Social media has become a revolutionary tool in today's world. We can connect with people that are miles away without having to so much as leave the comforts of our homes.
We can meet and get to know people with a few taps here and there on our smartphones, and can even get in touch with those from our pasts we thought we had lost contact with.
And with so many different social media platforms to pick from, there is never a shortage of possible connections we can make to add more intrigue to our lives.
There's no denying the colors that social media has added to the lives of many, neither is there denying the reach that social media has in the world of today.
There are over a billion people using Facebook, over 700 million that use Twitter and over 100 million that use Instagram.
With these figures, it's no wonder why using social media as a platform to showcase and sell your products to the world of potential customers is an idea worth embracing.
Of course, for the fact that there's a world full of customers means there are others who realize this as well.
Which means that if your stories don't read up as solutions for the problems of your potential customers, then they would have to look elsewhere for the solutions they seek. With that in mind, it makes sense that effective ways are needed to use social media to your advantage when it comes to telling your stories and selling your products.
Now that is said, here are five ways to make effective use of social media so that you're not coming off to customers as overly aggressive, off-point or tepid with ideas.
1. Understand Your Customer Base
While this might seem like a no-brainer, this is arguably the very first thing that needs to be considered. So you have something to sell, that's good.
The next thing you then figure out is who your customer base comprises. Are you catering to entrepreneurs or teenagers? Working moms or retirees? Young adults or new parents?
Once you know what target audience your product is focused on, you can have a better idea of what platform to use.
After all, you can't have a product meant for entrepreneurs and think using only Facebook is good enough. That's what LinkedIn is for. Questions one can ask regarding their target audience are;
- Who are they? (gender, background, age and so on)
- Where do they live?
- What do they do?
- What are their interests?
2. Create The Proper Content
Now that you understand your customer base (thumbs up), it's time to let them know what you're all about.
This is where content creation comes in. It's always a plus when you get to have originality in your content, as there are several 'copy and paste' write-ups that grace the pages of other businesses.
The idea is to become unique and noticeable in a sea of photocopies. The right content and the right volume is needed, and this is done based on the target audience you're catering to.
Also remember that posts with images have a higher interaction rate, so find those images that become neat bow ties on the suits of your content.
3. Have a Digital Marketing Strategy
There are no two ways about it, but at one point or the other you will need to advertise what you offer to those you're offering it to.
Sure, the content you create is an avenue for them to understand what solutions you bring for their problems, but that doesn't mean the power of marketing should be disregarded.
Since the customer base is online, it makes sense that marketing should also be an online thing right?
With that in mind, it is imperative to note that you need a digital marketing strategy. It's so imperative and important in your marketing approach. "If you just start pushing your products without a plan in mind or without any focus, you run the risk of losing a lot of potential clients" said Shayan Shalileh from anetwork, a digital marketing agency in Mid-east and Iran.
A digital marketing strategy will act as a blueprint to understand what the focus is, capitalize on increasing ROI and make the best out of advertising without spending over the budget.
4. Make Engagements
The plan of any business is ultimately to stay above water, which means to make enough profits to keep moving forward. While that might sound capitalistic in nature, it's just how things are.
Then again, just because that's the way it is doesn't mean that the customers that help make the profits possible should be ignored and viewed as nothing more than numbers or statistics.
Customers are humans too, and it would do good to have a specialized account that deals with engaging with those customers. Their complaints, ideas, or even simple greetings show that one way or the other, they care about the product being sold.
5. Give customers a 'Call-to-Action'
You've found your target audience; your contents are steady, engaging, fresh and inviting. You have a well placed strategy that is making optimal use of the resources at your disposal.
You're engaging with those who are interested in what you have to offer. All this comes to nothing if the reason you embarked on the journey isn't achieved.
Now is the time to convert all that engagement into actual business, because the whole reason you started was to make your products marketable on social media.
This entails you pressing your advantage and imploring those interested to buy the products you offer.
It's all about the right steps. Selling on social media starts with letting the target audience know that you're there, and you've got a solution to their needs.
But it's not just enough to actually have the solution, you have to show them that you have it. And engage with them to make out ways that you can improve on what you offer so that the end goal equals more profit.
Image Credit: FlowCanYouSeeTheRiver