Many brands have increased their social media footprint, so much so, that marketing through these platforms is doing most of the selling. It’s been proven repeatedly that a solid social media marketing strategy can drive your online sales and grow your business, particularly if you’ve just got started with a website builder. As a small business owner, how can you leverage social media?

It has become more difficult to emerge as a top-performing business on social media with an authentic audience that genuinely has an interest in your services or products. Let’s look at a few methods you can implement to optimise your social platforms and sell more online.

 

What could you use social media for?

 

1. Increase your brand awareness

Brand awareness is the extent to which a target market has the consciousness of a company. To raise this awareness, you must use social media marketing channels to connect your brand with your customers. Create graphics using the appropriate dimensions for each network and share your company story. Customers want to connect with brands in a meaningful way before buying anything.

 

2. Generate sales leads

Facebook offers you the opportunity to advertise your business on its network. Their Lead Generation service offers an “Instant Form” – that you ask people to fill in so you can contact them. This ad will display on Facebook and Instagram. According to Facebook this advertising service can help you reach your business goals:

  • Find new customers for your business
  • Find out more about people’s interests
  • Get people to sign up or register for your service
  • Get people to enroll in your program
  • Get people to download a brochure or manual

 

3. Launch a new service

Using social media, you can create a buzz around your new products. You can let your followers know to watch out for the new launch. Post videos of the making of the product. Market the problem in the build-up to marketing the solution. You may also want to share the blog and product pages of your website on social media.

 

4. Share consumer advice

Your customers need advice. They need to know that they can count on you as an expert in the field. Share regular tips and how-to guides on social media. This will make your sales process much easier as your customers already trust you.

 

5. Advertise your events

Apart from using social networks to display your events, you can also use Facebook’s event feature. Here you can create your event and connect with your audience by sending them personalised invitations which will stick to their profiles. Facebook will then offer notifications and reminders.

 

6. Offer customer support

Your customers are already on social media, allow them to use it to contact you for service. Here are some tips from on how to use social media for customer service:

  • Ask fans for feedback
  • Update fans on news at your business
  • Let fans get to know your team
  • Update fans about company milestones
  • Involve fans in decision-making
  • Discuss failures with fans

 

7. Understand your target market

Every social media platform has an insights or analytics tool built in. Here you can see who your audience is. You can have a look at where they came from and what they did on your profile. This is valuable information for conducting future content posts.

 

How do you go about using social media to grow your business?

 

1. Establish a goal for each platform

Social media platforms are all different. Some platforms may double your sales, while you may not see any growth on others! It is important to find which platforms work for you and then to set goals for each. Start with small goals, such as wanting to reach your first 500 followers on Facebook over the next two months. Make sure you post authentic relevant content to grow organically. Being consistent and regular with your posting is very important. You must show your social community that you are interested in sharing information with them.

 

2. Engage with your followers

Many social media platforms use clever algorithms to determine which content to show. One of the measurements is engagement. It is important to show your audience that you care and that you listen to them. This means that you should always consider how you can engage with your audience. When your audience responds to you posts, be sure to always reply! Each time someone likes your posts you can invite them to your page. Try to share content that is worth sharing two or three levels deep.

 

3. Find ways to be creative to attract new followers

Many big brands are increasingly looking for ways to stand out by being creative in their social media campaigns. Before posting a normal photo or a cool quote, think about ways in which you can make it even more interesting for your followers. Once they are intrigued, they will share your posts to potential followers.

A solid social media strategy can drive the growth for your business by creating trust and loyal relationships with current and potential customers. Find ways to be unique and always engage with your audience to show that you are proactively involved in the doings of your business.

Need a little help with growing your business or brand? We can assist. Talk to us about what you are struggling with when it comes to growing online.