A step-by-step guide to Shop-able Posts on Social Media

1. Shop-able Posts
on Social Media
A step-by-step guide
to Shop-able Posts on Social Media
www.nupurandworld
@NUPURANDWORLD

2. In today’s digital age, content is increasingly being viewed as a
primary factor behind purchasing decisions in e-commerce.
The reason behind this phenomenon points out that people don’t
want to buy goods and services instead, they want to buy relations,
stories, and magic.
And the marketers of the 21st century are choosing to plant magic
into content, deftly cultivating it to produce a new ‘crop’ of customers.
But when it comes to content and e-commerce, it appears that these
two have previously existed quite separately from one another.
Yes, there were stories accompanying products even before ‘content
marketing’ became a trend, but the truth is, those stories were never
fully integrated with the shopping process. And vice versa products
were never fully integrated into the storytelling process, either.

3. In simple terms, shoppable content is any type of
content (i.e. videos, articles, images, etc.) that provides
a direct purchasing opportunity and allows consumers
to either add products to their cart directly from what
they are viewing or be taken to a product page and
continue to shop from there.
The key idea of shoppable content is to satisfy the
immediate purchasing desire that content creates in
the heart of the readers.
Traditional content formats aren’t capable of satisfying
whimsical desires.
That’s a great example of how, from a reader’s
perspective, content can be disappointing rather than
fulfilling — and, from a commercial perspective, miss
the sales goals entirely.
What is shoppable content?

4. Even in digital magazines or blogs, the journey from content to commerce
could take a long while: the reader still has to go through several steps to buy
a product that he or she is interested in.
But if the content becomes instantly shoppable, i.e. if the buying funnel is
simplified, the “shopping queue” simply ceases to exist. All it takes is for the
customer to click, add the product to a shopping cart, and keep reading the
article.
But, let’s delve into this a bit further. The thing is, content marketing is no
longer about pure content. As before, people do want to get additional value
out of it (i.e. education, emotion, etc.), but now, they also want to be
entertained before making a purchasing commitment.
Therefore, content becomes more interactive than it was ever before. That’s
why gifs are so damn popular, why videos are taking over the content world,
and why content itself is rapidly becoming shoppable.
91% of buyers prefer interactive, visual content that can be accessed on-
demand.
Moreover, people expect the editors, publishers, and bloggers to tell them
where to buy what they just read about on their websites so there’s nothing
wrong with crossing the line between content and commerce, so long as it
adds utility to the reader.
This is exactly when the question of integrity and transparency of your
content starts to matter more than it ever did before. Shoppable content has
created a democratic, open marketplace, so staying true to yourself and
being honest with your readers is essential.

5. Some brands are even taking a
step further and creating
interactive shoppable videos —
like Marks and Spencer, the
famous British department
store. To debut their new
denim collection, they created
a video that allowed viewers to
click on the screen and
purchase immediately.
The types of shoppable content
Although shoppable content is quite a new trend, you
can see it pretty much everywhere in the e-commerce
industry. Take Net-A-Porter, for instance. It’s a huge
luxury fashion e-tailer that was the first one to
embrace content marketing as such. Not that long
ago, they created two digital editorials called The
Edit, for women, and The Journal, for men. They look
like any other online magazine, with the exception
that all fashion pieces featured are directly shoppable.
So, with one click, the reader gets redirected to the
relevant product page.
Another approach, perhaps a slightly more elegant
one, is to integrate the shoppability feature so
seamlessly that it doesn’t interrupt the reading
experience. People can keep engaging themselves in
content, adding pieces to the shopping cart, and go
on reading, able to get to the end of the story. So if
the click is based on whimsical inspiration, the
remaining part of the content provides a final
incentive to go through with the purchase at the end.

6. A magazine is a periodical publication, which can either
be printed or published electronically. It is issued
regularly, usually every week or every month, and it
contains a variety of content.
Benefits of Shoppable Social Media
Instagram posts that allowed consumers to purchase
featured items directly from the Instagram app. Called
shoppable posts, they boasted product tags that, when
clicked, allowed consumers to buy the product without
leaving Instagram.
Shoppable social media is still associated primarily with
Instagram. However, the concept has spread elsewhere
in the social media world as well. Facebook, for example,
allows for some shoppable tags to be added to posts on
its site.

7. Shoppable posts reduce the steps needed for a
conversion.
The ultimate goal of all digital marketing, of course, is the
conversion. You raise brand awareness so people buy
from you. You establish thought leadership in your field
so people come to you for answers. You advertise your
products and services in the hopes that people will be
enticed to buy those products and services.
Shoppable posts make it easier than ever for businesses
to earn those conversions by simplifying the buying
process. Instead of needing to leave Instagram (or
Facebook) to look up your brand, or buy your products,
consumers simply have to click on the post or the tag.
From there, they can make their purchase and go right
back to enjoying their social media.
This streamlined approach reduces the time needed
between thinking about a product and acting on that
impulse. With less time to be distracted, consumers are
more likely to go ahead and take advantage of your
awesome products and services.

8. Shoppable social media allows you to use stories to sell.
Stories are powerful marketing tools. A narrative taps into one of
the most deep-seated and natural ways our brains have of
engaging with and remembering information. Storytelling allows
listeners to remember up to 22 percent more than they would have
remembered if they had been presented only with facts.
Shoppable social media is the perfect environment for storytelling.
Instagram, for example, is set up to encourage the creation of
image-based stories. Facebook is also largely driven by images and
narratives.
In these story-based environments, businesses can link their
products and services to a story. They can tell the story of their
brand. They can visually set their products and services in context.
They can engage and enthrall their audiences.
Then, they can sell. When consumers encounter their products and
services in the midst of a narrative, they are far more likely to
remember those products and services. They are also more likely to
engage with those products and services since they are already
engaged with the brand and its narrative. Within this environment,
your digital marketing becomes more powerful and more
productive than ever.

9. Shoppable social media reaches people who are ready to
shop.
You might not immediately think of someone browsing social
media as someone who is ready to make a purchase. However,
those on Instagram, at least, are often looking for things to buy. In
fact, 75 percent of people on Instagram act on advertisements they
see on the social media platform.
Your business can take advantage of this purchase readiness by
creating shoppable Instagram (and Facebook) posts. When you
create these posts, you give your consumers a place to go to find
and purchase the products and services they need.
If consumers find what they need on your shoppable posts often
enough, they may begin to check out your social media first, before
looking elsewhere for what they need. With carefully chosen
images and products, you can build a following that enjoys and
takes advantage of your specific brand offerings.

10. Shoppable posts allow businesses to gather more data.
Data drives many digital marketing decisions. The more data you have
as a business, the better marketing choices you can make. Shoppable
posts benefit businesses because they provide another source of
information regarding those companies' target audiences.
You can then use the data you gather to create an even better social
media post. For example, if you find that certain products are most
popular, you can create more shoppable social media posts about those
types of items. Over time, you can create a social media presence that is
focused on the images and products that speak most powerfully to your
audiences.
You can also use the data you gather to inform your other digital
marketing efforts. For example, if you find that people from one
geographic area are purchasing a certain item frequently, you might
consider increasing your marketing in that city or town.
Shoppable social media posts can become an important part of your
digital marketing campaign. They reduce the number of steps
consumers need to take to convert. They use stories to help you sell
your products. They reach people who are ready to shop. They allow
you to gather more data.