Despite its popularity, or maybe because of it, there’s a huge misconception that social media is solely for socializing. The truth, of course, is that social media can be used for so much more. One big advantage it can give a company is helping to increase its sales.
It may sound like a hard thing to do. People usually spend a long time scrolling through their news feed and skip over things that don’t really interest them. So, how do you catch the attention of the average social media user’s eyes and make them stop to read, like, share, etc your post? Continue reading to find out how you can successfully use social media for your business’ advantage.
Build Relationships
Social media gives an unprecedented opportunity to build relationships with the public and customers. Yet most social media managers don’t seem to notice this. They think saying “hello” to a would-be customer should be enough. But that wastes the golden opportunity social media provides.
Instead, stay in constant contact with your customers and remain helpful. When at all possible, give them free advice or helpful information so they don’t learn to equate you with nothing but another sales pitch. This makes your social media users feel comfortable with you and trust your advice. It will also make them want to read your posts every time they log in.
Offer Incentives
Another great thing you can do while building relationships is offering savings to your customers. For the price of “liking” your status, for example, or retweeting a post, offer them a free prize or a certain amount of money off an item or service. Not only do they get something out of it, but you can see what exactly you got in return. You will notice a sizable bump in your page likes, which creates more opportunity to grow your sales.
Be Casual at Times
As I mentioned, it’s important that your customers don’t associate your social media presence with nothing but more sales pitches. They’re probably on social media to forget about a lot of things like that.
So long as it’s professional, take time now and then to post something lighthearted, inspirational or even funny. If you work for a small business, social media can be a great way for the company to introduce its members to the public. This helps humanize your company and reminds customers there are real people working behind it all.
Ask for Feedback
Companies pay good money to find out what their customers are thinking. Social media gives you a direct and easy path to this answer. Take advantage of it. However, be ready to honor what’s being said. A company that asks for feedback, receives it but then doesn’t do anything with the information is probably doing more harm than good.
Social media can be your company’s secret weapon when it comes to increasing revenues. But there’s a right and wrong way to use it. Review the above article, implement the advice and you’ll begin seeing more sales in no time.
