Most marketers are aware of how to drive brand awareness and engagement through social media, but many are unsure how to use it to increase sales. I believe that social media is an essential marketing tool for businesses and here I will share with you my top tips on how you can use your social media presence to drive sales and revenue for your business.
- Be where your audience is
The first rule of social media marketing is always to use the platforms your target audience uses. Look at your audience demographics, make use of your reporting tools and insights and discover where your audience are most active. This will help you to decide on which platforms to focus your marketing efforts. For example, if you are B2B focused, LinkedIn is a great place to start. Whereas if you have a B2C, product-led brand, you may find Instagram most effective.
- Create great content
When it comes to content, I am a firm believer in quality over quantity! Spend your time creating a smaller amount of high-quality content that entertains and educates your audience. For example, how-to videos and tips and tricks are a great way to showcase your products or services and provide your audience with ideas, without sounding too sales-led or pushy! If you provide value with your content, your audience are more likely to remember your brand and want to engage and purchase with you.
- Utilise integrated shopping features
Many social media platforms now have integrated features which make it easy for consumers to purchase directly through the platforms themselves, which is great news for eCommerce brands! Pinterest has buyable and rich pins, Facebook has Facebook shop and Instagram has Instagram Shopping – all of which make the purchasing process seamless for the consumer, and even easier for you as a marketer to drive sales organically through your social platforms!
- Use LinkedIn and Twitter for B2B
If your business is B2B, I would highly recommend using LinkedIn and Twitter to establish strategic connections and build brand awareness. They are both great platforms for involving yourselves in conversation with like-minded companies and potential clients. Post about your experiences as a business and humanise your brand with team photos and behind the scenes content. Get involved with industry-relevant hashtags and interact with your audience. The more your target audience sees of you and trusts you, the more likely they are to consider you when searching for a potential service provider.
- Consider paid content
Finally, we can’t talk about social media sales without discussing paid content! Sometimes it feels like you can do everything right organically, post picture-perfect content and engage with your audience through comments and hashtags, but it still isn’t enough to get you noticed in an increasingly pay-to-play environment. In this scenario, I would definitely recommend considering paid advertising. All social media platforms have different advertising options available to marketers, both B2B and B2C, with varying price tags so you don’t always have to spend a fortune to see a good ROI. It’s often worth looking into and deciding the best option for your brand as paid advertising will ensure higher visibility amongst your target audience and is ultimately, the easiest and most direct way to drive sales through social media.
These are just some of the ways you can maximise sales through your social media platforms. There are many more suggestions I could make but ultimately, it’s all about getting your brand out there and building trust and loyalty with your target audience. If you’re not sure how to get started, we can help you! Get in touch with our friendly team today for a chat.