Social media isn’t just for connecting with family and friends—it’s also the perfect digital marketing channel for businesses to generate and convert online leads. Most brands already have an online presence, but even the most substantial followings on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram still need to be nurtured if you want all of those likes and comments to help you grow your bottom line. Follow these six simple steps to generate more sales and turn your social media followers into customers.
Assess Your Current Social Media Presence
You won’t be able to turn followers into customers if your social media marketing plan isn’t solid to begin with. So before you do anything else, check your analytics. Go through follower counts, likes, comments, shares, and other key social media metrics to better understand which of your online marketing efforts are working and which aren’t.
Then, consider whether your social media successes align with your brand goals. Double down on strategies that are already successful and rework those that aren’t. For example, you may have thousands of Twitter followers, but if none of them are purchasing your products or services, it may be time to reallocate your efforts—or at least take a different approach.
Understand the Differences Between Platforms
Speaking of your approach to social media as a business tool, it’s important to realize that different platforms serve different purposes. Research which posts perform best on various platforms, then run your brand’s social media accounts accordingly.
If you want to market handcrafted furniture, for instance, then your brand’s posts will probably perform well on Instagram, where photo sharing and aesthetics are the main appeal. Have an event announcement or a breaking update to share? Head to Twitter. And don’t forget about Facebook. The social media giant is the perfect hub for engaging with customers of all ages and backgrounds, as well as for listing local search details like your business address, hours, and more.
Whichever you use, make sure all of your social media platforms are linked to your website so that followers can go from browsing your social feed to learning about your brand in just a few clicks.
Use Targeted Advertising
With all of the personal information people offer up on their social media profiles, using targeted advertising as part of your social media marketing campaign is an obvious move. Behavioral targeting—that is, advertising to consumers based on their likes, interests, and habits—is an especially effective way to convert social media followers to customers. This common marketing technique allows you to easily find people who belong to your target demographic, even if they aren’t already following you.
Better yet, consider implementing geofenced ads to your current campaign, as it’s now easier than ever to use your customer’s habits to your advantage. You can use geofencing to trigger an ad on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms whenever a potential customer enters a specific geographic area. According to Yahoo, more than 50% of shoppers who receive such ads ultimately visit the business behind it.
And don’t get discouraged if your social media advertising efforts lead to bounced web traffic from time to time. You can recapture those opportunities through retargeting ads. Recent studies indicate that customers exposed to a retargeting ad are 70% more likely to purchase from your brand over a competitor.
Share Posts From Current Customers
Sometimes, the most effective online advertising comes in the form of praise from current customers. This user-generated content (UGC) is essentially free marketing, so don’t let it go to waste! The next time you see someone post something positive about your brand, share it.
UGC sees an engagement rate that’s 28% higher than other posts, and 71% of consumers say that seeing UGC makes them feel more confident about purchasing from a particular brand.
Word-of-mouth marketing is a powerful asset for social media, especially when it comes from within a shared community. Sharing UGC doesn’t just help you convert followers into customers; it also helps you increase page views, boost purchase satisfaction, and nurture leads who have already done business with you in the past. So if you want people to like, trust, and buy from your brand, give your audience a platform.
Make Sure Your Website Is Mobile-Friendly
Most people log into social media from their phones, so optimizing your brand’s website for mobile devices is a must. The last thing you want is for your followers to click onto your website to buy something or read an article they saw advertised on a social platform only to give up because they found it too difficult to navigate.
Studies show that businesses without a mobile-optimized website lose revenue as a result. This is largely due to the fact that most mobile purchases are made on impulse, so even the smallest hurdles in user experience can turn would-be customers away. With nearly 60% of mobile sales revenue coming from websites (as opposed to apps), it’s clear that small businesses can’t afford to make this simple mistake.
Always be thinking about how your website’s appearance and overall function will impact your customers. Don’t assume that you’re good to go just because it looks great on desktop. Every time you make a change to your website, be sure to check how it looks on mobile before you push changes live.
Reward Loyalty by Providing Value
Social media pages give your customers the opportunity to be part of a community. This fosters a sense of belonging and exclusivity, and these feelings make followers far more likely to convert into customers, thanks to the psychological phenomena called “social proof.” This is the idea that people are swayed to act by the behavior of others. These emotional factors are what help brands gain followers, but they also play a major role in helping you keep and convert them.
The key is to reward your followers for engaging with your business online by offering something of value in exchange. For example, you could create a Facebook Group outside of your brand’s general Facebook Page to give your followers an informal space for discussing your brand and other relevant topics. Then, run promotions, contests, and giveaways that are exclusive to that forum. Convert your social media followers into customers by showing them that their online connection to your brand is worthwhile!
Want to learn more about turning social media followers into customers? Hurrdat’s Social Media Marketing services can help boost your brand’s online presence so that it can start delivering the results and the revenue you want. Contact us today to learn more!
