How Social Media Influences CPG Purchasing Decisions

Sales is essential for most consumer packaged good (CPG) brands. Although there may be other goals, such as awareness and brand loyalty, the primary goal for many companies is to move inventory. To increase sales in 2023, consider using social media marketing, which can be advantageous to brands.

Social media marketing is useful for brands in almost any vertical, particularly food, beverage, household goods, clothing, self-care, and makeup. It can help increase interest, engagement, and ultimately, purchases.

The following statistics illustrate the importance of incorporating social media marketing into your advertising strategy:

- In the United States, 72% of online shoppers have utilised social media to discover new products, with 36% making a purchase on the platform.

- By 2025, social shopping is on track to become a $1.2 trillion industry.

- When asked about the best channels for brands to connect with them, consumers typically reply that social media is their top choice.

- Ninety-one percent of people believe in social media's power to connect people, and 64% indicated that they'd like to connect with brands.

- Forty-nine percent of consumers stated that they found what they were looking for on a targeted social media ad, and 40% discovered a product through an organic post when looking for a product.

Best Practices for Customer Engagement

Social media marketing revolves around connecting with your customers. Here are some best practices to help your brand engage with and effectively capture the attention and preferences of your target audience:

- Make contact with your consumers. – Reaching your target market is critical, and it starts with providing valuable content that resonates with your audience. Refrain from pushing your products and promotions in every post. Instead, provide your audience with valuable content, such as a makeup tutorial or a recipe incorporating one of your products, cleaning schedule tips, or travel packing ideas.

- Create a community – Your brand can facilitate connecting individuals through social media. By nurturing a community of brand enthusiasts on your social channels, you can connect with people who are interested in what you have to offer. Consider sharing their content or engaging with them as social influencers.

- Display your product – Highlight your product in different ways that demonstrate how it solves significant pain points that your target group experiences. Your audience could benefit from product highlight content, showcasing how the product works via tutorials, how to solve problems using it, troubleshooting tips, recipes, and other forms of content that showcase your product without hard selling.

- Pay attention to your customers – Social media allows two-way communication with customers. Listen to their feedback and respond when appropriate. Consider this an extension of your customer service efforts, particularly if there is a customer complaint that requires addressing.

To increase engagement on social media, it is important to tailor your posts to each platform's unique environment and features. Rather than posting the same content across all your channels, invest time in modifying strategic messages for your brand's specific channels. Additionally, consider developing a pillar content piece that you can tailor for individual platforms. For CPG brands looking to motivate purchases through social media, establishing a strong presence now can lead to future success as social shopping continues to grow. Focus on nurturing an online community, gaining followers, and tapping into swipe-up-to-buy behaviour to drive sales.