Social media usage is at an all-time high, with sites like Facebook and Instagram reporting more than a billion users each. That makes now the best time to leverage social selling to drive sales and brand awareness. This article will share some tips on how to use social selling to win customers.
What is Social Selling and Why Does it Matter?
Social selling is the practice of using social media to find, understand, and connect with prospective customers or clients. It is a modern way for brands to build meaningful relationships with potential customers so that your brand stays top of mind.
Unlike cold calling, social selling is more authentic — which can be incredibly valuable during downtimes, such as during the COVID-19 crisis. One way to use social selling is by promoting product landing pages through Facebook ads, or even using social media to promote content related to your online store.
In summary, any time you use social media to promote a product or services, it’s social selling!
Let us look at a few ways you can use social selling to drive connections and sales to win more customers.
Leverage User-Generated Content
People don’t trust brands. They trust other people, which is one reason why user-generated content is so powerful at driving social sales.
User-generated content will have a natural tone that speaks to your customers naturally. Look at how StuDocu uses their Twitter account to retweet relatable memes from other accounts in their niche.
Although they’re not selling anything in such posts, it contributes to their overall brand image and tone. Sometimes your audience just wants to be entertained without being pitched to.
Partner with Social Media Influencers
Selling products right now is tough as you don’t want to come across as insensitive and promoting your brand when people are struggling to pay their bills. Instead of directly promoting your products, consider partnering with social media influencers.
Not sure where to find the most effective social media influencers for your brand? Look for smaller influencers who have a solid following but not quite celebrity status. Ninety-two percent of users trust influencers more than celebrities like the Kardashians.
Combine Social Selling With SEO
When it comes to social selling, SEO (search engine optimization) might not be at the forefront of your worries. They are vastly different approaches, after all. However, combining the two strategies can be very powerful.
For example, posting on LinkedIn can improve your SEO and also drive sales. Don’t forget about more niche social sites like Reddit, or Slideshare. They can be just as valuable as Facebook and Instagram for some brands.
Combine Social With Email Marketing
For most businesses, their email list is the most valuable asset they have. According to Oberlo, more than 3.9 million people use email worldwide, and that number may reach 4.3 billion by 2023.
Combining the power of social media and email marketing is a one-two punch that your business can’t afford to ignore.
Here are a few strategies to combine social selling and email marketing:
- Use your email signature in Gmail templates to promote your social channels.
- Share an “exclusive content” tease to social media that can only be accessed by signing up for an email list.
- Add an email sign up form to your Facebook page.
Make It Easy to Buy On Social
If you want to sell more, you have to make it easier for customers to complete their purchase. Just one extra click (from five to six) in the checkout process can reduce your sales by 10 percent.
Reduce friction by tying your Facebook category with your inventory, which makes it easier for customers to buy directly from their social feed, without dealing with multiple sites or signing in to other platforms.
Final Thoughts
Selling during a pandemic is no easy task. So, you want to be sensitive to the changing world, but cutting marketing entirely could be a death sentence for your business. In fact, more than half of all small businesses say they may not survive the next six months of the pandemic without filing bankruptcy.
Using social selling helps brands walk the line between going quiet and pushing on as if nothing happened.
The thing is — your clients are already on social media, and they are buying. The question is — will they see you there?
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