Is it possible to incorporate a social commerce strategy into your marketing plan? It may seem like a relatively new concept, but the underlying principles are very basic. Humans are social creatures that survive in community settings.
A community is something you can rapidly build through social media channels. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling business to businesses (B2B), or direct to consumers (D2C), a social commerce strategy may just be what you need to survive the current post-pandemic marketing world.
John Lawson is the best-selling author of “Kick Ass Social Commerce for E-Preneurs” and an expert in the field of social commerce and digital marketing. He has been working with small businesses, Fortune 500 companies, and nonprofits for over 10 years.
John says, “It’s really about knowing what your target consumers are looking for. Don’t focus too much on driving traffic to your landing page to finalize a sale. Shift your attention to creating content that will not only inform, but also engage your target consumer.”
How do you develop a social commerce marketing strategy that will fit your B2B market? Just follow the 3 steps from Lawson, and you’ll be there before you know it.
Set your objectives
What do you want to achieve with your social commerce marketing plan? Are you doing it to increase your reach? Do you want to create brand advocates from customers you already have?
Once you determine your goals, it will be much easier for you to create a plan that will support those goals. The rule here is to focus on actionable metrics that support your overall business strategy.
Create promotions
Let’s say you’ve already established yourself as a social media brand. What next? What’s the best strategy for getting more followers?
Create promotions that will draw in your existing client base, and attract new ones. The most effective strategy still is the referral marketing strategy so start working on those promotions.
By constantly engaging with your customers, you’ll be able to build a personal relationship with them that is grounded on emotional ties.
Offer new deals and promos every once in a while to show them that you care about them, and you appreciate their support. In no time, you’ll have a few brand advocates that will help you build your online presence. Offering incentives is always the best way to go, especially if you’re part of a saturated market.
Build Thought Leadership
Since selling to B2B clients is different from selling to consumer clients, you need to establish thought leadership to show that you have what it takes to serve them. What is the most effective way to do that?
Create content that will help develop your authority. By maintaining a blog or social media platform and updating it with fresh content regularly, you’ll be able to deliver valuable information that establishes your credibility.
The more that they trust you and look at you as a leader, the easier it will be for them to choose you. Just make sure to offer relevant content and not just anything under the sun.