A Lot More Than a Like (or Cat Pictures)

Social media management is about a lot more than getting a few likes. Believe it or not, likes can be purchased, followers faked, and favorites manufactured. Real social media management is about finding people who will love your product or service. It’s not about glamour statistics such as numbers of followers or favorites on a tweet.

Great social media management is about attracting an audience and convincing them to buy. But, is social media really that powerful? Can it drive sales?

Yes, yes it can. Don’t believe us?

More Than Cat Pictures

From Forbes to Huffington Post, US News and World Report, and everyone in-between are covering the rise of the power of social media. Yes, it seems that social media has become much, much more than a place to share cat pictures (don’t get us wrong, there are many, many cat pictures). Social media lets businesses interact directly with potential customers where they live.

No more analyzing where your customers are. Social media gives us the ability to know where our customers hang out. The only challenge is convincing them to listen.

Do More than Produce a Thumbs Up

A thousand likes on a post is good, but if that provides no leads or sales, it is as good as useless. So how do you go beyond a thumbs up? Try out a few of these strategies:

Use Posts AND Ads: It is nearly impossible to reach new potential customers without paying for advertising. A good mix of Facebook posts and advertisements can create a dedicated following that actually purchase something.

Experiment: Just like any other marketing strategy, use measured tests to see what type of content and timing works best.

Brand Your Posts: Whether it is Twitter or Facebook, make sure that your social media posts carry your brand’s voice. This can help make the transition to a purchase much easier.

A Custom Audience: If you are not using custom audience features in Facebook and Twitter, you are doing it wrong. Facebook Custom Audiences and Twitter Tailored Audiences help find the right audience and convert real sales.

What is more important is to remember that social media can be a sales tool. You wouldn’t try to write your own TV commercial script, would you? Consider hiring out to a digital agency like Absolute Web Services to move beyond likes and into sales.