Social media is amazing particularly when you know how to use it to generate sales, leads, prospects and clients. Most organizations and businesses, however, have not been able to figure out how to use it to produce sales.
Sure, they may frequently engage and use it for spreading the word about their brand, but fall short when it comes to using it to drive sales. The reality of social media marketing is that in the right hands -or in this case, the right marketing departments - it can become a powerful online marketing medium.
So considering that it is cheap too, this makes it the perfect online marketing tool for long term results and rewards. So, how can you take advantage of the tens of thousands of social networks out there?
Creative Viral ContentThe first key to making social media work for you is creativity. The more creative you are during your engagement, the better your sales and revenue will be. Your original viral content could be images, infographics or something truly informative or hilarious. The idea is that people must want to share instinctively whatever it is that you share. Sure, you won't get it right all the time -unless you have a team of super-smart and super-creative people- but on the few occasions that you do, the rewards will be enormous.
Engage, Engage, EngageEngagement is the key to succeeding on social media. Engage as if your business' success depends on it. Consistently post articles, share blog posts, post interesting stuff you find online - with the proper attribution of course - share videos and images.
Most important, however, is the fact that you should consistently deliver extreme value to your audience. Look, people are busy, so if they are going to be reading your feeds, articles, tweets, or going through your images, you had better make it worth their time.
Sure, it does not seem like a marketing technique, but in this era where permission marketing has become increasingly important, you have to adopt that method. It is a long-term plan - say 3-6 months - but it always works when properly deployed.
Hold Contests and RewardsThis is pretty simple: just set up a contest where the winner, first runner-up and second runner-up get significant gifts. People love free things. They love trying hard for them. Give them that opportunity whilst still benefitting from it.
For instance, you could create a contest that's aimed at increasing the number of fans on your Facebook page. Then, reward the individuals with the highest amount of referrals with one of your premium products or services.
Consistently Post Time Based Bonuses and Rebates on Social MediaThis one is good because it forces people to check your social media feeds out at least once a day. So, create some time based bonuses, rewards or cash rebates that the customers can get within a certain time frame. It may be as short as 30 minutes or as long as days. This will attract tons of repeat and new visitors.
Coupons are also a great idea. Use them to your advantage. Create coupons that will be up for just one hour and put a countdown timer or something to indicate when it is going to expire. This will most likely force some members of your audience to use the coupon, resulting in increased sales for you.
Carry Out a Flash SaleA flash sale is simply a sale that is held within a very short time. Moreover, to make it even more compelling, combine it with a dime sale. This means that you could for instance, set up a quick 2-hour sale and set it up so that the price goes up by another 3 cents after every purchase. This is likely to create a buying frenzy, and your products will probably sell out quickly, particularly if you have limited units.
Oscar King works in his company's marketing department, and writes on the side to help give businesses ideas for ways to boost their marketing campaign effectiveness. One method he highly recommends is travel incentives such as those provided by Get Up and Go. You can learn more about Oscar by visiting his Google+.You May Also Be Interested In...
