Harness the potential of social media for business with branded content

Branded content is helping to fuel the growth of social media for business, especially when it comes to shopping activity.

Writing for Clickz.com, interactive media expert Heidi Cohen has mapped out how social media complements consumer needs for different types of content right along the shopping process.

With its multi-format content and connected consumers willing to share feedback and reviews, social media is an important part of the initial research phase. Even though consumers will ask around their social network for advice, it is vital to offer information about your products and company online.

The next stage sees consumers drilling down into specifics and finalising their decisions. They’re still likely to turn to their online peers at this point. Offering detailed product images and customer reviews, as Banana Republic does, will strengthen your position.

At the next step a prospect becomes a customer – but only if they purchase your product. Supplying content which covers delivery, shipping costs, directions, and best prices can help seal the deal. Increasing numbers of people are actually purchasing via social networks, so it’s worth considering setting up a fully functioning Facebook store, as 1-800-Flowers.com has done to great success.

The potential to offer valuable content through social media continues long after a sale is made and can turn a one-time customer into a return shopper, or even a brand advocate. The fourth stage is all about support and enhancing product use. Harness blogs and video content, as did cosmetics brand MAC with its popular YouTube make-up tutorials. Brands can also offer consumers a platform on which to share advice and tips, such as Dell’s community support forum.

The fifth and final phase is advocacy. By creating forums encouraging users to exchange ideas about how they use your products, brands provide a space in which to transform shoppers into fans. Oreo’s Facebook page is one such example, inviting Oreo fans to post photos of themselves enjoying the product, and changing the photo weekly to drive engagement.