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One phrase that we’ve seen being discussed more and more is the concept of ‘social eCommerce’. For FMCG brands with a strong social following it seems the obvious choice. Why wait for your customer to visit your online store when you can enable a quick link to purchase right off the back of a Facebook post? It seems too good to be true right?

Well actually, social eCommerce could go horribly wrong if not done right. Whilst building a Facebook shopfront isn’t rocket science, knowing when and where to seed a call to action to buy via social media needs careful consideration.

Nothing sums this up better than the quote in Social Media Today “Consumers aren’t waking up early in the morning thinking “what Facebook pages will I go LIKE today” or “what business Facebook pages will I go visit and see what they want to sell me.”  Brands who want to be successful and drive revenue from social need to bear this in mind at all times.

Social networks are successful because of this fact. Consumers are in the driving seat, consumers are dictating where, when and how they interact with brands  - the last thing they want is to have their Facebook newsfeed clogged up with links to money off coupons of ‘click here to buy now’ calls to action.

Digital and social media has empowered consumers to be savvier about their purchases. They buy based on peer recommendation rather than a TV or print advert. They research and inform their purchase decision via online channels and they choose products based on personal preferences and not a one size fits all advertising message.

To achieve success businesses need to stop prioritising the ‘sell’ over all other activity. Whilst they need to decide whether their objective is to 'sell' or win 'likes' they should move away from the mindset that every Facebook 'like' is a potential purchase. Instead, by thinking of ‘what value can I offer our customers and fans’ before anything else, the opportunity to sell will come naturally.

Social Media Today has devised a top 15 recommendations for brands. We strongly recommend you give it a read here.