Using Social Media to Sell Your Products
What lies at the heart of social media? Is it cool images? Funny videos? While some people may find this to be true, what lies at the center of social media is relationships – whether you personally know these individuals or not. Social media is a connector. It certainly cannot be compared to face-to-face connections, but, often, followers of businesses are people who you normally would not meet or come across otherwise. You cannot meet every one of your customers and have a conversation with them. Social media allows this conversation and interaction to happen online. How cool is that? Your customers or potential customers now have a direct line. And so do you. Do not let this opportunity go to waste.
Using Social Media to Sell Your Products
Consider how much time people spend on social media. According to the Telegraph, the average person has five social media accounts and spends around 1 hour and 40 minutes browsing these networks each day. They follow the accounts of their friends and family and brands that they like. A good marketer would leverage all this time that people are spending on these social media platforms. Each and every minute is an opportunity for one to reach them. Read on to learn how you can use social media as a sales tactic.
Understand Your Prospective Customers
Different people use social media in different ways. They also use it at different times of the day. Age and location are all factors that must be taken into consideration when a businesses uses social media to reach an audience. Field of work is also a factor. Do your clients even use social media? There might be platforms that they are not on at all. A teenager probably does not have LinkedIn, and an older prospect probably does not use Twitter. Conduct as much research as possible beforehand.
Engage, Engage, Engage
This is not a pitch. Talking at your audience will only cause them to bypass your content. An impersonal post pitching your product will fall flat. Listening to the problems or needs that people are currently experiencing is the key. Then you can respond to that need with the solution that you have developed especially for them. Respond to their concerns. Show that you care. Start conversations. Answer questions.
Create Shareable Content
Selling through social media is most successful when content is shared by followers, then reaching all of their followers. When you create content that resonates, people will be inclined to share it. They probably are not interested in the success of your product line. They simply like something about it and want to show their friends the funny quote you’ve shared or the photo that you’ve posted. Shares will increase your visibility significantly.
Actively Build Your Network
This might be the most challenging part of selling on social media. It doesn’t matter how great your product or your content is if there is no one to see it. Gaining followers or likes is no small feat. You might put money and time into trying to build your fan base, with discouraging results. The key is to build relationships. Rather than saying to yourself, “We need to have 200 more followers by next month,” say, “I want to develop more relationships on Facebook.” While your ultimate goal is to develop leads, you cannot think of a living, breathing person as a “lead.” The most loyal customers are those that feel noticed and appreciated.
Create shareable content that followers and their friends will care about. We hope that you have learned not to underestimate the power of social media.