Social media has quickly become one of the driving forces of society. With over 4.6 billion users worldwide, it is an ideal tool for marketing. With a strong social media sales strategy, businesses can drive sales and retain customers. To begin, think about the platforms that will best serve your business. You have many to choose from including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and more.

How content drives social media sales

Find your niche

Tailoring content to your niche will drive more customers with intent to purchase to your business. These customers will also often become repeat customers. To start creating content you first need to identify your niche and the audience that is looking for the information that you will provide. Your audience may be slightly different between each social media platform.

Make it interactive

Next, focus on how to make your content interactive. The more engagement you have, the more each platform’s algorithm will keep recommending your posts. By posting interactive content you are giving yourself a higher chance to have your content viewed by more people. 

Some examples of interactive content include stories using question boxes, stickers (or GIFs), polls, etc. Additionally, you can make posts that include giveaways or raffles. One of the most common practices is to use engaging captions that ask users a question and prompt them to answer in the comments. Get creative and find out what your audience wants to see on their social media timelines. 

Furthermore, on many platforms, the more “features” of the app that you use, the further “reach” the algorithm gives you. Apps want to see you using all possible features. Be sure to do this through stories, widgets (like the stickers and polls mentioned above), Reels, etc.

Use User-Generated Content

You will also see a huge impact on social media sales when you start sourcing user-generated content. UGC is content that your customers have posted on their personal social media accounts that positively mention your product or business. You may gather it (with permission) as you see it, or you could work with UGC creators. This is similar to influencer collaborations but typically sits at a lower price point.

Next, user-generated content will bring authenticity to your account that is stronger than what you can create yourself. 79% of people say that user-generated content highly impacts their purchasing decisions, so using this content is key to your social media sales strategy.

Optimize your posts

Lastly, make sure your social media posts are optimized for shopping. Platforms like Instagram allow you to create shoppable posts. These let users shop right from the photo. Depending on the platform, users can either purchase directly on the social media site or they will be directed to your website. Either way, this breaks down barriers to purchase and allows you to drive more sales to your business.

Customer engagement for sales through social media

While the content you post is really important to driving sales, so is the way you interact with customers through comments and direct messages. Quality engagement can make you more likely to retain customers and more likely to have repeat sales. 

One of the most powerful things you can do with your social media is to make sure to engage with those who comment on your posts. By responding and tagging the user you are showing that your business values their comments and want to hear feedback from customers.

How to craft responses on social media

Providing value in social media responses is important. You shouldn’t reply with generic responses. Instead, take the time to provide useful information. This will show that you value the comment and the customer’s interaction with your brand.

First, take a second to evaluate the context of the user’s comment. Are they complimenting your business? Do they have an issue with shipping? Are they providing constructive feedback? By recognizing the tone and meaning behind a comment, you can avoid making a mistake in your response.

Once you have analyzed the text you can pick an appropriate method of response.

For any questions that are asked, be sure to answer fully and provide additional resources for the commenter to reference. This can be a fabulous and extremely easy to push sales, especially if they are asking about particular products. If they left a comment with praise for your brand, show your appreciation and thank them! If they comment something negative, apologize and try to find a resolution. Even if this is just a comment (and not a review), check out this blog post to learn more about handling negative reviews.

Can you really drive sales through social media?

78% of people who use social media for their business are outselling their competitors. This shows that social media can really make an impact on your sales. People who sell their products on social media are also 51% more likely to achieve their sales quotas.

While social media can be the prime location for you to drive new sales and help retain customers, it takes a developed social media sales strategy to be successful. Begin by focusing on engaging with your niche and providing value to users who see your content. 

If you follow these tips, soon you will be driving significant sales through social media. Good luck!

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