In 2020, over 3.6 billion people used social media worldwide. That number is expected to soar over 4.4 billion in just three years. Using social media to build an effective sales funnel is emerging as the go-to sales solution for companies in all industries. Here are six ways that entrepreneurs can use their social media presence to drive sales.
Use science to build your brand
Online media is all about creating visibility for individuals and groups. In digital marketing, landing pages and social media alike constitute the top of your sales funnel, building brand awareness and forming a cornerstone of lead management in general. Build this presence with science-backed techniques like color psychology and optimal text layout patterns. Don’t forget to keep all of your content regularly updated. Consumers gravitate to brands that cultivate a reputation for consistency. Leverage these psychological hacks to draw attention and keep it.
Choose niche-specific platforms
The diversity of social media channels is a major source of its strength. Niche marketing is becoming increasingly lucrative as consumer cultures and identities diversify and social media platforms evolve to fulfill their expectations. Cater to that by choosing your platform based on what your audience is apt to choose. Ello for artists, TikTok for pop culture content creators, LinkedIn for business-to-business…the options are endless. Instead of trying to be everything to everyone, deliver quality content and offerings to a specific group that’s already looking for them.
Let customers share stories
Word-of-mouth marketing remains the most effective of advertisement, with 92 percent of consumers stating that they trust the word of friends and family over any other source, and 88 percent surprisingly trust online reviews just as much. Giving your customers a voice on your social media pages will give them visibility, show that they matter to your company, and give your offerings the kind of legitimacy that no typical advertisement can. Their general impressions and reactions can also help create your marketing content even if they don’t participate directly. It’s about letting customers know that they’re an integral part of the brand.
Partner with influencers
Influencer marketing is becoming a popular strategy in digital marketing campaigns, and it’s easy to see why. A study by Shopify revealed that 61 percent of consumers trust the product recommendations made by influencers, so consider partnering with the most popular and trusted media names in your industry. Platforms are also rapidly rolling out the option of in-app shopping. This avenue of social commerce (or “s-commerce”) plugs e-commerce capability directly into social media platforms, making the buying process more reflexive and giving influencers even greater reach.
Do quantitative research
Social media platforms often provide businesses with useful ways of tracking sales metrics, and many companies sell analytical tools for that purpose. Among the most important figures that you should be looking for are the number of hits and viewer impressions, average response time and rate, and the number of conversions and referrals. These statistics, when taken together, form an accurate picture of the impression that your brand is making online. Getting subjective opinions via comments is important, and so is doing analytics based on hard numbers like these. It’s an ideal way to augment the market research you’re already doing.
Keep in touch
An often-neglected facet of customer relationship management is the follow-up. A study done by Jay Baer and Edison Research found that answering customer complaints on social media increases consumer advocacy by up to 25 percent while failing to do so can decrease it by 50 percent. Social media is emerging as a preferred channel for customers to communicate with the brands they care about. Perhaps the best thing about doing customer service via social media is that it doesn’t feel like a sales pitch. It’s an organic way to reach out to buyers on their own time.
Digital marketing is replacing traditional advertising venues because online is where the customers are. Keep these tips in mind when building your future digital marketing campaigns.
