Can Social Media affect Purchasing Decisions?

23rd Jun 2017 Posted By Faheem Ahmed

In this era of Digital Marketing, Social Media is an important factor which largely affects purchasing decisions.

Social Media enables customer engagement by allowing them to like and follow various brands on Facebook, Instagram and other Social Media platforms. This certainly makes it easier for brands to directly target the prospects and influence their purchasing decisions.

Social Media bridges the gap between the brands and the consumers. It brings the prospects close to the product, creates avenues to assure them about the product’s quality and repeatedly alerts them about product launches, seasonal sales, etc.

How can a brand use Social Media to influence Consumers’ Purchasing Behaviour?

  • Strong presence on all Social Media platforms

The consumers today, want to connect with brands and hear from them directly. A brand’s credibility weighs heavily on its social Media presence as it is the most direct way to communicate and address issues. A brand which is dormant on social Media can easily be forgotten!

Moreover, it is easier for the brands to identify their targets and convey messages. Social Media is strongly based on visual content and by posting images a brand can immediately grab the attention of its target market since a picture is truly worth a thousand words on Social Media.

  • Social Media Advertising

Advertising plays a major role in all the stages before the final purchasing decision. The advertisements on Social Media enable brand discovery and Brand Awareness. Retargeting or Remarketing is an effective tool to drive sales, which constantly reminds those who have visited the website and viewed a product but left without making a purchase. It alerts them about price drops, if the product is back in stock and establishes the brand’s presence constantly.

  • Social Media Influencers

Brands approach social Influencers like Bloggers, Celebrities and YouTubers to promote their products on their channels and also for collaborations. These social Influencers usually have a huge following and their opinions or reviews can have a huge effect on buying decisions. Also popular studies show that consumers trust Social Influencers more than the brand itself. This can also be associated with the bandwagon effect where consumers are influenced to do something because someone else is doing it, especially if it trends on Social Media!

  • Peer discussions

By creating contests/ challenges, hosting giveaways and asking for opinions and reviews, brands can create a platform for peer discussion, which is the new age word-of-mouth marketing. It helps many prospects discover your brand through peers and also influences buying decisions of those who read reviews by other people who are most likely like themselves. These discussions cannot be sponsored by the brand (only encouraged), so the comments and reviews are generally deemed trustworthy.

Curious to know more about Social Media Marketing for your brand? We, at BYT, offer Social Media Marketing solutions catering to the needs of every client. Contact us to strengthen your Social Media strategy, positively influence the purchasing decisions of your target consumers and get trending!