Do your social media followers actually buy?


social fans

So, you just kick-started your social media efforts. Your feeds are now a reflection of the voice, design, and overall vibe of your brand. But while that’s all fine and dandy, you’re beginning to wonder how you can start seeing some dollar signs out of your efforts. So, let’s take a look at how you can leverage your social platforms to turn social media followers into actual customers!

Social media marketing is a critical component of any inbound marketing strategy. It’s perhaps the principle way to increase your brand’s reach, build your brand identity, and to engage with your growing community directly. Though these aspects are already worth the investment in the long run, actually generating sales from these channels is probably what is expected from you from The Bosses™️. So the question remains, do your social media efforts lead to sales and if they don’t, how can we start generating some actual, cold-hard cash?

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How This Social Media Thing Actually Affects Sales

Let’s get one thing out of the way: If you’re not currently using social media to expand your audience and grow your business, go do that right away. I’ll wait. Are you ready to move on? Excellent. Let’s take a look at a few stats that should provide you with some valuable insight into how effective social media can be:

  • Over 40 percent of digital consumers use social media as the primary way to research a new brand or product. This means that a significant amount of consumers online will have eyes on your social media pages to influence their purchasing decision.
  • Around 50 percent of Generation Z and 42 percent of Millennial consumers say that social media is the most relevant ad channel. This means that as the purchasing power of “the youths” continues to grow over time, the importance of advertising on social media grows in parallel.
  • Around 25 percent of social media users follow brands on social media from which they might make a purchase. This means the great audience you just worked hard building are the likeliest to become customers!

Sure, it may be difficult proving to The Bosses™️ that there’s a direct correlation between a solid social media strategy and a sale, but there’s no denying the weight these statistics carry.

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Getting More Sales From Social Media Followers

So, we’ve got the numbers on our side, but if social media was all about math, scientists would be writing memes. To really see results, you’ll want to implement these strategies to see a lift in sales:

  • Find the right social media platform – Never assume that all of your audience is on one platform. Most successful businesses utilize three to four social media platforms as a part of their strategy and it’s a good idea to not put all of your eggs (and energy) into one basket. That said, find the platform(s) that are working best for you and that you see the most success with. As a B2B business, LinkedIn will likely see more conversions for you than, say, Snapchat. Pay attention to your analytics!
  • Invest in Ads on Social Media – You might need to spend a little money to make more money. Most major social platforms have paid ad features that are fairly intuitive and effective. For example, Facebook Ads let you target specific followers using qualifiers, such as location, age, interests, and more. So, if you’re selling a hip, new running shoe, you might target a lower age demographic with interests in running, exercise, and the outdoors. You can even upload an email list that Facebook can use to find your leads on Facebook. Essentially, diving into the targeting features for your ads that are available on many of the largest social channels such as Instagram and YouTube, can improve their effectiveness and help rake in more sales.
  • Turn Fans Into Brand Ambassadors – Picture this: You’re shopping on an online retailer and click on a product. To truly get an idea if this product is right for you, you immediately scroll down to… the reviews! Consumers trust other consumers. As such, identify who your most loyal customers are and turn them into brand ambassadors. Let them spread the Good Word about your business to other potential customers, thus increasing sales.

 

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  • Employ The Use of Influencers – The word “influencer” gets tossed around a lot these days, and often in a negative light. You can’t go too far on the Internet without seeing a story of an influencer pulling some bone-headed move that got them in hot water. It’s understandable to be wary of influencers but investing in the right ones can help your awareness campaigns soar. Just be sure to do a little research first. You’ll want to find influencers with an audience similar to yours, and take a look at their actual engagement rate. It’s not a good sign if they have 100,000 followers and a thousand likes per post!
  • Don’t Get Too Ad-Happy – Whoa, now! Slow down there big sales winner. No one wants to follow an account of round-the-clock ads. Just like you don’t like feeling as if you’re constantly being sold to, so too does your social media followers want to avoid that. Be sure to mix your ads and promotions amongst plenty of organic, engaging content to keep your community content (the other ‘content’).

 

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There you have it! Social media is one of the most powerful marketing tools at your disposal and you’re now better equipped to wield it in order to bring in, as financial types say, “phat stacks.” Continue to experiment with and tweak the strategies we discussed and you should be on your way to better sales and a stronger business!