Introduction – The Basics To Knowing How To Sell On Social Media
OK, before looking at “how to sell on Social Media”, let’s get a few things straight first off.
People don’t go to social media to be sold to. But that doesn’t mean they don’t BUY from social media.
Every business who ‘does’ social media expects to get something from it. Otherwise why do it right?
Many businesses have unrealistic expectations in relation to the time and / or money they may have to spend and the return they will get.
So, let me make this clear. You are either going to have to put money into this or you are going to have to put time into it. My suggestion is that if you have spare time and not much money – learn how to do it. But at the point at which you don’t have 2 hours a day to put into your social media, get someone else to do it.
We’ll talk about WHAT that should be in a minute but first another question.
Does Social Media Work for Business?
Of course it does. Sorry, that question is about as sensible as asking ‘Do websites work for business?’.
However, for a website to work, you must know the purpose of the website and design it around that purpose. You then need to spend money (or time) maintaining it, updating it and making sure it is fit for purpose.
Well it’s exactly the same for being able to sell on social media.
You must know what and who it is for, and you have to design your strategy around that and in line with the business strategy. Then you have to spend time or money or both updating it on a daily basis, and keeping up with all the many – sometimes daily – changes that happen.
You must also know where you are in your business life cycle.
Start-up Businesses
If you are a start up business, then your website’s job and that of your social media is to get you out there – educate your market that you exist – and give lots of content which positions you as an expert and someone who can help your target customer.
Established Businesses
If you already have a big and engaged following – then you still want to give content to your ideal customers, but you can also offer them more stuff – free and paid – than you can as a newbie. As a newbie you have to prove that your stuff is worth having.
The main problem you have is that there is a lot of noise. No-one knows you. And it isn’t that they don’t have the £99 to pay for your online training or workshop – it is that they don’t have the TIME to waste on something which could be a waste of time.
So – you need to prove your FREE content is valuable before you even try to sell your paid content/products or services.
So Just How Do You Sell On Social Media Then?
Ultimately – how you sell on social media is by not selling. You sell by understanding your customer, giving them information which is valuable to them, engaging with them, building a relationship with them and then offering them solutions that meet their needs. Hell, if you get really good at this – you can just have the stuff available and people will come to you. But you still have to let them know about it – in a helpful, rather than ‘salesy’ way.
Selling to people before they know you, is like trying to sleep with someone on a first date. Sometimes it will work, but it probably won’t be long lasting and regular. And with most businesses the repeat business is where the money is. The loyal customer who comes back and recommends you to others is not the one who feels sold to. They are the ones who feel loved, appreciated and taken care of.
And that takes time. Like any relationship.
Can You Shortcut the Sales Cycle?
Yes of course. But you can’t get rid of it entirely.
Ways to shortcut the sales cycle:-
- Pay for celebrity endorsement
- Spend a ton of cash on ads
- Do work for free in exchange for rocking testimonials
- Joint Venture with a firm that already has a list of your potential clients
- Buy a (quality) list
- Know how to get media coverage
- Try to create viral campaigns or pay someone to create them
- Pay a great social media company to spend several hours a day which you don’t have to supercharge your social media
- Hire a full time social media manager (expensive) – only do this IF you know a shedload about social media and can recognise a superstar when you see one – and be prepared to pay a premium. Most people are great at one or two channels but not expert at all of them – and the rare fish who are can charge what they like!
Unless you have an unlimited budget – please see social media as something you have to do from now on (or outsource). It’s not just for now or a couple of months – it is forever. It’s a bit like dieting – they fail because you stop following the diet. The only way to lose weight forever is to eat differently forever.
Likewise, the only way to make social work is to do it forever. You have to be consistent, you have to spend time on it, you have to keep up to date with the many changes, and the many tips and strategies, you have to constantly TEST.
Why You Need to Sell on Social Media
Social Media is no longer a luxury or something you can do without. You will get left behind if you are not in it now. Don’t you wish you had started building your tribe in 2004 when Facebook started? Well, the second best time is right now.
And the good news is – that it can be just like your website. It is NOT something that you HAVE to do yourself. You can if you want to of course, but I would hazard a guess that your hourly charge out rate – your TIME – is worth far more per hour than you could pay a great social media company to do it for you. So why waste your precious time?
The best way to sell through social media is to have a massive presence, where you need to be, created by someone who knows what they are doing, make you look good and build you a tribe of loyal potential customers. Then YOU just need to create something amazing to offer to them.
Need Help?
If you feel you need help learning how to sell on Social Media, you can find out more about our Done For You, Done With You and Do IT Yourself services by contacting me directly by clicking the button below.