When used correctly, social media is an excellent way to attract more customers
Social media is a fantastic way for businesses to engage with their customers and to provide customer service. But, it can also be used to gather more leads to eventually increase sales.
Facebook is still one of the top referrers, and the best place for businesses to be if they want to grow their traffic. Pinterest also generates an average of 78 cents in sales per pin once your efforts are sufficiently ramped up. This information is merely anecdotal – plenty of small businesses have used social media and gotten great results.
Large and small businesses that have successfully leveraged social media
Blendtec has found a way to make selling blenders more interactive with its “Will it Blend?” videos. The videos became extremely popular, and have led to increased sales for the company, according to Social Media Today.
Hootsuite, a popular social media management tool, profiled three small businesses that found success using social media. One example listed is Serengetee, an apparel company that was started by three friends during a Semester at Sea trip in college. Social media helped them net 125,000 Facebook fans in two years (277,000 at the time of writing.) Their viral success on social media has increased sales, and has allowed the company to realize it’s goal of giving back to the communities it sources it’s fabrics from.
Entrepreneur magazine also asked online marketing experts about the biggest small businesses successes they’ve seen. One respondent cited a local cupcake shop that queries customers about the cupcake flavors that they’d like to see in the shop. The business gets tons of engagement from its followers and more people coming into the shop, and its followers are happy because they get a say in their cupcakes. It’s a win-win.
How can my small business leverage social media to increase sales?
Chances are you’re already aware that the key to mastering social media is to engage with your audience in a genuine way. But there are a few tips, tricks, and tools that you can use to really get the most out of your efforts.
Use Twitter to “listen in” on relevant conversations
One unique way to cash in on Twitter engagement is by using tools like LeadSift or HipLogiq’s SocialCentiv to flag down tweets within a certain area. For example, if someone hashtags relevant phrases or uses specific keywords that relate to your business, you’ll receive a notification and can then connect with users to give them a special offer and get them through your door.
Use Facebook to grab direct and indirect leads
You can also use Facebook as a lead acquisition tool. Put links in photo captions, regularly include calls to action in your content, and consider trying paid advertising options. As Facebook has upped its game with paid advertising, it’s become easier to specifically target certain demographics. You can target users based on their interests so that when they see your ads it’s something that could actually help them.
While you’re at it, make sure that you’re capturing email addresses, too. Email marketing is still extraordinarily effective, so you don’t want to miss out on it’s potential.
