Social media has evolved from being a platform to simply chat and connect online to a full-on shopping platform. Here we show you how your business can utilize four of these social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube) to sell your products and services.
In October 2016 FaceBook launched the Marketplace feature as part of its app. This allows users to upload/take a picture of what they are selling, assign it a name, description, and price and then post it to the Facebook Marketplace for others to view and possibly arrange to buy. Facebook is pushing local sales and interactions with this in the hopes that you find a buyer for your product nearby. One should note that the Marketplace feature is not yet available to business page owners to use. However, there is nothing stopping you from uploading a picture in relation to a product or service (i.e. window cleaning) and listing a price for this from a personal page – perhaps create one for your business.
By adding the ‘Shop Now’ function to your Instagram posts, a blue strap will appear at the bottom of your image with the words ‘Shop Now’ inscribed. When tapped/clicked on, this strap will bring the user to your business website where they can complete the buying process. As Instagram is very visual-based, one drawback here is that there is not much space to list information about the item. However one could utilize editing software to add a text overlay to the image to show people the price, materials, and size, etc. of the products for sale.
Pinterest is quite like Instagram from a visual content perspective and it also utilizes a similar eCommerce method through their use of Buyable Pins. These are blue-colored pins (in contrast to the standard red Pinterest pins) which denote that the product in this image can be purchased by clicking/tapping on it. Doing so adds the item to a shopping cart within Pinterest where users can pay with their credit card for example as they would in any online shop.
YouTube
The video platform that YouTube provides is great for showcasing a service in action or a product in use. Unboxing videos are also popular (where reviewers give a hands-on review of a new product). Alongside these features, businesses can also pay for ads on YouTube to have their videos reach a wider audience. While Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest all support video files to some extent, YouTube is known for this and is arguably best at it with a thriving online community viewing, liking, disliking, and commenting on almost every video posted.
If you would like to sell your products and services on social media platforms but need some help and guidance, the expert team at Ireland Website Design can help and guide you. A premier Irish digital agency, we drive sales to businesses of all sizes at home and abroad.
