, , , , , , , , ,

The Rise of Social Commerce: How Brands Can Leverage Social Media to Drive Sales

Person holding a phone, engaging in social commerce as it drives sales

Social media has become an essential marketing tool for growing your business’ reach and reputation. However, another one of social media’s goals, like other marketing, is to convert that attention into sales. One of the best tools for accomplishing that is ‘Social Commerce’, where products are sold directly on social media. We’ll explain what social commerce is and how you can leverage social media to drive sales.

What is Social Commerce?

Social commerce is selling products directly through a social media platform. Product discovery, selection, and checkout all occur on the platform rather than redirecting individuals to your own store. It’s a service that is now available on most major social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. For all three, you create product listings that appear in a shop on your account. Users can then browse and order products directly through the app. In exchange for offering the service, the platform takes a percentage of the sale as a fee. 

The Benefits of Social Commerce

Social commerce is different from eCommerce which happens on a business’ own dedicated website or online store. As a result, you have slightly less control over the presentation, and it requires creating a store dedicated to the platform. However, there are clear benefits to using social commerce to drive sales. 

People Use Social Media to Shop

Over 80% of users research products using social media and nearly half of both Millennials and Gen Z are already making purchases on social media. Social commerce immediately drives sales because you provide a shopping experience for these many users precisely when they are actively searching for or considering products. 

A Seamless Shopping Experience

That immediacy and convenience also translate into an effective shopping experience that helps further drive sales. Social commerce provides the opportunity for a potential customer to immediately purchase upon discovering a product they like. This creates a more streamlined shopping experience. Rather than leaving the app, navigating to the product on your digital store, adding it to their cart, and filling in their information to complete their purchase, the user can immediately checkout and continue their browsing. The eCommerce checkout can be a moment where carts are abandoned and sales lost. The speedy and seamless shopping experience of social commerce means there are fewer chances to lose the customer’s attention and that purchase.

A More Thorough Representation of Your Business on Social

Another benefit of social commerce is that you can better showcase the products that your company provides on social media. You could make posts for every product you sell, and you should highlight new items, but these inherently move down the feed as time progresses. Those ever-drifting posts aren’t an effective way to continuously show off your entire catalogue. Instead, the dedicated storefront of a social commerce space on your profile allows social media users to conveniently get a better sense of your products and services without needing to leave the app. 

Shopping That Reaches Your Audience

Social media platforms have an incredible amount of user data at their disposal. With social commerce, you can use that data to promote specific products to those whom the platform knows to have certain interests. Because of the wealth of data available, these product suggestions can be highly specific. For example, one product might suit a certain demographic like men in their 40s, while another suits young adult women. Each can be selectively targeted on social commerce to users in those demographics. Specific product suggestions of this specificity on your own eCommerce store need a shopping history and will take time to generate. Social commerce allows you to specifically tailor such suggestions and promotions from the start.

Social Commerce Isn’t the End of eCommerce

Social commerce has clear benefits for driving sales, but it doesn’t replace eCommerce and having a dedicated digital store and website. It’s an addition and effective supplement to your eCommerce strategy. Ultimately, the goal is to drive sales away from social media platforms, which take a 2-5% cut, to shopping and browsing on your own digital storefront. There customers can browse and better familiarize themselves with your products in a space that is exclusively dedicated to them. Social commerce’s strength is in getting new customers as they are generally browsing and securing that initial sale. That sale then converts someone into a dedicated customer when they understand the quality of your products. 

Making the Most of Social Commerce

Social commerce’s ability to convert and drive sales lies in the shopping convenience it creates for those actively browsing. It’s a valuable tool for attracting and recapturing dedicated customers. If you think social commerce is part of your next social media strategy, contact us at Rosewood. We’ll be happy to help you expand your eCommerce horizons. 

/0 Comments/by
, , , ,

Scrolling for Talent: Mastering the Art of Recruiting through Social Media

Woman doing a zoom interview on her laptop.

Naturally, social media is important for a business’ marketing. However, as a tool for social reach and creating connections, social media has also become a central platform for recruiting and hiring new employees. We explain why you should post jobs, where to post, and what the best practices are so you can master the art of recruiting through social media.

Why Hire Through Social Media

Hiring through social media has become standard practice for most industries. More than three fourths of people search for new jobs on social media, and 73% of people between the ages of 18 and 34 found their current position through social media. 91% of employers report using social media for recruiting, and 56% have found that social media offers the best applicants. Those statistics quickly indicate that you should be hiring through social media, but they also deserve some unpacking to truly demonstrate the importance of recruiting through social media. 

Applicants with Real Connections and Enthusiasm

You should still post to online job boards and listing platforms such as Indeed or Monster along with having a dedicated “Careers” page on your own website. Those spaces help cast a wider net and provide the full details of a position (e.g. requirements, expectations, and responsibilities) and your company. Where social media excels, however, is reaching potential recruits who are sincerely interested and already familiar with your company. 

Those seeing your job listing on social media are already in some way connected to your business and brand. They might follow you, be part of your industry, or you might appear in their suggestions. In all these instances, they have a clear connection and social attachment. As a result, social media can provide you with a pool of applicants that have a sincere enthusiasm for and familiarity with your company. They are not just someone who stumbled upon your listing among a dozen others. That connection implies they are already personally invested in your business, and that is a valuable trait for a future employee who also meets a position’s professional requirements. That real connection and authentic interest are why companies are seeing such success with social media recruiting. 

Where to Recruit on Social Media

Since recruiting on social media is so essential and beneficial, you’re also probably wondering which platforms to use for recruitment. Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, you should pick the platforms where you have the most significant following. For example, one business may have a substantial following on Instagram, while another has theirs on TikTok. Each business should focus its social media recruitment on those respective platforms. 

You should similarly consider the different demographics for each platform. For example, the age of TikTok and Instagram users skew younger than other platforms. If you are hiring for an entry-level position, you will likely receive more responses and applications from that younger audience. Conversely, Facebook has a much wider demographic of users. While recruiting there is less targeted, it’s better for casting a wider net. 

LinkedIn 

LinkedIn deserves special mention since it is in its own niche as a professional social media platform. It’s always best to post any recruitment there since LinkedIn allows you to specifically create recruiting listings through which people can directly apply. It is also the only social media platform focused on professional relationships and career development, so anyone closely following your company on LinkedIn is inherently interested in career opportunities from your company. As the primary professional social platform, it is also an exceptional place for your business to build a professional presence and network for future hirings.

Social Media Recruiting Best Practices

When you start recruiting through social media, here are some of the best practices to remember:

  • Post on multiple social media platforms to get the most reach.
  • The visual component of any content should make it immediately clear it is a job posting. Bold letters that say “We’re Hiring” are a simple but effective tactic.
  • Excluding your full posting on LinkedIn, don’t provide the full details about the position in your post. You won’t have room. Instead, include the main details that will entice someone to look at the full position’s listing.
  • Be specific. Job seekers want precise information, so don’t be vague about the position’s key details. 
  • If they’re interested, potential applicants will want to access the full posting. Be sure to include a direct link to the listing and application window. 
  • Use Instagram stories. Since Instagram posts cannot have a link, be sure to use stories to include those links. The post itself should provide clear directions on where applicants can apply, such as providing the link in the bio.
  • Stories and other live posts are also great for providing updates. This reinspires (and reminds) those potential applicants who need to put their applications together.

Social Media Recruiting, A Valuable Resource

Social media may have changed the logistics of recruiting, but it has also provided an immensely valuable tool for finding sincere and enthusiastic applicants. You should now understand the benefits and best practices for recruiting through social media. If you need help creating graphics or writing posts, our social media marketing team are masters of enticing hiring. You should also contact them to determine which platforms will provide the best applicants for your business and help you build your presence on LinkedIn.

/0 Comments/by
, , ,

Amazon Vine Voice Reviews: A Tool for Improving Your Product’s Reach and Reputation

Amazon Vine Voice Reviews on a laptop and phone.

When you’ve hummed and hawed over that next purchase on Amazon, you have probably perused the reviews and come upon an Amazon Vine Voice badge.  Those reviews come from certain individuals who are part of the Amazon Vine program, an invitation-only review program. This program helps small businesses get verified reviews for their products when they have yet to receive many from customers. It also, however, comes with certain caveats. We’ll explain the details of what Amazon Vine is, what are some of its limitations, and why you might benefit from it.

What is Amazon Vine?

Amazon Vine is a program where reviewers called Vine Voices can receive free products to write reviews for the product pages that express their “unbiased opinions – positive, neutral or negative.” It originally began in 2007 as monthly emails that featured product reviews. By 2011, as Amazon’s inventory and number of Voices grew, the emails became unwieldy, and one could feature over 400 reviews. As a result, the program was overhauled in 2016 to its current form, where reviews became featured on the individual product page above other reviews with a prominent “Vine Voice” badge.

Who are the Vine Voices?

Anyone can become a Vine Voice, the unpaid reviewers of Amazon Vine. However, they first need to be invited to the program by Amazon. That invitation only comes after someone consistently leaves fair and detailed reviews about the products they purchase. After enough reviews have been written and rated highly by other users, Amazon will invite that account to become a voice for the Vine platform. Similarly, Amazon regularly removes Voices who stop writing reviews or break their terms of agreement, although it is not always apparent to these reviewers why they lose access.

Once they join the platform, Vine Voices can access a special product feed on Amazon of items targeted towards their interests that need reviews. The products offered have little to no reviews; this ensures Vine Voices are focused on vetting less popular or well-known products. Any of the products they request are shipped to them for free with the requirement that they use it and write a detailed review. Those reviews are then featured on the product page above all other users.

Whose Products Can be Reviewed on Amazon Vine?

Since 2019, third-party sellers have been able to enter their products into the Amazon Vine system to receive reviews from Vine Voices. To enroll as a seller in Amazon Vine you must pay a $200 enrollment fee and be a registered seller. Once in the service, you may offer your products for review provided that the item:

  • Has less than 30 reviews
  • Has already launched and is available for purchase
  • Is an FBA (fulfilled by Amazon) offer with the “New” condition
  • Is not an “adult” item
  • Has available inventory
  • Its listing has an image and description

So long as it meets all those criteria, the product can be offered to Amazon Voices for free so that they will write a review.

What are the Benefits of Amazon Vine?

Amazon Vine can be beneficial to smaller companies who offer their products through Amazon because they can provide less popular products with reviews, which are central to online shopping. 93% of customers state that reviews impact their purchase decisions, and studies have found that a product is up to 270% more likelyto be purchased if it has at least 5 reviews. Furthermore, on Amazon, positively reviewed products are given priority in product feeds and searches. 

Therefore, Vine helps small businesses get those reviews because it only offers products with a few reviews for Voices to review. If your products are high quality, you can expect good reviews. Those reviews are extra valuable because they are verified and vetted. The general probability of a purchase increases by 15% if a review is a verified purchase. That verification along with the priority display and status of a Vine review can be only more convincing.

What are the Limitations of Amazon Vine?

Vine and Voices can be an excellent way to secure reviews and reach on Amazon, but there are a few caveats to the program. There is no guarantee that a Vine Voice will request your product or provide you with a stellar review. The reviews are also nominally anonymous because Amazon does not require Voices to use their real name. However, there’s little incentive for a Voice to maliciously leave a false review; it is a breach of the program. If Amazon finds their review misleading, such as by a seller’s appeal, the review will be erased and the Voice’s membership revoked. Yes, that anonymity can undermine their credibility and they are less recognizable compared to a product review from a well-known influencer.

Some other factors to consider are the program’s cost. There are no payments besides the initial fee. However, products must be provided for free to incentivize the otherwise uncompensated Voices to write reviews. That isn’t necessarily unusual for professional reviews. Products are typically ‘gifted’ to influencers and professional critics for their publicized and expert opinions, but Voices also aren’t professional reviewers, nor experts, which can limit the quality of their reviews. Furthermore, if your products are expensive, large, or heavy, it will inherently mean a higher investment to ship free products for these reviews. This can make Vine better suited towards lower-priced items that sell more frequently. That positive attention can get your brand wider recognition on Amazon, leading to potential sales and natural customer reviews of those big-ticket products.

Growing Vines and Settling Roots

Hopefully, you now have a good sense of what Amazon Vine and Voices are, along with the benefits and limitations of the program for small businesses. If you’re interested in adding your products to Amazon Vine or discovering other methods to expand your store’s reach, be sure to contact Rosewood Marketing. We will be happy to strategize and discuss various options in both e-commerce design and marketing.

/0 Comments/by