Using Social Media to Increase Your Product’s Desirability

The impact of social media on our lifestyle decisions, preferences, tastes, opinions and buying choices cannot be overestimated. Social media sites are where we observe the behavior of those we want to be like, or those we want to like us, and we tailor our own online behavior and image accordingly.

By using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others, we can see what our friends like, what they’re participating in, and what they’re choosing to talk about. However, these sites aren’t just about following our friends. We also follow professionals in fields we work in or aspire to work in, celebrities, pundits and bloggers, and a wide range of opinion formers and tastemakers. Increasingly, we also use social media to follow and discover actual brands.

Standing out

Brands and businesses are very much aware of how the various social media platforms can be used to promote different aspects of their product lines, and to make them desirable in different ways to different communities. Brands such as Viabrance (see Viabrance on Instagram) maintain a strong social media presence in order to communicate the right message about their product and enhance its desirability. But how exactly do these brands manage to stand out from the crowd, and establish themselves as industry leaders?

Courting influence

One well-established way of getting ahead of the competition is to associate your brand with a popular influencer on social media. They might be a blogger with a large following, an expert in the same field as your product, or a high-profile user of products like yours whose endorsement will really count for something.

This is different from run-of-the-mill celebrity endorsements, because people know that your influencer is knowledgeable and informed about products like yours. They wouldn’t risk their own reputation by simply endorsing a product for money. They’d have to be genuinely impressed to put their name to it, and if people realize this, then of course that influencer’s endorsement is worth so much more.

Collaborate

One way to work with an influencer is through collaboration. Ask them to write something for you, or invite them to design some limited edition packaging for your product. This will create a buzz that should hopefully be beneficial to both parties. Ideally, both your brand and the influencer should gain something from the collaboration, and the public gets to experience the excitement of seeing two of their social media favorites coming together organically.

Work with your customers

You can also use social media to collaborate directly with your customers, either through conversations and surveys online, or through competitions that allow them to send in their ideas, suggestions and designs. This approach has multiple benefits. Firstly, you’re making a meaningful connection with your customers, by making them feel a part of your brand. The more they identify with you, the more loyal they’ll be in their purchasing habits.

Secondly, you’re soliciting free content that you can use. Ideas suggested by the public can often be extremely perceptive and useful, and the fact that they’ve come from customers can be used as a publicity point. Thirdly, you’re doing valuable market research. What your customers tell you all helps you to refine your product and your marketing to better satisfy their wants and needs. You can include further questions in any entry form – as long as you don’t make it too off-putting.

Don’t forget to get the email address of everyone who gets in touch so that you can add them to your direct marketing list. This provides you with yet another invaluable means of communication and promotion.

Tell a story

The oldest form of social media was the storytelling session around the hearth or campfire, and even in the age of Facebook and Twitter, we all still love to hear a good story. Setting up a narrative tale that associates your product with a positive adventure is a great way to hook people in to following you. If your product is outdoor fitness wear, for example, then you might want to send a party out on a wilderness expedition, using your products, which you document and follow on social media. If this is all done for a charity or appropriate cause, then it’s all the better.

Creating desirability on social media is all about getting people’s attention and making them feel that if they’re not buying your product, then they’re missing out. Do something different. Be authentic to your brand values. Create connections and promote a way of life, not just a product. Soon, you’ll have a community of followers eager to be a part of your brand’s story.