use at least one social media platform to socialize. That’s why it’s important to strengthen your presence on multiple platforms. After all, your potential customers are more likely to search social media instead of Google for products.
Also, check out these 8 Top Skills Every Social Media Manager Must Have
Founder, Editor-In-Chief // A native Angeleno. John studied engineering at UCLA; founded Schmoozd, an offline social tech networking event in LA with 30,000 subs; ran a startup accelerator (StartEngine). Worked for several major brands like Toyota, DIRECTV, Hitachi, ICANN, and Raytheon. A mentor at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) Entrepreneur School, Dr. David Choi. And advises a dozen local LA startups building amazing tech in various industries; and invested in some. // Let's Connect: john@lastartups.com
