Social Selling For Your Business
By Jessica Oaks
The multitude of digital and social communications platforms available to us has exponentially expanded our connections everywhere. Because of increased access to mobile technology, the internet and social media, marketing as a whole has evolved with the social media revolution. A new form of selling, social selling, has taken over businesses as a way for them to communicate and connect with their customers and prospective customers.
The New Way of Direct and Indirect Marketing
Marketing strategies are changing to heavily incorporate the use of social media. Sales people now can get real-time data and in-depth user analytics to find out where their customers are in the online space, and what exactly gets their attention. They can use this valuable insight to personalize messaging and target the right demographic for whatever product, brand launch or service they provide. By doing this, they are directly marketing to their ideal audience, one that they know will be interested in what they have to say.
Social selling is also a way for businesses to indirectly market themselves. Even having their brand name pop up in a newsfeed post subconsciously ingrains itself in a consumer’s mind, ultimately triggering a connection with these consumers once they actually need a product or service related to that brand.
Choosing The Right Social Platforms
Not all social media platforms are equal or fit for all types of marketing. Twitter, for instance, is an ideal platform for brands that want to have ongoing conversations with their customer base. Because the nature of Twitter is conversational and feeds off the latest trends, news or topics, marketers that want to discuss a hot product launch or address an issue or customer inquiry can do so immediately. This amplifies the connection between brand and consumer because it shows consumers that the company cares about their satisfaction.
For more visually based products, utilizing platforms like Pinterest and Instagram are a great way to show, versus tell. It can paint a lifestyle a company wants to sell to a person. Additionally, these sites can directly link to retail sites for click-to-shop purposes, resulting in direct sales. LinkedIn is a social network focused primarily on networking, so connecting with people who hold the same business interests is expected and welcome. It’s a safe space to build connections or your business’s reputation in the relevant industry. Or, if you’re looking to build your brand’s story, video based social platforms like Snapchat is a great option.
Facebook has become a mecca for various types of direct selling. It can be used for targeted ads, creating pages for businesses to establish a brand presence or utilized for contests. The world really is your oyster due to the large Facebook community that has been established since its creation. Whatever social platform you use, just make sure to understand the purpose for each social media platform and how you can utilize each one for particular selling aspects of your business.
How You Can Become A Social Seller
Now that you’ve got the 101 on what social selling is and the platforms that are out there for marketers to capitalize on, you may be wondering how you can become a social seller yourself. There are countless ways to get involved in social selling. In fact, you may already be doing it in your personal social media activity.
If you have a passion for fitness, try becoming a Beachbody coach. You can share how to videos of meal prep and workouts with others on your social media, and invite them to join the journey towards health and well being. Another path of social selling is becoming a social media influencer in a niche field like fashion. Social media allows you to share style ideas visually and effectively. Once you build a following, try partnering with retail brands that will pay you money each time you get that “like.” Bigger companies also need help with social selling entrepreneurs.
For example, Amway is a business that provides you with health, nutrition and beauty products to sell. You can build your customer database through your own social media networks and directly sell products to interested parties. And you get a profit margin from each product you sell. Amway also incentivizes its employees to recruit others to become direct sellers for the company (although this may be mistaken for a pyramid scheme or scam, it’s not considered one due to that fact that Amway allows employees to make money in various ways outside recruitment).
Whichever way you choose to sell your business, know that social media is there to help you reach successful operations. Use it to your advantage, strategically and wisely, and the profits will naturally follow.
Jessica Oaks is a freelance journalist who loves to cover technology news and the ways that technology makes life easier. She also blogs at FreshlyTechy.com. Check her out on Twitter @TechyJessy.
