The primary goals of most brands’ social media accounts are publicity and fan engagement. Of course, that’s not the whole story. Social media marketing can, if executed properly, significantly increase revenue for your company. Twenty-three percent of respondents in a survey by SUMO Heavy Industry said they had researched a brand’s offerings on social media. In addition, they found that one in five Internet users make a direct purchase after seeing it advertised on a social media site.
Despite the low total, this indicates a huge social media expansion opportunity for your company. However, you won’t be successful in your marketing efforts unless you incorporate the most effective social media marketing strategies.
If you want social media to have a significant impact on your company’s bottom line, you need to incorporate the following three strategies into your online sales plan:
1. Hang Out in the Same Places as Your Fans
The first rule of developing an effective online sales strategy is to go where your followers already are. This entails merely finding out which social media sites your target demographic frequents and engaging them there.
You can accomplish this by first identifying your target audience and then learning where they spend most of their time online. Social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook, for instance, offer excellent opportunities to reach a B2B audience because of their large user bases.
Millennials are the target demographic, so Instagram and Snapchat should be your primary platforms. All of this boils down to physically being in the same places that your ideal customers do. In this way, you’ll give yourself the best possible shot at achieving your objectives.
2. Make sure your content is useful without being overly promotional.
With regards to social media advertising, quality over quantity is of paramount importance. Some online businesses still fail to properly distribute their content. To avoid that, focus on producing high-quality content that will appeal to and genuinely help your target demographic.
Another key point to remember is to avoid coming off as overly promotional. Remember that the primary purpose of social media is communication, not advertising or commerce.
3. Incorporate user-created content
Before committing to a purchase, the majority of consumers will read numerous reviews of the brand or product in question. After all, they can learn a lot about the product’s quality and value from the reviews. It reassures them that they can purchase the product with confidence despite its unfamiliarity.
Customers feel a greater sense of familiarity and trust when the reviews they read are the genuine thoughts and experiences of those like themselves. However, if you want to increase your sales, you should use user-generated content in your social media marketing strategy.
According to research by Olapic, 70% of consumers are swayed by user-generated product reviews that are positive. To generate even more interest in your company and boost sales, you can also encourage your followers to post pictures of their purchases on social media. You should also make good use of user-generated content by posting it on your own social media accounts.
Instead of using stock photos or images found on Google, making and sharing your own custom-made social images will increase your credibility and give your marketing efforts a boost. Your brand’s credibility will rise along with customer loyalty if you do this.
Important Takeaway
Even though social media provides a wealth of opportunities for advertising your company, you should be aware that millions of other brands are vying for the attention of your target demographic. If you don’t use analytics-backed best practises for social media marketing, you’ll fall behind the other 77% of brands in your industry.