The Impact Of Social Media On Sales Social media can help you generate high quality sales leads and develop business relationships based on trust.
By Mohammad Abdullah •
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Sales play a vital role in the growth of any business. The sales process is comprised of different practices, and one of them is getting to know your customers and establishing strong relationships with them. Social media, as we all know, connects people and can help businesses get more information about their customers. It enables entrepreneurs to find out how their business is perceived by their customers, including what their customers think of their competitors, allowing them to make the necessary changes in their products or services and to initiate conversations to cultivate a prospect or sales lead. Here are a few ideas on how social media can be used to make new sales and generate increasing returns.
1. Choose the right social media platform Social media is comprised of different platforms, and when choosing the right social media platform for their business, entrepreneurs should start by learning the preferences of their client base. Social media can be used inteligently only if the business is active on the same online platform as its customers. It is a waste of time to engage on one social media platforms if your clients are spending the majority of their time on another. One of the best social media platforms is Facebook, specially for B2C businesses, as it provides the opportunity to publish ads. It can be used with other platforms, such as Pinterest and Instagram, as well. You can engage with new customers, take orders from them and keep them informed about your new offers and initiatives.
2. Connect with your prospects Once you have chosen the right platform, you need to join it by creating a profile or a page that should be made in the name of the business. After that, you can connect with your prospects by following them, sending them a friend request, and so on. The question that arises here is, how are you going to identify the prospects? This is where SEO techniques might come in handy. You can use keywords to search for the individuals who are active in or talking about your industry. It is advisable not to approach them with sales pitches immediately, but to first find out their needs and pain points.
3. Build relationships and engage in conversations Suitable for both customers and businesses, social media allows them to build long-lasting relationships. Entrepreneurs should know that it is going to take time before they fetch desired results. Building long-lasting relationships is only possible when you invest time to research, create and share engaging content. It's not a good idea just to send to your customers a message with a pitch and a link to your website -they will be uninterested- but try to point out to some problems of theirs that your product or service can solve.
These are three simple steps which can make your social media presence felt, while increasing sales of your businesses as well. It is also important to mention that you should aim to treat your potential customers with respect while adding value to their lives with your products or services.
