5 Ways to Boost Sales Through Social Media Marketing

It’s no secret that social media has become one of the most important means to reach your customers, new and existing. In fact, leaders in social media sales attract 45% more sales than their peers. So how can you leverage social media to connect with customers and increase your sales? Here are some simple ways to build your social media selling strategy:

Choose the Right Platforms for your Business

Depending on your business, the nature of certain social media platforms allows them to be much more effective than others to advertise your products and services. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to use every social media platform you can, but unless you’re focusing on ones that are tailored to your needs, you could be wasting time.

For example, a restaurant or clothing shop would best spend their time on Instagram, where striking pictures of their products can catch the eye and make a lasting impression. On the other hand, a recruitment agency would thrive on LinkedIn where professional connections are the emphasis. A restaurant could spend their time on LinkedIn, but most LinkedIn members aren’t on the site because they’re looking for dinner.

Think about what you sell and who your customers are, then look at each social media platform’s structure and how you can use it to showcase what you have to offer.

Concentrate on a Specific Audience

Just like you can waste time trying to use social media platforms that aren’t geared to what you’re selling, you can waste time trying to be too general in order to impress everyone. It’s the same principle used in traditional marketing methods – find your niche.

Once you’ve worked up your ‘ideal customer,’ the person who is most likely to be interested in what you’re selling, then you can build your strategy around what will impress them. If what you’re selling is applicable to more than one niche, that’s great! Find ways to target each one. McDonald’s markets their Happy Meals to kids, but they also realize that the adults are doing the buying so they make sure to get their attention, too.

Craft a buyer persona for each niche you can target, and segment your general audience into groups that you can advertise to separately.

You’ll Need to Publish Content

With the immediacy and regularity of social media, potential customers can see in real-time if a company is an authority on what they’re selling or not. Even if you truly are an authority, a bare social media page will cast doubt in the minds of potential customers. To impress your customer base, you need to show them what you know and how you can help them in a relatable way.

With enough effort and witty posting, you should be able to attract a following that depends on your page to inform them and entertain them. Be fun and personable, interact with customers who respond to you, help them with any questions they have. Keeping a consistently updated presence on social media will bring traffic to your website and buzz to your products and services. A good way to stay consistent is by creating a content calendar.

Leverage your Followers’ Content

Once you’ve gained some followers and you have people posting about your products and services, share their posts! Everyone on social media knows what it feels like to see a brand trying too hard to sell its products. In the same way, a customer testimonial on a website just feels more trustworthy than the product description, a follower outside of your company’s word will go further with potential customers than your own.

If someone posts a picture with your product, share it with an appreciative comment. If someone makes a post praising your company, share that with an appreciative comment. If people love your products and services, they’ll love the fact that you appreciate their love for you. They’ll recommend you to their friends, and other people on social media will see that you care about your customers.

It All Comes Down to Customer Service

You’re not going to be able to please everyone, as you already know. While you’ll get positive feedback on social media, you’ll also have to field some complaints. However, you can look at this as an opportunity to win a customer back. If you ignore them, they’re sure to stop buying what you sell. If you respond with something genuinely helpful (troubleshooting advice, a discount on a future purchase), then you’ve got a chance to keep that customer through quality customer service.

This comes back to show that you care about your customers. If they’ve got a problem, show them that they can count on to help resolve it. Not only will that customer come away with a positive experience from a negative one, but other followers on social media will see and appreciate your helpfulness.

Now that you’ve got a few ways to build a strong and impressive social media presence on your chosen platform(s), get out there and get started! Use these suggestions to formulate your strategy and target your desired customers, stick with it, and watch the interactions and sales roll in. If you have any questions about how to get started or how to stay fresh with content, get in touch with us. We would love to help!