How to use Social Media to Build Your Online Sales in the New Year
It’s been a wild year, and all of us in the digital marketing world are just as eager as you to put 2020 behind us. Today we’re going to be looking ahead to what we expect will be top social media trends in 2021 and how they can help your business thrive in what could potentially be an equally rocky year.
Advertising on Instagram
Instagram is going to be one of the top social media platforms we’re going to suggest focusing on in 2021. As more and more millennial and Gen-X shoppers slowly drift away from Facebook – Instagram advertising is pretty much essential to the growth of your business in the New Year.
Your social media presence should be focused on stories, quality photos, and keep your ads and posts as “human” as possible. People are using Instagram to escape the structure and harshness of Facebook – stand out with your advertising, but blend in with the positivity and calmness that customers are seeking on the platform.
After several tests, we’ve found that vertical (1080×1920) story ads perform extremely well. Users simply have to swipe up to visit your website, blog, or the exact product you’re trying to sell. I 100% suggest having a dedicated post engagement budget for your Instagram posts as well, even $5 per day on the content you post can net you some new followers, engaged users, and more than likely some sales.
Facebook Ads are here to stay!
Facebook is and probably will be for quite some time the social media marketers bread and butter. With a current user base of approximately 2.7 billion people, it’s hard to not advertise there. With that being said, there are some major things you need to try in 2021 to take your Facebook ads to the next level.
Right off the bat, you need to hook up with a company like Media Caffeine and have third-party data behind your advertising efforts. Third-party data is our way of finding exact targeting for your product or service. This gives us the opportunity to be as granular as possible. Basically, this will take your ads and shove them in the faces of the exact people you’re trying to reach. No more testing, no more trial and error audiences – this is your guarantee to hit the right customers.
So far, we’ve had no indications from Facebook that they will be rolling out any new ad types, so for now, our best suggestion has been and still is to use Collection / Instant Experience ads.
These reach mobile Facebook users with a full-screen immersive and informative ad that reduces accidental clicks and therefore lowers your Facebook advertising bounce rate. If they tap the ad and then tap on what you’re advertising, it’s pretty safe to assume they’re interested in what you have to offer.
The COVID Conundrum
It’s no secret that COVID-19 isn’t going anywhere for the time being, so customers are going to want easier ways to shop. Shop-from-home options are absolutely crucial.
While this isn’t a social media trend per se, it’s definitely a social media tactic that you need to be focusing on as we move into the new year. Being able to easily purchase whatever you’re selling from the comfort of whatever social media platform the customer is using is key.
53% of North American buyers said that the pandemic has changed the way they will shop going forward.
Dayna Winter | Shopify
Home delivery, Free delivery, In-home setup, etc. – these are all ways to capture their attention. Then reminding them that your business is taking every precaution possible to keep them and your employees safe is the one-two punch.
Socially conscious is the new “woke”. Find ways to streamline your sales from social to reduce human interaction and people will flock to your product.
Social Media Platforms to Keep an Eye On
1: TikTok is still steadily growing, with an approximate user-base of around 850 million active users, and it’s a good place to advertise products and services to a younger demographic (21 and under) is our best suggestion.
2: Medium used to just be a place for blogging, but we’re noticing it’s now a great way to quickly and easily index information and images on Google. With the right keywords, alt-tags in images, and enough useful information in your post – it can be a great tool for easy billboarding in Google searches.
3. LinkedIn used to be basically a giant resume website, but now it’s a robust and active social media platform for professionals seeking asylum from the madness that has become Facebook. Setting up LinkedIn ads is as simple as setting up Facebook ads, and can be great for companies seeking B2B connections and lead generation.
Digital marketing should be at the forefront of your marketing strategy in 2021. Customers are glued to their phones, tablets, and computers, and more people are working from home than ever. While consumers are mindlessly scrolling on social media platforms – be at the top of their feed, no matter where they’re scrolling, with the power of Media Caffeine.