As COVID-19 turned the world upside down, consumers resorted to social media to make connections in a socially-distanced environment. However, social media also serves as a strong platform for retailers to build trust with customers---and it has a significantly strong influence on buying decisions.

71% Users More Likely to Purchase from Social ReferralsWe all know the power of social proof, but the stats show exactly where the strongest influence comes from with social users.
 
For example, 71% of people are more likely to buy a product that’s based on social media referrals. This includes seeing ads from retailers or even from influences.
 
Influencer marketing is recognized as one of the most powerful ways to market products. This is especially the case for Twitter, as studies show that 50% of users made purchases directly because an influencer referred the product.
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What Social Platforms Bring the Most Product Sales?Keep in mind that not all social platforms will yield the same results. You must consider the demographic and where your ideal customer most likely spends their time online. This is part of the bigger strategy of choosing the correct social platform for promotion.
 
Many product-based brands can find selling success on the following platforms:
 

• Facebook: As the largest social platform with 1.7 billion users and growing, Facebook offers extensive reach into a range of demographics. Ad spend is considerably affordable on this platform, which improves reach to your audience. You can target new potential customers by targeting engagement patterns and other behaviors.
• Instagram: Owned by Facebook, Instagram has 1 billion active monthly users. This platform is effective for reaching the teenage and college-aged demographic. Instagram also integrates easy shopping options with ads.
• TikTok: One of the newer social platforms that exploded in popularity over the last several years, TikTok is a go-to with Gen Z-aged users. This platform curates its feed based on users’ interests, which makes it outstanding for brand awareness.
• Twitter: The platform with the highest influencer pull, Twitter works as a fast-paced social platform with a focus on trends. It’s a network where people can chat about brand experience, while 53% of people recommend businesses and products in their tweets.
• YouTube: Owned by Google, YouTube has a powerful influence on buying decisions for several reasons. First, influencer recommendations can reach hundreds to thousands of subscribers. Furthermore, product reviews can help buyers understand how products look and function in their own homes. YouTube is also the second most popular search engine in the world next to Google. It processes more than 3 billion searches per month.

If you’ve leveraged the power of social media to drive sales to your ecommerce business, you will be excited to hear this news. Facebook’s unrolling of “Facebook Shops” opens up wide doors of opportunity to go beyond just advertising, and straight into conducting commerce on the premier social media site.

If you haven’t bothered to engage with social media to drum up business for your business, now is a good time to start. Trends indicate the shift in retailing toward online sales is a real deal, made more robust in this unplanned and uncertain time of restricted public movement due to a global pandemic. Analysts predict that once the situation evens out and stores reopen, a significant portion of commerce will continue to occur over the internet. Put simply, the barriers that made many hesitate in the days before Covid-19 are all but shattered.

Enter Facebook, always in search of ways to capitalize on any marketing trend. Their advertising revenues—gained from more than 8 million businesses—have been astronomical, and that in turn has led them to jump in with both feet, offering up a first-line sales platform for ecommerce vendors like you.
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This new, cost-free feature allows businesses to set up product listings on their Facebook page, Instagram profile, and in stories or in ads. Future plans include direct sales through chat features of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram Direct. Facebook owns all of these entities.

Creating a strong social media presence has never been easier or more effective.
 
More and more people are flocking to various social media platforms to connect and share with loved ones. Whether it’s scrolling through a Facebook group or sharing the perfect vacation selfie on Instagram, it’s hard to imagine a world without social media at the forefront.
 
With billions of users who spend, on average, three hours a day on social media, businesses have a stronger opportunity than ever to target their message to those who are eager to hear it. But with social media trends constantly changing, and so many different marketing options out there, staying on top of the most effective strategies and putting them into practice can be a full time job in and of itself.
 
Who has time for that when you have a business to run?
 
Luckily, there are a wide variety of wonderful tools that take the guesswork out of social media marketing while saving precious time. And who doesn’t need more of that?
 
Let’s look at a few important strategies for any business to thrive, and the social media marketing tools that can help do just that.
 
Best for Lead Generation - Audiense 
 
Audiense offers a convenient array of tools to help you not only identify your audience, but to zero in on smaller segments within that audience to target your message accordingly. It gives you insights into their personalities and buying habits to help you communicate more effectively. And it provides reports and data to back it all up, making customer engagement a breeze.
 
Best for Analytics - Facebook Analytics
 
Facebook continues to dominate as the leading social media platform. Over two-thirds of American adults reported using it in 2019. When it comes to marketing, Facebook Analytics gives you all the tools and statistics you need to analyze what works and what doesn’t. It offers in-depth reporting on the customer process from beginning to end, showing you when, where, and how people are interacting with your content.
 
Best for Content Creation - Tagboard
 
Tagboard allows you to search for topics, keywords, and hashtags so you can see what’s trending and what your audience is paying attention to. You can use that information to share popular stories or create fresh, new content based on the things your customers care about. Focusing on what people are actually reading about, rather than just guessing, will help keep your business relevant and get your content more views, likes, and shares.
 
Best for Chatbots - MobileMonkey
 
Chatbots help deliver a smooth customer experience by interacting and answering their questions in real-time. MobileMonkey is a free service that makes it easy to set up a chatbot and talk to your customers on messaging apps they’re already using, like SMS and Facebook messenger. To make things even simpler, it allows you to type out your chat content once, then use it across different platforms.
 
Best for Graphics - Canva
 
You don’t need to be a professional web designer to create eye-catching graphics that will draw attention to your brand. With an attractive array of pre-made layouts to choose from, Canva makes it easy to do just that. From logos to flyers to educational infographics, there’s an option to help every part of your marketing campaign stand out. And with both free and paid services, they make it accessible for every budget.

Have you wondered where all your Facebook followers have gone?

If you’re a retailer – or just an average user – you may notice that you’re seeing more ads, political content, and puppy pictures than usual. And most important, fewer younger users.

That’s because the graphics-based social media platform Instagram has swooped in and begun dominating social users.

Instagram claims over one billion monthly active users. ONE BILLION. That’s a tough figure to ignore, and it illustrates why so many smart retailers are taking notice.

Instagram’s early days offered a somewhat rudimentary vertical display of pictures. Period. Ultimately its potential grew, and combined with forward-thinking strategizing of its leadership, it now has become a major player in advertising and marketing.
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What drives most of Instagram’s appeal are “influencers,” or celebrities and others who have massive followings. Not willing to mess with the litany of issues that keep making Facebook more of a chore than a pleasure, these high-profile dazzlers maintain captive audiences. Some may be compensated to plug a product, but others are self-financed, and they honestly promote their favorite clothing, cosmetics, household décor, and just about anything they think of.