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Shoppable Social: Could You Be Missing Out On the Latest Trend?

 

Shoppable social. You may have heard of the term, but what does it mean? Shoppable social is just what it sounds like – a way for consumers to purchase products from your social media content. A brand posts a lifestyle photo or product-focused image on social media with product tags that followers can click on to buy.

 

In today’s digital-first world, social commerce has soared. Consumers like convenience and alternatives to going into a store to shop. Throughout this blog, we’ll look at ways your multi-location business can master shoppable social media to break through to your target audience and position your business as an industry leader.

 

Which Platforms Have Shoppable Social

 

Instagram is one of the most prevalent platforms for social commerce. While you’ve probably seen Instagram ads with product tags in the past, brands are increasingly selling products through organic posts.   For instance, if you own a multi-location business in the home improvement industry, you can bring your business to life with an image of people using your products and tag them in your posts.

 

Shoppable social posts can be shared in your main feed and also in your stories. Shoppers can click on the highlighted shopping bag icon to see the product name and price, as seen below.

 

 

Image-driven Instagram is an engaging platform for shoppable social, but there are other options as well. Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat are also among the most popular social shopping spots. If your multi-location business isn’t using shoppable posts, you are selling yourself short. Why wouldn’t you increase the opportunities for consumers to purchase your products? Convenience is critical for consumers, and shoppable social provides it.

 

Shoppable Social Best Practices

 

For your multi-location business to fully leverage shoppable social, consider these best practices:

• Stage your products naturally:  Photos shouldn’t look forced. Rather than just setting up products and taking a picture of them, consider including people in your images. If the photo looks natural, consumers will be able to picture themselves using the products.

• Include lifestyle photos: Like ensuring that your photos look natural, it’s a good idea to consider lifestyle photos. Take your products out into the world, and show real people using them. Again, this will help consumers imagine using the product in its natural setting.
• Be mindful when selecting which products to highlight: Are there certain best-sellers among your consumers? Would some products look more appealing in a social post? These are questions to consider when developing your content plan for shoppable social.
• Remarket shoppable social content: If a consumer visits your website but doesn’t click on it or make a purchase, you can reengage with remarketing ad campaigns on Facebook and Instagram.  Retargeting shoppable social posts to your followers can keep your products and your multi-location business top-of-mind.

 

As you can see, there’s a lot to consider when building a shoppable social content plan. As long as your multi-location business follows the best practices shared above, you should be in an excellent position to have successful shoppable social posts.

 

Using Shoppable Social At the Local Level 

 

Use shoppable social to champion your brand on the local level. The selection and popularity of products may vary based on your business locations.  If you have multiple locations creating shoppable social content relevant to a specific site or geographic region will likely be more effective than a generic shoppable social post.

 

For instance, a shoe company with a New York City location can showcase a runner sporting its shoe brand in the NYC marathon or feature a runner along the beach in a post to highlight doing business in California. If consumers can picture themselves in their area with your product, it’s a lot easier for them to relate and ultimately decide to purchase the product.

 

Start Using Shoppable Social 

 

As you can see, shoppable social is an excellent tool for your multi-location business to use as a part of your local social media efforts. Not only can shoppable social make it easier for consumers to purchase your product, but it can also increase your overall sales. If your multi-location business isn’t already utilizing shoppable social, it’s time to re-evaluate your strategy.

 

 

At SOCi, we understand the challenges of scaling your local social media efforts across all of your business locations. We’re here to help! SOCi’s Content Management solution helps your multi-location business manage your social media pages across all of your business locations. This unique tool enables multi-location companies to manage and deploy localized content at scale while maintaining brand consistency at both the enterprise and local levels. It’s time for you to elevate your digital presence for consumers through localized social content and shoppable social. What’re you waiting for? For more information on how SOCi can help you manage your local social media efforts and take your localized marketing strategy to new heights, request a demo today!