Social Media News June 2020

June 19, 2020

Generic vs. Emotional communication on social media

“Feelings become more important in the market than anything else…” wrote Sascha Lobo. This quote forms the basis for communication and marketing on social media. According to Jan Firsching from future biz, feelings, personal attitude and resulting connections are more important than ever. People only feel connected to brands or products when they get a good and right feeling. That’s why rational purchase decisions are often replaced by emotional decisions. Unfortunately, social media is rarely trying to awaken those feelings.

The rational and objective benefits of a product are the basis. Often that’s not enough to connect people to a brand in the long term. The result: brand loyalty decreases.

Another problem is that corporate claims get exchangeable. That’s why it is so important for brands to know their target groups and to choose specific claims.

Also, users want credibility and authenticity. As a brand or company, you should ask yourself: How credible and authentic do brands appear on Facebook, Instagram and Co.? How authentic are their messages and campaigns?

Social media makes brands more transparent. Influencers are criticized for not being authentic. Same with brands and communication on social networks. So, for brands, it’s important to listen, analyze, understand and react.

 

Introducing Facebook Shops

Social Commerce is getting more and more important for brands and companies. Of course, Facebook knows that and is already doing it on Instagram. Especially during the corona crisis, Facebook wants to support smaller companies that don’t have an online shop. Therefore, they developed a new feature – Facebook Shops. According to Philipp Roth from Allfacebook.de, the configuration of a shop is easy, customizable and free of charge. Companies can select the products they want to offer from their catalog and customize their shop with a cover image and a color scheme that presents their brand. Users can find shops via the Facebook or Instagram channel of a company or via stories and ads. It’s possible to search for products, save them and purchase them via the company’s website. Users can contact the stores on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or Instagram Direct to ask for help or to track orders. In the future, it will also be possible to view a shop directly in a conversation on WhatsApp, Messenger or Instagram Direct and to place orders there.

 

Facebook is also working on some more features that can be connected to Facebook Shops:

  • Live Shopping

Showing products in stories or posts is no problem. What’s new is to present products in a live stream. Brands who created a shop can select some products that can be highlighted in there. The viewers can look at the products without leaving the stream. Live Shopping is available on Facebook for all companies. It is being tested on Instagram with companies from the US.

  • Loyalty programs

Facebook is also testing ways to connect corporate loyalty programs to your own Facebook account. Besides, they are trying to help small companies by creating a loyalty program within Facebook Shops.

  • Cooperations

Facebook is cooperating with partners like Shopify, BigCommerce, Cafe24, etc. to support smaller companies. These partners provide tools that help companies with the establishment and management of a business. They are also helping with the set-up of Facebook Shops.

 

Introducing Instagram Guides

 Not only Facebook but also Instagram is staying active in times of crisis. The platform has launched a new feature called Instagram Guides. According to lookfamed, one of the most basic functions of Instagram is an inspiration. The creative platform serves to be motivated and inspired by other users. With the help of the guides, influencers are connecting with experts from organizations to share resources and tips with interested parties. Instagram Guides informs the users about topics that are linked to personal well-being and education.

The exciting thing about the new feature is that they consist of published Instagram posts and are provided with additional information. The result is a kind of a landing page that can be accessed via the profile. That means guides are an Instagram feed from a particular account on a particular topic. The content can also be shared via stories.

The new function is supposed to be for organizations and creators. As mentioned, the content serves to support and educate, it has nothing to do with marketing at the moment. For influencers, this new feature offers the opportunity to present products from partnerships in a completely new way.

 

AUTHOR
Johanna Leffers