Sell more products through social media

So you’ve got as far as setting up a website and various social media accounts in order to market your products or services, and have started actively advertising, but are wondering what to focus on next.

Your social media presence is key – knowing what to do, and where, can really help drive your sales. Here we look at five simple ways to sell more using the accounts you have.

Find your customers
Perhaps the most important factor in driving sales, knowing which social media your customers and potential customers are active on will help you narrow down your advertising and focus your energies.

There’s no point spending money and time on Facebook when all your customers are on Twitter, for example.
Do this through close monitoring of mentions of your business, or using social media tools to track anyone responding to you. Much of it will be trial and error – aim to identify the two or three social media platforms where your customers are hanging out.

Don’t overcomplicate matters
Remember, the majority of customers these days want everything handed to them on a plate, and this includes your products.
So keep marketing, engagement and interaction simple and straightforward. Use plain language everyone can understand, and outline benefits as simply as possible.
Your target should be to make the whole buying process easy for the customer – the fewer steps they have to make a purchase, the better.

Use calls to action
Every advert you put out there, paid for or otherwise, should have a clear, concise and unambiguous call to action (CTA), which the customer cannot fail to understand.
The likes of Facebook and Instagram offer plenty of these in their adverts: Direct actions such as Shop Now, Book Now, Contact Us or Apply Now give the customer both a clear indication of what they can do and an easy way to do it.

Encourage reviews
Reviews are the lifeblood of every business. Many people will look for reviews for everything they buy, so gaining plenty of positive ones which are readily available to view should be a priority of every business, whether it’s a restaurant or brand of washing powder.
Did you know: In a recent poll, 40% of adult consumers in America said they always or nearly always look at customer reviews online before making a purchase.
It is essential, therefore, to encourage people to leave reviews for you and social media is a great tool for doing this. Use it to engage with customers who mention your brand, enabling them to have a personal relationship with you.

Think about providing an incentive for reviews to be left, but be careful not to be seen as demanding positive ones.
Negative reviews and comments should always be responded to as soon as possible, in a positive, polite way. Your aim is to build loyalty and encourage conversation.

Be more mobile
Social media is accessed in several different ways, but mobiles are now the device of choice for many people. This means you have to ensure all your content, from website to adverts, is fully accessible and compatible with mobiles.

Check how well your content performs using the free PageSpeed tools from Google.