This is the big difference in using Social Media at a personal or at a business level! When time is money, it’s evident that all the resources spent in growing and managing a social network need to be financially rewarded on the medium and long term.
Social Media for business are not meant to “make friends” but to “engage customers”. And this is the big challenge. Researches highlight that, on the average, less than the 1% of sale convertions happen directly on social network websites.
It means that, while the web panorama is evolving day by day, some milestones don’t change. The major point of sales conversion is the ecommerce or the website of a company. The main point of access to a company’s website is in many cases a corporate blog.
So, where do Social Media take place in the sales process? What is their role? Let’s try to explain, in 5 simple steps, how to generate sales using Internet.
1. Build your brand’s web “ecosystem”
Website, blog, profiles on selected social networks. All connected together, and working in a balanced interaction – new contents regularly shared on Facebook and Twitter, social widgets at the bottom of each post, third part integrations in strategic position on the website… and so on. Don’t overload your presence on social media, but choose just the ones which “play your game” better: focus on Facebook if you’re a b2c, on LinkedIn if you’re a b2b, on Twitter if you deal with real-time information, on Pinterest if you have high quality pictures. And pay attention where the feedback is higher.
2. Provide top-quality contents
Contents are the soul of Internet. The web was born around the aim of making contents easily accessible! A website without content is not relevant, and a profile on social media which is never updated is useless. Think about the key topics related to your business, and show your key competences to the public: be accurate, creative, funny, engaging… but most of all, consistent and persistent. Make an editorial plan, including topics and updates timeline. Then strive to follow it. Results will be evident in a few months!
3. Build your audience
Just one advice: interact! Effective communication on web is 2-ways, from the company to the marketplace and from the marketplace to the company. Be active in the web communities dealing with your target niche, reply to your customers’ requests, look for attention of local media and opinion leaders. Social Media will make it easier, but don’t limit your work to Internet: go out as well, and build face-to-face relationships. A good PR network is one of the key of success.
***
And now… pay attention! Sometimes web marketing strategies fail because they don’t go over this phase. To convert a “fan” into a “buyer” is not an obvious step. To push this bareer, you need to give people a good reason… and a practical way to make the purchase.
***
4. Build a “call-to-action”
You need to be smart in order of leading people to purchase. Show your products or service, highlighting the reason why your target will benefit from it. Then, link it to an interactive element that allows or facilitate the purchase: typically it’s a landing page set up with an e-cart, or a booking form… important is to have a technical component that allows to turn the visitor’s intention into a practical action, tangible and matched to an analytics system. This is the way to make sure that your campaign on web is effective in increasing sales.
5. Turn your best clients in “brand ambassadors”
When you have reached some popularity, it’s time to push your brand to the next level: to become a “top-seller” in your marketplace! Reviews and recommendations by the customers are one of the most powerful way to boost your sales network online. Use the Social Media! Invite people to send comments, collect and publish… and in a few time, lot of people will know that your company is an excellence in your business sector.