Social media can be an extremely effective sales tool if you know how to use it strategically. (I have clients making $100k yearly from it!) Here are some key tips you can implement today – no fluff, no big technical knowledge needed. These are simply things that get results.
- The first step to any sale is bonding. (When someone hands over a credit card is simply the end of a process that starts here.) So, share meaningful things and converse with those you want to sell to. It is what separates you from a used car salesman!
- Don’t hide your business (see #5). One of the biggest challenges I see is that people don’t want to appear “too salesy” – so then they never mention that they are a coach, sell kids clothes, or are in business. The aren’t door-to-door customers for a reason. You have to let people know you have something to sell in order for them to buy.
- Know when to take the conversation off of social media. At a certain point, you can tell when the relationship is warming up (it’s that moment when if you were meeting someone you know the moment is NOW to ask them for the number). Most often, the feeling of intimacy that social media creates does not replace real human interaction. Ask for their phone number.
- Use Facebook events, Twitter hashtags and Ustream shows to promote your business. Put up an event to highlight a sale. Add a hashtag to your posts to create buzz. And, video shows are hands down the way I see people selling the most using new media. You always want to have a social media sales plan that incorporates these.
- Follow up with those who have yet to buy and those who have already bought. If you go to someone’s page and thank them for their business, they will often comment on what a great service or product you provided. Then, all of their friends see that, along with their glowing recommendation. This is one of the most effective ways to sell through social media.
Soon Facebook hopes that you will not leave them to shop – that it will replace most websites and that you will buy things directly from there, so selling on these sites is a strategy you’ll want to learn.
Got questions? Please ask at facebook.com/ilikelindsay! I’m happy to help.
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