4 Ways Using Social Media Can Trigger Customer Buying Decisions

Did you know that 93% of shoppers’ buying decision today is influenced by Social Media? 90% of modern consumers trust peer recommendations, while only 14% said they trust advertisements.

Without a doubt, social media has a huge impact on today’s market. That’s why many business owners are making a shift to incorporate social selling into their marketing strategy.

Here are 4 ways customer buying decisions are triggered through social media:

1. Engaging in Social Conversations.

Most businesses think using social media automatically gives them the power to change or influence the way buyers think. But this is not so. Rather than treating online channels like any other traditional advertising tools, businesses need to learn how use social media the way their target market uses them -which is to connect and engage in conversations.

If you want to generate leads through social media efforts, convert them into customers and increase brand awareness online, you need to learn how to fully engage with your audience and inspire them to promote your product on your behalf.

2. Emotional Targeting.

Emotions govern most of our everyday decisions. Many brands fail to establish an emotional link with prospective customers. Instead, they focus more on product features. It’s important that business owners know how to understand the feelings behind the purchasing decision. The value lies in tapping into the buyer’s emotions.

To help you maximize lead conversion, you can develop a series of content that connect to the sentiments of your audience.

3. Fostering likeability.

Repeated exposure fosters likeability. This means that as your brand becomes more familiar to your prospective customers, they are predisposed to like you especially if they constantly see you delivering good results.

What you want is to get your message in front of a targeted audience at any chance you get. The more they see you, the more they will pay attention, the more you will become familiar to them and ultimately will like you. And we know that likeability is a good thing because we are more inclined to buy from people or brands we know and we like.

4. Establishing Social Proof.

People today like to be well-informed before they make the decision to buy. They go to the internet to research and find the best product that suits their preference - often taking advice from people they don’t even know (as in the case of forums and blogs).

Business owners who have mastered their niche and established a position where they are seen as the expert and source of knowledge are more likely to attract clients and get recommendations both online and offline. More than sharing and creating digital content, you will want to focus on engagement with your audience. When done effectively, your followers are more likely to increase in confidence and act on your advice. And then when they are ready to make the purchase, you want to be the first one they think of.

Social proof is set in motion when your audience starts talking about your product, and sharing their positive experiences to their peers. As a result, your credibility strengthens and you attract more attention from people outside your existing network.

Conclusion:

Social media, as we know, is a very strong influencer in the marketing industry. It can help expand brand awareness, grow customer trust, and ultimately drive sales to your business. The way the e-commerce trends are right now, consumers are more and more likely to base their purchasing decisions on social media reference and consumer-to-consumer interaction.

Business owners should learn the purpose and method for each of these strategies. Maximising their use of social networks will help them guide their audience in taking the right steps toward purchasing their products and services. Here's another article with more details about how to create your own digital marketing strategy.

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To Your Success,

Daniela Killus