Selling on the Social Media Marketplace in 2021

It’s all well and good that you have an eCommerce website. It’s great, actually. On your website, you can optimize your content to show up in relevant organic search results, provide valuable information, and give customers a traditional online shopping experience. However, kids these days (and by “kids” I mean “anyone who spends any time on the internet”) have come to expect more. Heck, they may not even bother typing in, for example, “best socks for winter” into Google because they accidentally clicked on a sock ad that one time, or perhaps said aloud, “I could use a new pair of socks,” and now suddenly their social media feed is populated with more socks than you realized could possibly exist. They no longer need to search for said socks because they cannot escape them. And sooner or later, they actually find a pair of socks that they like — and what’s more, they can buy them without ever leaving the app.

The point here, dear reader, is that if you are not taking advantage of social media to sell your products, then you are certainly missing out.

Why You Need to Be Selling on the Social Media Marketplace Yesterday

As alluded to in the example above, there are numerous benefits to selling on the social media marketplace in addition to your eCommerce store:

• It gives users a seamless, in-app experience
• You can reach people who are not actively searching for your products or might not know about them otherwise
• You can increase your visibility across the web, encouraging users to eventually make a purchase

Where You Can Sell on Social Media

There are numerous platforms that offer some sort of eCommerce element, but we’re going to focus on three of the most popular ones here:

Facebook

Your mom is on Facebook right now. You know it’s true. And in between checking out pictures of your cousin’s friend’s neighbor’s new cat, she’s also thinking about what she is going to buy you, her favorite child, for the holidays. Fortunately, she’s been getting lots of ideas from ads as she peruses the platform.

Facebook has been pushing harder on the eCommerce aspect of its business, with the announcement of Shops this year. It’s free to set up an account, and people will also be able to find your Shop through your business’s Facebook page or through ads or stories. You can have your Shop lead people to your website, or allow (US customers) to purchase directly through the app.

Instagram

If you didn’t know this already, Facebook also owns Instagram, and they certainly aren’t missing out on an opportunity to capture the attention of all the would-be fashionistas, lifestyle followers, and artistic types that regularly browse the platform. 

Instagram Shop is essentially the same as Facebook. Users can also go to the “Shop” tab and browse through a variety of items that they didn’t know they needed.

Pinterest

People who use Pinterest are typically planning a purchase or researching products — 89% of them. In fact, almost half of users log into the platform for the sole purpose of shopping. You can create Rich Pins, which pull data from your website to show users information about a picture that you posted, which can lead them right back to where you want them (in your shop, of course). Pinterest has a much different demographic than Facebook and Instagram, so it’s important to know whether or not your audience is on this platform. If they are, it can definitely be a valuable opportunity to get in front of them.

A Final Thought on Social Media Marketplaces

One thing to keep in mind for selling on any of these platforms is that placing ads costs money, and depending on how competitive your niche is, it may cost more. Additionally, if you utilize any special features that allow users to shop from the app itself, you may have to pay additional fees. As always, knowing your audience and their behavior is critical for deciding where to advertise.

Other Social Media eComm Trends to Look for in 2021

2020 has been a wild ride, but you can expect many trends that we’ve been seeing on both the social and eCommerce fronts to continue in the new year.

• Video continues to be the most popular type of content across every social media platform. Think about ways that you can start to, or continue to expand on, including video as part of your overall content or social media marketing strategy.
• Live events held virtually have increased due to the pandemic, and even after in-person events resume, you can expect that live video content will continue to 
• AR, or augmented reality, is looking to become more widely available in 2021, with Facebook’s AR glasses supposedly hitting the shelves next year. AR is essentially a digital overlay on your environment. This could eventually be a very exciting tool for eCommerce retailers, allowing users to virtually try on clothing or makeup, or see a piece of furniture in their space. In fact, you may have already seen a few ads like this!

Look to the Experts

Should you sell on social media? Which platforms should you advertise on? If you’re not sure how to get started, reach out to the experts! We can assist you with anything related to social media for your eCommerce business, as well as your overall digital marketing strategy. Contact us today to learn more!