Matt Dornfeld, Senior Director of Growth at Feedonomics discusses why brands must establish an omnichannel presence across the most relevant platforms for their business, especially in the face of the uncertainty of the future for TikTok in the US.
With TikTok’s future in the US hanging in the balance, brands must continue to look at a range of platforms to ensure a cohesive social commerce strategy. The evolving digital landscape, and increasing consumer preference for seamless, interactive experiences continue to be clear indicators of the need to adopt an omnichannel strategy.
Social platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat and YouTube all have credentials as major growth channels, with the potential for further expansion as they roll out new features that leverage alternative video formats.
Although TikTok has undeniably led the social commerce charge with almost 50% of social shoppers buying something from the platform at least once per month — more frequently than on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest — the unreliable and shifting nature of trends, algorithms and regulations means brands need to expand their horizons and ensure they aren’t overly reliant on one channel.
Why an omnichannel strategy is essential for success
Brands should establish an omnichannel presence across the most relevant platforms for their business, ensuring they seamlessly meet customers where they are. This approach not only drives sales but also fosters long-term customer loyalty. By engaging customers across multiple touchpoints — including physical stores, websites, mobile apps, and social commerce platforms — brands can deliver a consistent experience that minimises risk, maximises growth opportunities and strengthens those relationships.
Treating all channels as part of a unified experience allows brands to maintain consistent messaging, branding, and personalisation. Furthermore, different channels may be better suited to specific product categories, meaning there will always be some level of adjustment required between platforms. The current situation with TikTok is a wake-up call for marketing and ecommerce teams, reinforcing the need to continuously consider and plan where and how they engage with their audience.
The influence of creators on a brands’ audience
A key factor that impacts where audiences go is the creators they follow, and which platforms they use. For creators, the shift from TikTok to other social platforms will be a material transition. It will be important to closely follow how influencers adapt to other platforms — with their engagement becoming more and more valuable to brands and how they communicate value.
Additionally, brands must ensure that creators they work with tailor their marketing approach for each channel, including content that’s available in different formats and dimensions to accommodate different algorithms. It will be crucial for businesses to monitor how creators engage with brands and audiences across various platforms to maintain strong engagement as well, as this intel will enable an informed and connected omnichannel strategy that maximises reach and impact.
Alternative social channels and their benefits
Social commerce channels including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Youtube enable users to seamlessly transition from enjoying their favourite content to making a purchase — all within the same platform. But how do they differ, and which benefits do they uniquely provide?
With Facebook having a central focus on community engagement, and discussions, users can stay connected through having a large network and being able to participate in a variety of groups. Brands using Facebook should focus on creating a range of content like promotional updates, stories, and live events to build stronger connections with their audience. Tools such as Facebook Shop also enable brands to tag products in photos, videos, and stories, making it easy for users to discover and purchase products.
Instagram, as a highly visual platform, is centred around an aspirational, lifestyle-focused culture. Therefore, it is perfect for posting lifestyle images and videos, product highlights, and behind-the-scenes content. Instagram allows brands to tag products posts, stories, and reels — these features enable users to click on the tags for product details and purchases directly within the app. By using Instagram reels, brands can create short, 15- to 90-second videos that can reach a wider audience through the dedicated reels feed, using these as promotional tools to boost social sales.
Snapchat
As we know, Snapchat is a more personal platform, known for its time-limited posts and playful lenses and filters. The platform also uniquely enables subscription gifting amongst friends and close connections. With this in mind, brands should leverage the nature of Snapchat content to create a sense of urgency and lean into less polished and more spontaneous content. With Snapchat Stores, a brand’s audience can seamlessly discover, browse, and shop for products directly from their profile.
YouTube
YouTube, like Instagram, is a highly visual platform, but it stands out for its longer-form video content. While YouTube Shorts cater to short-form engagement, the platform overall supports more in-depth videos. The YouTube Shopping feature integrates products directly into video content, leveraging creators from the YouTube network or those brought in by the brand.
The ‘ideal’ omnichannel future
The time is now for brands to create and invest in an omnichannel presence to ensure they don’t get left behind. By deploying a commerce strategy that’s well-balanced across multiple major social platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube— brands can create a powerful and engaging experience for target audiences which will ultimately set themselves up for long-term success.
Additionally, by creating creator-driven, personalised content, brands can remain competitive and relevant to their target audience, enabling them to capitalise on new revenue opportunities as they emerge in real-time.
