For small and medium sized enterprises, being on social media is a must in the modern world of business. Almost every successful organization has a strong social media presence; acting as a shop window for the rest of the online world, engaging with fans, customers, and other companies, making connections, developing a network, and building a brand.
But corporate social media isn’t just about likes, clicks, and brand-building. Social media channels, when used correctly, are incredibly effective parts of the sales funnel as well. A good social media presence is a great way to make more sales, and should be an integral part of any business’s sales strategy.
So what do you need to know to turn your social channels into true sales and marketing channels? What are the best ways to amplify your social strategy and pivot from awareness-raising and engagement to converting customers? How do you switch from talking about the best ways of discovering New York on a cruise, for example, to actually generating ticket reservations and sales?
This post will go over 15 key aspects of social media sales strategy, and will give you the tools to use your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc to boost revenue, both direct and indirect.
1. Use the channels your audience uses
Being where the audience you want to sell to is one of the most important parts of selling on social media. You can’t just start marketing on the first platform that comes to mind and expect to find the customers you want. You need to start off by working out your client demographics, then applying this data to social media channel research. Once you are on the right site, you’ll have direct access to your target demographics, and you won’t waste time marketing to users who just aren’t interested.
2. Work with influencers
However big your existing reach is, working with powerful influencers can get your sales messages out to a bigger audience. It can also be a great way to attract new customers who you might not have access to using your own channels.
3. Use your clients as advocates
You don’t always have to rely on paid influencers to promote your brand, however. Loyal customers can be converted into some of the best brand advocates you could ask for, and encouraging your satisfied clients to promote you with freebies and promotions is a quick win.
4. User-generated content is trustworthy…
Users trust reviews from other users. One of the most important factors in a purchasing decision is what other customers have said about the product, so make sure you have testimonials, customer reviews, and other user-generated content front and center. Best of all, it’s free to produce!
5. …But great content is most important
However great user-generated content is, the most important thing to have is good content. High-quality, engaging, bite-sized content works brilliantly on social media, and can be incredibly persuasive in encouraging a sales conversion.
6. Invest in ads
Even if you are an influential brand marketing to your target audience on the right platform, there are going to be hundreds of thousands, even millions of potential customers who never see your posts.
Investing (wisely) in social media advertising, whether through genuine adverts or boosted or sponsored posts, can help you reach those accounts that otherwise might fall through the cracks.
7. Use hashtags consistently
Hashtags can be immensely powerful in all areas of social media, but only if used consistently. Not only do they make it easy for your audience to track and engage with your posts, but it makes it easy for you to track engagement as well! Hashtags can provide valuable data that you can use down the line to predict behavior and target particular segments of your audience more precisely.
8. Use flash sales to drive interest
Flash sales are a great way to generate large sales volumes quickly and with minimal effort. When used correctly they can also be a great tool to build up lists for email and other marketing channels as well.
9. And coupons to convert waverers
Around 60% of potential customers abandon their online shopping carts because of concerns over high prices. Coupons to convert waverers and potential cart-abandoners can be a great way of making sales that you might otherwise lose.
10. Promote offers (like free shipping)
Shipping costs are one of the most mentioned reasons why users don’t finalize their purchases. So use your social channels to promote free shipping offers and convert a whole bunch of potential clients into customers.
11. Incentivize action with giveaways
Alongside flash sales, giveaways are a brilliant tool for social media sales. You might think that this is counterintuitive – how does giving away stuff for free help make sales? But giveaways are one of the best ways to generate leads for future marketing on other channels, and a brilliant use of social for indirect sales.
12. Be mobile-friendly
One of the biggest complaints about e-commerce businesses is that all too often they aren’t sufficiently well-designed for mobile. So always ensure that your content is optimized for mobile. People overwhelmingly access social platforms via mobile devices, so ensuring that they can read your content is just common sense!
13. Use a consistent voice
A consistent brand voice is vital for all forms of marketing and social media, and there’s no reason this should change just because you are now selling on your social channels.
14. Make it easy to buy
Clear calls to action and optimized buying options are vital for social media sales, and to avoid abandoned carts and sessions. The customer sales journey should flow smoothly from your social channel to the final purchase action, with as few barriers in between as possible.
15. Monitor and act on data
When it comes to increasing sales on social media, data is paramount. The more you monitor your audience, the more you know about them, and the better you will be able to customize your offers.
Targeting and segmentation has a huge impact on social media sales, and this is only possible through effective use of data!
Author Bio:
Frankie is the personality behind Popsicle Stand, a lifestyle publication with everything from vibrant city tours to style inspiration and more. When not cruising from New York City, you’ll find her hiking the desert in Arizona.
