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  • Should you be thinking about social selling?

Should you be thinking about social selling?

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With creators and influencers making their fortune on social media sites over the last decade, as well as businesses of every size using their channels as ways to engage customers, it was only time before the platforms themselves wanted a piece of the pie. 

After testing various avenues of incorporating shopping into their sites in recent years, and Watch recently reporting that 71% of consumers buy based on what they see in their feeds, it seems 2022 will be the year that shopping and selling via social media becomes the norm. 

Instagram and Pinterest have both clearly stated that wider access to integrated checkouts, as well as enhanced affiliate programmes, are a priority this year, whilst TikTok is reinvigorating the QVC model for the next generation; leading the way with live-to-camera selling. 

 

The big sell

By far the greatest benefit of social selling is that your customers are already there. One of the toughest parts of business today can be growing an audience, so having an opportunity to sell to them in a captive digital arena is a huge advantage. Further, you can couple this with delivering top-notch customer service via social; creating a holistically positive customer experience.  

The fact that social media is available to all businesses, big and small, makes it a great equaliser of success. Whilst bigger budgets for advertising may give established brands an advantage at times, platforms favour creative, unique content and accounts that are highly engaging - which can be achieved by brands and businesses of any size. 

 

Where to be weary

As GDPR was tightened and users wised up to just how liberally social sites were selling their data to third-party advertisers, social media platforms have had no choice but to establish new revenue streams; a shot at ecommerce being the obvious choice. With that in mind, it’s unsurprising that the platforms themselves are likely to be taking their fair share of any profits made on the platform - smaller businesses in particular will need to be mindful of fees that may eat into profit margins. 

As experts have told us time and time before at our live shows, you should never be solely building your business on a platform or site that you cant control, shape or access data from. The appeal of selling through a platform you’re already spending a lot of time on and are invested in from a marketing perspective may be strong, but not at the sacrifice of your own website. As experts have told us time and time before at our live shows, you should never be solely building your business on a platform or site that you cant control, shape or access data from. So, if youare going to be exploring social selling in 2022, be sure it’s just one part of your overall sales strategy. 





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Written by Jordan Evans
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Written by Jordan Evans

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