When starting a business, there are many doubts that assail the entrepreneur, if what name to put to my company, if it is better a physical business online, if I will need a touch cash register, if I have correctly fulfilled all the legal formalities or I will have surprises later, etc…
It is possible to get sales opportunities on social networks if you have a strategy.
Well, now that we are in a new digital era, there is another question asked by many people who have their own stores: is it possible to sell on social networks? The truth is that yes, it is possiblealthough it should not be your only goal. Let’s see what are the keys to achieve it.
Keys to sell on social networks
One of the great advantages of selling on social networks is that they are a powerful tool to establish a solid connection with your target audience, build trust and, above all, offer solutions. To be successful in the field of Social Selling it is necessary to know your audience, interact with them and, of course, have a well-defined strategy. Here are some keys to sell on social networks:
-Grow in solutions more than in followers: Even if you have hundreds of followers, and even if you try to grow in number in different ways, if you don’t solve some of the problems they have, you won’t manage to make a difference with respect to your competitors.
This is one of the maxims that you will find in the book “Followers”, by Manuel Moreno -social media expert and director of TreceBits- where you will find a guide to create your online community of followers and get the most out of it.
Remember that social networks are an unbeatable channel to build processes with people who are interested in the brand. Try to make the most of their feedback to build quality and constantly improve.
-Have the right team to work on social media. In the same way that when you make a reform at home you hire several workers , each of which is responsible for different tasks, it is also necessary to have a team of people who perform various functions to work the social media. A Social Media agency can take care of all of them.
-Give content the importance it deserves.. It will be useless to create an excellent digital catalog of all the products you offer for sale if you do not generate content of interest and that provide value to users of social networks. Nor will it do to create an account and upload products to sell on Marketplace or a store on Instagram. Having a content strategy is essential.
-On social networks you can expect sales, but not miracles. It won’t do much good to invest millions in network strategies if you don’t achieve good conversion rates based on visits.
Get one in 100 to make a purchase, and then you can think about taking 1000 to get 10 to buy. You must convert and then multiply, remembering that any number you multiply by zero will be zero.
-You must build a social funnel. It’s not very interesting to know what your conversion rate is if you don’t know how you attracted visitors. It is vitally important to dissect each unique user, and make them part of your business and personal puzzle. You have to know where they are coming from to bring them in.
-The sales funnel was forgotten. That’s right, because the conversion does not end at the sale, but now the funnel is a kind of diabolo that continues and widens whenever customers share products or services through social platforms. You have to know the number of customers who then share their purchases, and first of all, give them that option on your page.
-You can’t measure it? Then you can’t improve it either. You must know how many of your visitors come from the networks, and in turn, how many of them from each network and how many have ever made a purchase. It is essential to have data, review it and take advantage of it.
How to get business opportunities on social networks
Here you will find other tips that will help you to achieve business opportunities in social networks in the long term:
-Interact with your followers: an important aspect is not just to talk to your audience whenever you please, but to do it regularly. The key in social networks is to maintain a fluid and close communication with your customers. Allocate part of your time to answer comments, resolve doubts and accept suggestions. Make them feel that they are valuable to you.
– Build loyalty by launching exclusive offers: Keeping in touch with your customers is crucial to achieve loyalty. But so is proposing special offers and benefits to your most loyal followers, such as discounts, sweepstakes, giveaways, promotions, etc.
– Research your audience’s preferences: before publicizing your business on social networks, it is important to know which platforms your customers use, what they are looking for and how you can satisfy their needs. That way you will know how to adapt your message and the offer you will launch on each social network. Using tools to conduct surveys is a professional way to know the needs of your audience.
– Don’t limit yourself only to social networks: A great strategy to promote your products or services is to create an omnichannel system for your sales. That is to say, don’t just limit yourself to making your business known on social networks. You can also attract your customers to other communication channels such as blogs, email, telephone, your website, etc.
– Keep your profiles updated: Ideally, your customers should have at their disposal a place where they can find relevant and updated information. Upload content regularly, keep your data and communication channels updated, so that it is easy for your users to contact you.
– Don’t neglect your regular customers: it is much more expensive to attract new customers than to keep the ones you already have. That is why it is necessary to place special emphasis on strengthening the bond with your loyal audience. This can be achieved through constant interaction, demonstrating your interest in providing solutions and offering them special benefits.
– Evolve at the same pace as social networks: social platforms are constantly changing. In that sense, sometimes what works, from one moment to another may not. The best thing to do is to keep up to date with social media trends. Adapt to changes, apply new methodologies.
– Be patient: achieving success in the world of social media sales can be time-consuming. Even putting into practice several of the tips included in this list. In the end, patience is essential to achieve goals in Social Selling.