Social Media is nowadays for many companies not only one of the most important channels of marketing communication but also a key tool suppo...
Social Media is nowadays for many companies not only one of the most important channels of marketing communication but also a key tool supporting the sales process. How to use social media in sales - we suggest in the text.
Social Selling - does it work?
The use of social media in sales, although this is not a new phenomenon, is still controversial. Opinions on the effectiveness of this type of platforms in the sales process are ambiguous, which is why many companies approach this phenomenon somewhat with distance and with great caution. Before they commit funds to a venture, companies always want to know whether this investment is profitable and how much can be earned on it. Well, it seems that with the right strategy, social media can be an effective tool to attract new customers. According to most experts, the failure of many companies on this line is due to an inadequate strategy rather than to the immense flaws of this instrument.
Being active is essential
If we want to increase sales with the help of social networks, it is not enough just to be present on their pages. You need to be an active player, focus on arousing interest in our products and services (content marketing, storytelling, etc.) and building user trust in the brand (presence of company employees in discussions, responding to comments and inquiries, after-sales customer service, etc.). Social selling is not direct sales via social media platforms, but rather social support in the process of acquiring new customers. According to a survey on social sales by Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) among 23,000 online retailers, opinions,https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/social-selling-increase-sales/ ).
Know and understand your target audience
Social selling has great potential. The key to success in this regard is to know and understand the needs of the target group. For this purpose, it is worth monitoring user comments about the brand, follow all mentions of our brand in social media (you can use the support of one of the applications operating on the web). In addition, it can be helpful to draw a picture of a typical business customer. The so-called personas are people characteristic of the entire target group. Getting to know your target audience is a sine qua non for building closer and more personal relationships. The better we get to know our customers, the more value-added value we can offer them.
Be where potential customers are
The optimal strategy in the field of social sales should take into account the activity of the target group on specific social networking sites. It is worth being active mainly where most of our clients focus. The most popular and the ones that offer the greatest opportunities in the customer acquisition process are of course Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. Linkedin will also work in the B2B area. Search for groups and topics related to the brand, there he presents his stories. Social media is also an excellent tool for monitoring brand opinions, from user discussions you can draw many interesting and useful conclusions that can be used during sales.
Personal Branding
Social selling is an undertaking in which not only salespeople should be involved, but also marketers, social media communication specialists and customer service employees. Only teamwork can bring the expected results in this field. Everyone must know the sales goals of the organization and support them. This way, it is easier to show the company as an entity that is not just an imaginary corporation, but a team of people whose goal is to solve customer problems. In fact, people follow people, not brands. For this purpose, it is also worth using famous personalities as brand ambassadors. Thanks to their popularity and sympathy, it is faster and easier to build closer relationships with customers.
Summary
Social media is an effective tool supporting the sales process. However, it should be remembered that social selling is more social support in the sales process than direct selling. It is building good relations with brand lovers through active participation in discussions and various types of interactions with users.
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