Social Commerce: How to Grow Your Business
Social Commerce
Hardly a day you’ll scroll past your social media timeline without mention of “Be your own boss” “Passive Income” “Janta ni Janta” or the latest lingo depicting the desire to run your own business.
The World Bank reported that Kenya’s economy showed incredible resilience even in the wake of the pandemic thanks to diversified sources of growth whereas a recent study by Viffa Consult indicated that almost half of Kenyans with side hustles plan to quit their day jobs. The message is clear as day, Kenya is quickly becoming (if not already), a gig economy! Whether you’re a freelancer, small business or an employee looking to switch from their 9 to 5 to a 24/7, the first challenge is always getting your first customer… and the next one… and the next one. That’s where we come in!
Social Commerce – What is it?
Don’t have an idea what social commerce is? We bet you do! You know how you’re casually scrolling through your IG stories and a sponsored post for a bag you like comes up,
“This is nice”, you think.
On the page there’s a sticker with the name of the shop which you tap on and voila, it lands you at their IG shop full of other amazing bags – there and then, you have just experienced the power of social commerce.
Social commerce allows you to sell products directly through social media platforms, where potential customers can interact with your brands, browse your goods and make purchases.
The best social commerce platforms to grow your business on:
The world of social media has broken down all barriers of geography and social class, you can now reach anyone by being compelling enough to stop them while scrolling their feeds.
Let’s look at some of the best social commerce platforms you can use to grow your customers.
Out of sheer potential revenue and audience size, the number one go to for your business will be Facebook Shops. Out of the reported over 12 million Facebook users in Kenya alone (You read that right, if all Facebook users voted for you, you would be president like yesterday!), you have access to a diverse range of customers.
To set up shop on Facebook, you’ll need to create a Facebook Business page.
From here, create shoppable posts and tag your products from your photos/videos. Whenever an interested customer selects a tagged product on your post, they can get more info, see pricing and even purchase the product straight out of Facebook!
Just see for yourself how easy it is to set up your own shop as well designed as our very own WINGI Facebook shop.
Undoubtedly the “hottest” lifestyle platform, looks are everything!
To set up IG Shopping, all you need is a Facebook business profile, which links your Facebook Shop to Instagram and allows you to upload a product catalog where you can start creating product tags for each item.
Additionally, you can add product stickers to your IG stories that also direct them to your shop for purchase.
IG is all about showing personality and lifestyle so don’t be afraid to experiment with all of its unique features i.e. Reels, Live, Stories to show your brand’s personality and connect with your audience further.
Real time communication has become a huge priority for customers.
Whatsapp Business gives your customers the convenience to send customized messages regarding their orders and get updated live and direct.
Within the sales funnel, a Whatsapp lead is also considered much more valuable as they have already shared their personal number for reengagement and likely have more intention to purchase.
Create a catalog of products your customers can easily order from.
In addition, Whatsapp gives you: One-on-One customer support, direct interaction means you can collect feedback, and send product/inventory updates to your entire audience at the tap of a button!
Best Practices
Use high quality, well-lit photos, it doesn’t have to be photoshoot quality, your smartphone will do! (Please don’t use downloaded images, trust us, the customers can tell.)
Always maintain a fine balance between being friendly to the customer and being professional. (Some don’t take too kindly to being called “dear” seconds after enquiring for the price)
The (Social) Proof is in the pudding! Create a positive experience for your customers, from start to finish and ask them to share their reviews and images on your page; this spreads like wildfire!
As you work and grow your business, you will need to better manage your inventory, customer engagement and finances, no need to wing it when you have WINGI!
Let us empower your business to grow!
References
Bank, W. (2021, December 14). Kenya’s Economy is Showing Resilience as Output Rises Above Pre-Pandemic Levels Driven by a Rebound in the Services Sector. Retrieved from The World Bank: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2021/12/14/kenya-s-economy-is-showing-resilience-as-output-rises-above-pre-pandemic-levels-driven-by-a-rebound-in-the-services-sect
Consult, V. (2022, February 25). State Of Side Hustle In Kenya 2022. Retrieved from Viffa Consult: https://viffaconsult.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/State-of-Side-Hustle-in-Kenya-2022-1.pdf
Meta. (2022). Meta. Retrieved from Shops on Facebook and Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/business/shops
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