John Winters
You’ve built up your Facebook Likes and Twitter followers. You’ve been circled on Google+ and you’ve got people following your Pinterest boards. You’ve got it all! So, are you ready to take off to the next level? Did you know that you could actually sell from some social media channels such as Facebook? A recent article, 8 Steps to Social Selling, by Shawn Hessinger shares several steps to get started.
- Build Relationships First
Start with developing relationships and get some engagement traction on social media.
Once you have engaged your followers, assess whether your followers are showing interest in ordering from you via social sites. For example, are people inquiring about how to buy from you? Have they asked via social about the status of orders they’ve placed? Are your brick-and-mortar customers talking about your discounts and special deals they learned of through social media?
If your customers are engaging with you online, your customer base is ready to go to the next level and actually buy via social platforms.
- Target Market
Make sure you actually know where your customers and prospects spend their time online. Use social media analytic tools to measure how much interest your social media posts on various sites have generated.
Also, find out which social channels your competitors have developed and where they seem to have traction.
- Storefront App
Create a storefront on a social media platform; one of the easiest ways is to select an app that makes it easy like Ecwid or Cashie.
You can find e-commerce apps that let you sell from a tab on Facebook, and across multiple platforms including your blog and mobile devices. Many of these are simple to set up and easy for customers to use on mobile devices.
- Run Trials
Test it before you open it up to followers and the public at large. Ask family members, friends and colleagues to go through it as if they are customers. Get at least three external opinions.
Make sure all functions work. Test usability issues to avoid stumbling blocks that get in the way of a satisfying buying experience.
- Develop Great “Social” Offers
David Peck, head of social media for PayPal, suggests you stick to a simple rule when putting out offers on social media: “First, best, or only.” If your offer doesn’t have one of those elements, don’t post it. Limited time discounts can also be very enticing.
- Customer Reviews
Customers like to be heard. And buyers today expect to see reviews.
Don’t be afraid of negative customer reviews. They provide helpful feedback on areas you can improve. Also, a fast response to an unhappy customer is a great chance to show that you pay attention and that you’re willing to do what it takes to satisfy the customer.
Conclusion
Are you ready to soar across the realm of social selling? Follow the above steps to successfully sell your products online.
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