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The turn of the century has seen a lot of positive developments emerge from within the world of social media. The advent of various technologies has facilitated this growth which has expanded the boundaries of its abilities to serve as a better tool for businesses looking to grow in the competitive environment of today.

Marketers are literally spoil for choice with the different options at their disposal when it comes to focusing on a good growth potential. For this purpose, let us simplify the matter for you by helping you easily transition from using traditional sales growth tactics to unlocking the power of social media to make your business reach greater heights than ever before!

 

1) Choose the Right Social Media Platform

 

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The most important thing to consider before you go on to devise a sales strategy is to identify the social media platform(s) you seek to leverage for the good of your business. The days of Orkut are long gone as businesses and advertisers are now awarded with more than the single social platform to choose from while exploring the digital avenue.

Many social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Instagram and YouTube have sprung up and revamped themselves to offer better opportunities for businesses to use them as platforms to realize their goals. Each website is unique in the nature of the functions it offers to businesses and it is up to these businesses to evaluate their choices which will facilitate them in the best possible way in reaching that goal. Certain unique features of some of the most widely used social media sites include;

  • Facebook allows you to create a permanent online presence by allowing businesses and celebrities to make dedicated pages and groups to advertise on and interact with their target audience on a regular basis.
  • Twitter gives businesses and users the option to inform, broadcast and receive user feedback in real time making for the best mass two way communication.
  • Instagram allows you to advertise your product or service solely through displaying high quality, eye catching images and short videos to leave a visual impression on your viewers.

In this way, when looking to advertise on different social media sites, one should always look at the potential of the platform itself and the different ways in which it can help your business generate the sales you desire.

 

2) Giving a Method to the Madness

 

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Building on the importance of choosing the right social media platform to sell your product through, developing a workable strategy and setting it in motion is equally as important. After all, there should be something that resembles a sales pitch to give your sales department something to work towards. When looking at social media sites to generate sales, many strategies can be used. It all depends on how well you are able to justify it and lead it to generate sales.

 

i) Strategize by Functionality Offered

 

With regards to the unique functionality afforded by the different social media platforms, it is down to the business to determine which platform would fit the bill in accomplishing their goals. You might have noticed that some brands use Instagram more to advertise their products while some use Facebook to make them achieve the visibility they need to fork out more sales. This phenomenon as I like to term it depends on industry to industry;

  • Famous fashion brands can be found to advertise their products on Instagram where they get celebrities to endorse their products in an attempt to generate sales. Customers are driven to buy such products by their look, feel and association to those they aspire to be and Instagram allows these fashion brands to show the quality of the product and the people who use their products. Links to the brands own website or online store accompanying the post plays into the hands of the advertiser as it instantly translates into sales.
  • Tech companies have dedicated Twitter handles which deal with resolving customer complaints and queries regarding their product or service. This allows them in giving prompt feedback to customers and close potential sales.

ii) Follow the Crowd

 

If you are looking to increase your chances of generating leads which result in sales, setting up shop on the social media platform which has the most number of users can help you do just that. If you are planning on basing your strategy on this approach, you should take a look at some of these figures relating to the top 5 social media sites by users to help you justify tour decision;

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Social Media Site Users
Facebook 1.65 billion
Youtube > 1 Billion
Instagram 400 Million
Twitter 320 Million
LinkedIn 320 Million

 

For more from the world of social media by brandwatch, click on this link which is sure to give you a thing or two to think about.

 

3) Share Relevant Content

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Social media sites allow you the option of customizing your business’ presence on their platforms to attract existing and potential customers by alerting them of your presence.

  • Creating a Facebook page for your brand
  • Making a Twitter handle to act as a customer support portal
  • Making a LinkedIn profile to attract business clients

Once you have stamped your mark of existence in one or more ways, look at ways to attract the users to like/follow your business. The more people you manage to attract, the more sales you will be able to achieve. It is important to share information with your client in ways which they find interesting and appealing. Sharing irrelevant content can easily disinterest your potential customers and can also tarnish the image of your business in the process. Hence, you will need to come up with different content which you feel will entice the customer and result in a sale. Content which can boost your product sales includes;

 

i) Articles

 

Articles are the most common form of product and service promotion used by many online businesses. The combination of text accompanied by pictures serves to educate the reader and influence their decision when it comes to choosing a product.

 

ii) Photos

 

As the saying goes, ‘a picture speaks louder than a thousand words’. As such, many businesses sometimes only post pictures of their products in an attempt to lure in sales. A good visual can sometimes be enough to sell a potential customer.

 

iii) Videos

 

Usage of videos in marketing a product or service is increasingly being adopted with positive effect by many businesses. An article or a photo can often not be enough in persuading the customer to buy what you are offering. A video offering an immersive audio visual experience can make a brand be desired even by those individuals who it does not target as a potential customer.

 

iv) Infographics

 

The increasing use of infographics in communicating a lot of information in a single image can help you tell more about your product in far fewer interactions. The layout of the infographic which strategically places key text in and around a specifically designed template helps in creating the ultimate impact on the user.

 

4) Your Audience Knows you Best

 

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Sometimes, even though you are doing all you can from your end to generate sales opportunities for your business, people still might seem disinterested in what you have to offer. No matter how much interesting content you display, they just seem to ignore your very existence.

 

Let them Solve the Problem for you

 

When at a complete loss with regards to the possible reason behind this, look to your audience for a possible explanation. Ask them questions regarding your products and services, its functionality and quality, its price and where they buy them from. This will provide you with the answer to your woes.

 

For a Look into the Future

 

Many businesses also sneakily ask questions on their social media pages regarding products and services which they are currently developing. This gives them the opportunity to get the input of their followers who help the company in estimating the potential of such a product in the market and the sales it will generate. Conversely, it can also indicate that the product might not be well received in the market leading the business to rethink its strategy.

 

5) Go out of your Way to Satisfy your Customers

 

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Considering the increasing role of social media in driving the popularity or failure of a business, it comes as no surprise that many businesses go out of their way to ensure they satisfy their customer. In the line of business, a good experience can work wonders just by the positive word of mouth which a happy customer might generate and the potential sales it might lead to in the future. At the end of the day, one should always remember that the customer is the king.

 

Lose Something Today to Win it Back Tomorrow

 

With the amount of competition in the global markets of today, many businesses struggle to survive simply because they don’t learn from their mistakes. Businesses should always look to make a good impression from the start and focus on building on it to ensure customer loyalty. Offering that something extra, such as giving a customer a discount on a meal on their birthday, may make him your loyal customer and representative of your business.

Want to know more? Click on this link to find out the digital trends set to dominate this year, courtesy of WeAreSocial Singapore.

 

 

 

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