Unlock Success by Selling Products on Social Media

According to Forbes, social commerce is projected to hit a $1.2 trillion market value in 2025, a massive number that proves the power of selling products and services on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Thanks to their huge audience reach, interactive features, and appealing mobile-first shopping experiences, these platforms have become important tools for creators and businesses of all sizes!

So let’s dig into how to effectively sell products to your followers on social media. We’ll explore choosing the best social media platforms for you and your content, whether you choose TikTok Shops, Instagram Shopping, Twitter, Facebook Shops, or Twitter (X) Shopping. And we'll look at creating engaging posts, running paid ads, and how to use Fourthwall to seamlessly integrate your social media store into a top tier ecommerce strategy toward your target audience. Read on and unlock the full potential of selling on social media!

Why Social Media is Your Essential Selling Tool

Social media in recent years, giving content creators, musicians, artists, influencers, and businesses access to billions of viewers around the world. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram showcase engaging, short form content alongside shoppable posts, which makes them ideal for showcasing merch and driving sales. 

The unique algorithms of social media platforms also offer reach that’s difficult to find through other marketing channels; these platforms both connect you to your target audience, and also offer tools that make selling a snap, like TikTok Shop and Instagram Shopping.

Think of the beauty brands you often see on Instagram and TikTok - they’ve effectively used those platforms’ shoppable features to get sales directly from their posts. Social media is now an assumed part of any social selling strategy, and by leveraging your favorite social platforms, you can reach new audiences, engage them with your content, and increase your sales.

Creating Your Multi-Platform Social Selling Strategy

Maximize your exposure by taking a multi-platform approach to social selling! Posting your products and services on not just one, but multiple social media platforms let you reach out to different types of audiences for different types of products, or to try different sales/content approaches. The best platform for you will depend on your brand, products, vibe, and target audience.

• Instagram and TikTok: Both platforms are perfect for highly visual products like fashion, beauty, art, and home decor, and skew to a younger audience (Millennial/Gen Z.) Features like Instagram Shopping and TikTok shop allow for direct in-app purchases (once you meet each platform’s requirements), and there’s so much room for creativity on both TikTok and Instagram, which can really make your posts and products stand out. Posting high-quality images and participating in TikTok trends and trending challenges can really increase the visibility of your products and your brand and expand your audience. Both TikTok and Insta are also excellent for creative products like music, art, and film/video.

Stylish product posts are a hallmark of Instagram, like this fashion layout from StylesBySann.

• Facebook: Facebook Shops are great for increasing community engagement and selling products, especially to Gen X and Millennial users. Facebook Shops, which also tie in with Instagram via Meta, offer detailed targeting options for paid ads, plus the ability to integrate your own Facebook Shops' customizable Facebook storefront for seamless transactions.

Facebook Shops are great for Gen X sales, while their Meta cohort, Instagram, appeals more to the Millennial and Gen Z markets.

• Twitter (X):Twitter Shopping allows businesses to engage in real-time conversations and participate in trending topics on the site via short text posts. Twitter's direct messaging can also be used to coordinate collaborations or brand deals, and Twitter (X) Shopping lets you showcase your merchandise to your followers. By interacting with followers on Twitter, businesses can create buzz around their products, find influencers to help promote their brands, and increase overall brand awareness. 
  

Stop-motion animator Kevin Parry sells his animation courses on Twitter (X), and also showcases links to essential gear you can buy.

• LinkedIn: You might not immediately think of linked in as a potential social media sales outlet, but LinkedIn is actually an great platform for businesses targeting other businesses. With its professional audience, LinkedIn is a prime platform for sharing industry insights, offering B2B (business to business) services, and running targeted ads aimed at company/corporate decision-makers.

LinkedIn is perhaps the most unexpected platform on our list, but is great for selling specialized services to fellow professionals.

Setting Up Your Social Media Business Account

To really get the most out of selling on most social media platforms, you’ll need to set up business accounts so you can access their advanced tools to improve your sales strategy. The majority of social networks handle business accounts in similar ways, so here are some general steps you can take to get started with social selling, to get those sales rolling in!

1. Download the Apps and Sign Up 

The first step is to download the apps of your choice, whether Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter, and create an account. Take some time when choosing your username - the name of yourself, your brand, or your business are generally your best bets, but if those aren’t available, at least make sure your username reflects your brand and product niche. A recognizable, relevant username will make it easier for your audience to find you.

2. Switch to a Business Account

Once your account is set up on each platform, switch to a business profile. This generally unlocks critical features like analytics and shopping options - for instance TikTok Shop or Instagram Shopping. Business accounts are also really valuable, as they’ll provide you with plenty of extra insights into your audience’s behavior and engagement, helping you tailor your content to get more eyes on your posts and drive more sales.

3. Make Your Profiles Dazzle!

Introduce yourself to your new potential audiences by writing engaging social media profile bios that tell them what you, your brand, or your business are all about. Adding branded visuals, like a profile photo that aligns with your brand identity and a professional logo, will help make you stand out on socials like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok; taking that same approach to your posts will help draw in viewers who enjoy the creative ways you present yourself and your products.

4. Leverage Social Commerce Tools

Social commerce tools like Instagram Shopping, Facebook Shops, and TikTok Shop set the stage for you to sell products more easily directly through social media. You’ll usually start by creating your product catalog through a tool like Facebook or Instagram’s Commerce Manager, so you can link your products directly to your posts, letting customers browse and purchase while still on the platform. Tagging your products, for instance in Insta or TikTok posts, also lets users purchase right within the social platform. Keeping a well organized shop featuring product collections, clear product descriptions, and posts with high quality images will keep your buyers coming back!

Effective Strategies for Content That Drives Sales

Want to sell more? Create truly engaging content! The quality of your social media content really is crucial to social selling success. Here are some great content strategies that can help you connect with your audience and showcase your products and brand:

• Behind the Scenes Content: Show your audience how your merchandise is made. Show off your creation or shipping processes, share your excitement about a new shoppable product, or give them a walkthrough of your company’s daily operations. This builds authenticity and trust, and also makes for entertaining posts.
  
  
• Product Demos: Create short, snappy videos that highlight your product’s features and benefits to increase brand awareness; you can also bring in influencers to showcase your products being worn or used. These videos help potential customers see the value of your product in action, and can make them want to buy one too!
   
• Trends and Challenges: Taking part in viral challenges and trends, especially on TikTok, is an excellent way to take advantage of a topic that already has a lot of eyes looking for it, and can expand your follower reach. Stay current on trending hashtags and challenges to keep your content relevant, and don’t shy away from having fun with these posts - enthusiasm is catchy!
  
  
• User Generated Content (UGC): Encourage your customers to post reviews, photos, or videos of themselves using your product, and then repost them with a note of thanks or a positive comment. Reposting UGC not only builds trust but also generates social proof (where people make decisions based on the actions of others), encouraging other viewers to buy your merchandise.
  
  
• Educational Content: If it’s relevant, promote products by posting how-to guides, tips, and tricks related to your products. Educational content provides immediate value to your audience while also promoting your products, and can be especially effective on platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook.

Running Lucrative Paid Ads on Social Media

And finally, paid ads are another excellent way to boost brand awareness and drive sales on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Here’s how to get the most out of your advertising budget: 

• Define Your Ad Campaign Goals: Set clear ad objectives, such as increasing brand awareness, generating leads, gaining followers, or driving direct sales from those ads.
  
  
• Target Your Audience: Use targeting analytics to help narrow down your desired audience for ads based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. For example, Instagram and Facebook ads allow you to target users who have previously interacted with your content, or who have shown interest in products similar to yours.
  
  
• Try A/B Testing: Whether you're using TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, experiment with different ad formats, like carousel ads, video ads, photo posts, and story ads, and use A/B testing to narrow in on which ads work best, which drive sales, and ultimately which are the most effective format of ads for your particular brand.
  
  
• Utilize Your Metrics: Track ad metrics like engagement rates, sales conversions, and traffic generated from social media posts. Use each platform’s analytics tools to measure audience behavior, and then adjust your ads and your posting and sales strategy based on what kind of ads are working best.

Maximize Your Social Media Sales with Fourthwall!

By creating a social selling strategy that spans multiple platforms, creators, brands, and businesses can reach their target audiences across different demographics and viewing styles, which increases engagement and the likelihood of driving sales for more revenue.

To truly maximize your social media sales, consider integrating your store with the multifaceted ecommerce platform Fourthwall! With Fourthwall, you can customize your own Fourthwall storefront to suit your brand’s needs, integrate your merch and other products with social media, and access Fourthwall’s built-in analytics. 

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Fourthwall simplifies all of these processes, from product creation and management to sales tracking and customer care, making it easier to scale your business. Whether you’re selling through TikTok Shop, Instagram Shopping, Facebook Shops, or elsewhere online, Fourthwall can help you grow your audience, build long-term brand loyalty, streamline your merchandise management, and drive sales. Set up your account on Fourthwall today, connect your social media platforms, and watch your brand grow!