How to Increase Sales through Social Media
December 5th, 2012
Maybe you all know that the basic concept of how to sell more is to increase brand awareness about the products or services you offer. But how to do it? Of course, the greatest power in the world today is virtual social networks. Do you know how to make the most of these social networks to increase sales? Make sure you take all the opportunities we suggest in this article!
All businessmen know that social networks are a good source of new customers. Social networks not only have a huge viral effect on their users, they also affect their buying decisions. That’s why entrepreneurs create their own Facebook page for their website or eshop and use it as a means of promoting their brand online. But it’s not just Facebook that has the power to publicize your business. See how you can use Twitter or Pinterest, too.
How to take advantage of various social networks to increase sales
We chose three social networks most used worldwide, to offer tips on how you can use them to draw the attention of potential customers. Always remember that the greatest strength of social networks is the effect caused by viral content shared between friends and contacts linked to each user.
Being the most widely used of all, Facebook offers the greatest chance of winning your future customers. On a Facebook page linked with your eshop, you can share news through
- written text or “Offers, event +” in the status (promotions, discounts, contests, etc.)
- a poll hidden under the option “Question” in the above part (research customer opinion about services, etc.)
- a shared article that was previously published in the eshop (shop changes, contests, etc.)
- images in albums or images on a Facebook wall (new collections, items on sale, top selling items etc.)
- a video (reviews, presentations, advertising products sold in your store, etc.)
Twitter only lets you share short posts so feel free to spread your creative wings to announce messages with a limited space. Through this network, you can advertise the same information as on Facebook and more. Just post a message that includes a call to action along with a related link. For example, “Check out our 2013 summer collection!” and add a shortened link to a photo gallery published in your eshop. Make sure you also retweet positive reactions and reviews about your products. If you prepare a “Short-term offer,” inform clients about, e.g. how many pieces are still left in stock.
Maybe this social network isn’t very familiar, but Pinterest also has considerable potential. By being more focused on the visual aspect, it can be used very well to share photos of items for sale. You can distribute them on different “Boards”, for example, most popular articles, promotional items, etc. On Pinterest, you can share whole boards with your customers and fans, and let them publish their reviews or distribute their favorite product among friends.
TIP: Don’t forget Google+, a social network that’s often overlooked by web owners. Although Google+ is not as popular as Facebook, it hides great potential for the future considering the fact that the number of users already reached 400 million in 12 months. In comparison, Facebook took years to reach 100 million users.
How are you taking advantage of social networks? Which ones do you use to promote your online store? Share your experiences with us! Wondering how to create a website? Check the step-by-step guide.