Social media is unavoidable for many of us and if you’re running a business it can be a great tool to utilise. Plus, with more users than ever before, social media sites really do provide a lifeline when it comes to connecting with your customers. However, there are still a lot of risks involved with posting online. As a business, one mistake can break your company, causing unimaginable fallout. That’s why it’s important to create a social media strategy that your team can follow and it’s even better if that strategy features some of this summer’s social media trends.
Represent Everyone
Inclusivity has been a major social media trend throughout the last year and that’s not going to change anytime soon. It’s important that all of your customers feel represented by your business as this will help them feel connected and supported.
In fact, studies have shown that there has been a cultural shift towards inclusivity that is affecting customers buying habits. Customers are more likely to make purchases from businesses who invest their time and money in improving their inclusivity and diversity.
In comparison, businesses who don’t appear to be actively increasing their diversity and inclusivity have seen a negative impact on their sales. Improve your business’ practices and increase your brand loyalty by increasing your inclusivity efforts this summer.
Selling Socially
The pandemic has put pressure on many businesses and their sales processes. An alternative method many are turning to is using social media to boost sales. By implementing a social selling strategy, businesses can increase their online presence and build relationships with new customers, making a sale more likely.
Social selling involves becoming an active member on sites such as Facebook or LinkedIn. By regularly posting a variety of content you work to increase your brand awareness and get your message in front of potential customers. The aim here is not to sell, but to grow connections with potential customers.
Alongside this is social commerce. Instead of softly selling to your network on social media via social selling, social commerce allows you to sell your products directly through social media sites. Platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook already allow this and many big businesses are already making use of the feature.
Fresh Content
As more businesses concentrate on their social selling and social commerce strategies, it’s vital that they also look into improving the quality of their content. Content needs to reflect the customer and their experiences. One way to guarantee your content does this is by using user-generated content.
Social media and trends are a great tool for connecting with your customers. Therefore, it makes sense that businesses use it to get feedback and interaction. This can then be used as content. Not only does this humanise the brand, but it can also work to increase engagement as these posts are more likely to appear on your customers’ feeds.
Similarly to user-generated content, purpose-generated content should also be used. This is content that is driven by social, political or environmental issues. While these can be hard areas for businesses to breach, it is important to show your customers what your business values are, as this will increase loyalty.
Time To Get Technical
It seems like everyday there is a new gadget or technology that claims to revolutionise the sales system. While many of these are fads or fakes, there are some technologies that can really benefit businesses when used on social media.
For example, live streams have been a great way to connect with large numbers of people safely while live events are cancelled. During the lockdown period the number of people who tuned into live streams increased dramatically meaning your message reached more people than before.
In addition to live video, there is another type of video that is expected to increase in popularity this summer. Virtual and augmented reality are tools that are already being used by some businesses to connect with their customers while they are closed or unable to operate normally.
These technologies have allowed customers to try on products without visiting stores, enjoy attractions such as theme parks, and experience a different way of using social media. Facebook has already implemented its Horizon tool and more sites are expected to follow.
Build a Community
Social media sites are now being utilised to make connecting with brands and businesses even easier. By making use of social media communities, brands can create groups that allow them to connect with their audience and engage with a group of like-minded people. Creating their own social media trends at the same time.
From a business point of view, this helps to identify and communicate with your target audience as well as getting your message to more people. Members of these groups can invite others and share their own content, which helps to support your social media strategy and grow the businesses network.
These groups can also help businesses interact with their customers on a more personal level. Customers feel like they are part of something unique and personal. This can be supported by personalised marketing campaigns via social media ads.
