5 Punishable Social Selling Mistakes to Leave in 2018
Social media is an important tool for brands in this modern age, considering the increasing rate at which everyone is embracing social media and those making the best possible use of these platforms. 78% of Americans have at least one online social media profile, a majority of which will likely patronize a business with an online platform. This explains why brands should pay attention to their social media platforms and connect with their audience.
It is not enough to just build a profile and get followers, you must also use the right social selling tools to connect with the right audience in the best way. You need a specific approach for excellent social selling, as a simple mistake can make it ineffective, cutting down your sales traction.
A survey by Sales for Life found companies that engage in social selling have a higher ROI, up to 119%, when compared to regular sales tactics.
Most businesses that complain about how social media marketing does not work, likely are not doing the right thing to make it work. It is easy to just set up an ad and run a campaign, but what gets the most traction is a campaign with a clear strategy. Always remember that the focus of your business should be on your customers, the ones behind the numerous active social profiles, and not what other companies are doing.
It’s not that easy to make mistakes in social selling but the end result may be affected if so. These mistakes usually tend to go unnoticed because the company failed to realize that it was a mistake. Discovering these mistakes early on will teach you how to avoid or handle them next time.
This article talks about 5 Punishable Social Selling Mistakes to Leave in 2018. Get ready to start the new year with new creative ideas and fewer mistakes. Below are a few core mistakes to avoid.
1. Not Listening
Social listening is key when you are selling, as it is the only way you can understand your customers’ needs and help them get the best service possible. People generally are fond of talking and just wanting to be heard, while paying little to no attention to what others are saying. This makes listening difficult in general. Social listening is even more difficult. Beyond just selling your services and products to your customers, are you ready to hear out their needs? Also, try to understand what they are saying about your products online and adjust when necessary.
Several companies have taken command of social listening skills, some of which include MasterCard, Adobe, and The Red Cross.
MasterCard has a Conversation Suite, which is a 40-foot LED display that shows real-time conversations about the brand. Although four employees are dedicated to monitoring it, any MasterCard employee can have access.
Adobe also has a Customer Listening Post (CLP) that helps bring together customer touchpoints to help create transparency and increase visibility into customer trends, feedback, and so on.
Red Cross has a social media command center that helps them to effectively engage with the public during emergencies and also connect people with required resources at times.
2. Being Insincere
Sincerity is a core tool to help propel your social sales and should not be taken with levity. You should be able to connect with your customers with sincerity and authenticity to get them to trust you.
Social media is by default a means to connect with other people and have effective communication while having fun, so it will require an extra effort to keep a business-like conversation going. Learn to execute each sale with sincerity and authenticity and let every customer be able to vouch for your brand through this.
3. Avoiding Social Media
Avoiding social media will not do your business any good since you have a majority of your users on the platform. By avoiding social media, you simply cut the possibility of ever connecting with your customers, keeping loyal ones, or even gaining new customers. Go where your customers are and spend time there to help grow your business, and in this case, social media.
Facebook ads work! According to Lyfe Marketing, a Facebook ad campaign generated over $103K in sales in under 8 months. Compared to other channels of marketing, Facebook is the cheapest. Dust up your social profiles and start leveraging localized ads, and a post promotion to get more eyes on your business.
Once you take social selling seriously, focus on adding value and building relationships. Also, improve your engagements to provide an opportunity for your customers to communicate with you at all times. Don’t ignore their questions, remarks, or concerns about your brand; simply engage with them.
4. Working Hard Vs Working Smart
You can spend a lot of time trying to improve your social selling but nothing will ever work if you are not smart about it. Make use of data, intelligence, and productivity tools to help determine the right step to take in the journey and ensure you aren’t shooting at the wrong audience.
CLUSE is an online store that focuses on beautifying its social feeds to entice its audience. When followers check their feeds on Instagram, they immediately catch a glimpse into a digital shop window. They make use of user-generated content to show their products and also include strategic hashtags and UGC to connect followers back to their shop.
Some other companies also do giveaways to get more customers, upload quality and interesting videos that appeal to their audience, and allow their products to speak for themselves by sharing pictures from other users, getting feedback, and so on. All these are smart and creative ways to improve your social selling and drive more traction.
5. Not Asking for Referrals
Not asking for referrals can short-change you, as most buyers are more convinced when they are referred by someone they know. If you sell a quality product or service, your customers will refer you by default but you can also increase the number of referrals by asking for one. Simply create a referral program where your customers get something in return for referring someone. This will help unlock potential sales.
Conclusion
Avoid these five punishable mistakes of social selling as you wrap up the year. Try new strategies and be more deliberate about your social selling to give customers the best experience with your brand. With time, you will notice improved sales and a higher ROI. If moving your business to a higher level requires working on your social selling strategy, then you need to begin now and eliminate basic errors that could ruin it all.
