How Social Media Influences the Purchasing Decisions

Why do we buy? Paco Underhill has answered this question in great details in his masterpiece ‘Why We Buy?”. But the shopping demographics have changed since the book was published. Online stores have emerged as the new shopping destination and cornering a huge chunk of business. However, the psychology of shopping hasn’t changed over the years. The factors that motivate a person to buy in a mall are almost the same as the ones in an online store. Online retailers use various psychological tools that influence your buying behavior in a subtle manner, including social media behavior.

The dynamics of social media behavior

We spend a considerable amount of time on social media sites. These sites engage us in different ways and allow us to navigate in a fluidic manner. At one moment you are looking at your friends profile and suddenly in the next you are reading reviews of a resort that your friend visited. Smart companies employ this extensive flow of information to their benefit by furnishing information on social sites at the right moment and the right place. Let us look at a few ways in which you can motivate your customers to make a purchasing decision by analyzing their social media behavior.

All roads lead to the store

Whooping 91% of customers go to a store after an online interaction. They generally like to read the reviews and experiences of other customers before buying a product. You can create inroads into the minds of customers by offering them useful information about your products. But this will require an effort on your part as your social media page should be updated on a regular basis.

Reviews count

Customers generally like to research extensively about your products before making a purchase decision. Almost 60% customers read about online reviews before buying a product. Many people consider online reviews to be as important as personal recommendations. Companies that pay attention to what their customers are saying on social sites will fare well here. It is also a good idea to get experts to write a review about your product.

Have a voice on social media

It is no longer enough just to have a social media page of your company. Your customers want to communicate with you and hear your voice. Managing the quality of your social media content can create a positive impression on your clients and also influence their purchasing decisions. The focus should be on publishing fresh and creative content that connects with your customers. Interactive blogs and well written product descriptions will help you to connect with your clients at a different level.

Smart analytics at work

You won’t go far in social media marketing unless you are good at analyzing data. There is a lot of data available on social media sites that can be mined intelligently to throw up exciting details. Smart companies invest a lot of effort in analytics and employ tools like converting text to numbers. They spend a lot of time analyzing user comments and try to identify a trend. Analytics will lend you deep insights into the world of social media and throw up numbers that you thought never existed.

An intelligent approach towards social media marketing will enable you to create deeper inroads into the mind of your customers. Smart analytics along with creative content will pay you rich dividends here. But, it is a sustained effort and don’t expect results overnight. A diligent approach will help you to create a good impression on your clients. You will surely have something to write home about!