• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Social Media Examiner | Social Media Marketing

Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle

  • 🔥 Free Newsletter
  • ☀️ Web3 Conference
  • 🔎 Find Help
  • ⚙️ Tools
  • 🗓️ Events
  • 🎤 Shows
    • Social Media Marketing Podcast
    • Social Media Marketing Talk Show
    • Crypto Business Podcast
    • Our YouTube Channel
  • Sponsor
    • Podcast Sponsorship
    • Email Sponsorship
    • Event Sponsorship
  • About
    • Society
    • Articles & Videos
      • Articles
        • Web3
        • How To
          • Instagram Marketing
          • Facebook Ads
          • Facebook Marketing
          • YouTube Marketing
          • YouTube Ads
          • LinkedIn Marketing
          • TikTok Marketing
          • Clubhouse
        • View Points
        • Expert Interviews
        • Tools
      • Video Tutorials
        • Instagram Marketing
        • Instagram Ads
        • Facebook Marketing
        • Facebook Ads
        • LinkedIn Ads
        • TikTok
        • Clubhouse
  • Search
  • 5 Ways to Sell With Social Media

    by Jim Belosic / September 19, 2013

    social media how toDo you want to convert your fans and followers into paying customers?

    Are your social activities working?

    In this article I’ll show you 5 simple ways to tweak your social media updates for better sales conversion.

    Some social media updates can go further toward bringing in sales than others. And they can do this without detracting from the spirit of social media.

    sale sign
    Some social media updates can help with sales more than others. Image source: iStockPhoto.

    #1: Incorporate a Clear Call to Action

    Your customers and fans visit your social media pages for a variety of reasons, but generally speaking, they want to do something or learn something.

    Some people are looking for information about your company, some are looking for details about products and services, some want access to special deals and coupons, some want to see if you have any contests or promotions running and some may be looking for expert tips and how-to tricks.

    If you don’t give them what they’re after, they won’t return. Use status updates to give them what they want and what you want: a sale.

    Post calls to action like “Click here for a Facebook fan exclusive coupon,” or “Enter to win…”

    Here you see how Target offers daily deals on Twitter.

    target twitter account
    Target has a Twitter account where followers can see deals the retailer has in stores.

    But remember to stay true to the 70-20-10 rule: 70 percent of your page’s content should be information that’s valuable and relevant to your fans; 20 percent should be content that comes from other people and 10 percent should be promotional.

    Once you know why your audience wants to interact with you on social media, be sure to give them the types of information they’re looking for.

    #2: Convey a Sense of Urgency

    Due to the ticker-tape nature of most social media platforms, you have a very limited amount of time to catch the attention of your customers/fans/followers. If they see an update with verbiage that compels them to “act now,” you win.

    Using words like “For a limited time” or “On sale this week” or “Own it first” will catch the eye of your visitors.

    No Longer Just for Tech and Finance Nerds...

    Crypto

    Originally just for people who understood the jargon, Web3 is now the business playground for entrepreneurs, creators, and marketers.

    Whether you’re a newbie or have already gotten your feet wet, you can learn the ins and outs of NFTs, DAOs, social tokens, and more on the newest show hosted by Michael Stelzner—the Crypto Business podcast.

    Follow the show on your favorite podcast platform to find out how to make Web3 work for your business.

    FOLLOW THE SHOW

    You can also offer incentives for booking or buying immediately instead of later. Depending on your business, you could waive shipping fees, offer an extra week of your service or even a buy-one/get-one, etc. Ideally, post different time-sensitive offers on different networks.

    For example, “The next 10 people who retweet this will receive 10% off their next purchase.” On Facebook you could use an app to make an offer like, “The first 10 people to share this on Facebook get $25 off a $50 purchase,” and so on.

    Here, Chili’s uses their Facebook cover photo to connect and offer a deal.

    chili facebook photo
    Chili's uses their cover photo to announce a limited-time offer.

    This is one way to use the instant nature of social media to your advantage.

    #3: Offer Followers and Fans Exclusive Deals

    This idea is similar to the previous one, but you want to make sure that your fans know the deals you’re offering are for fans of a particular network only.

    To grow your following on a variety of networks and inspire loyalty, offer deals that are exclusive to each network.

    Launch Social Projects Faster and Easier

    FindHelp Marketplace

    Looking for a content creator, campaign manager, or strategist for your social channels or a special project?

    Find the right expert for even the most complicated project or campaign in just a few clicks with our new FindHelp marketplace. You'll have more time to focus on other areas of your business without sacrificing your social presence. Browse highly qualified Facebook and Instagram experts today.

    FIND HELP TODAY

    Kate Spade New York always has something special cookin’ for their Facebook fans. Periodically offering special deals is a great tactic for a business that wants to keep its fans coming back again and again. And doesn’t every business want that?

    kate spade new york
    Kate Spade New York offers Facebook fans exclusive deals and coupons on a regular basis. It keeps them coming back again and again.

    This is a great way to reach out to specific audiences within your social media strategy.

    #4: Encourage Sharing

    It never hurts to ask your fans and followers to retweet, repin or share. Ideally you’re offering such a great deal that your fans and followers will want to share it anyway, but a little nudge is okay.

    If your update is about a Facebook contest, you can even let your followers know that if they share the news about your contest, they’ll get an extra chance (or chances) to win.

    National Builder Supply uses Pinterest to give fans a chance to win a chandelier.

    repinning contest
    National Builder Supply gives fans a chance to win a new chandelier by repinning their contest image on Pinterest.

    When you ask your audience to interact with your content, they’re more likely to do it.

    #5: Keep All of Your Social Media Profiles Current

    When potential customers land on your various social pages, they should have a clear idea of what your business/brand is all about. At the very least, go through each of your business’s social profiles (Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) once a quarter and make sure all of the information is current, because social networks occasionally change dimensions and other details.

    For example, earlier this year Facebook relaxed its rules about using calls to action on cover photos, but many companies haven’t yet updated their pages to make the most of this space.

    Tip: You can now include price or purchase information on a Facebook cover photo including phrases like “40% off this week only” or “Download our new eBook here,” contact information or other calls to action such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends.” The main image should also give customers and prospective customers some insights about you.

    In this image, Trunk Club tells you everything about what they do right on their Pinterest page.

    trunk club pinterest profile
    The men's personal shopping service Trunk Club has a fantastic Pinterest profile that tells you everything you need to know about what the company does.

    Never forget to give your social media audience the information they need about your business.

    Over to You

    These are just a few opportunities for you to connect with potential leads for your business. But together with a strategic plan, they can help convert the quality leads your business is looking for.

    What do you think? What kinds of posts and updates have you found are the most effective for making a sale? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.

    Images from iStockPhoto.

    Curious about NFTs, DAOs, and Web3?

    Crypto

    Follow the Crypto Business podcast to find out how NFTs, social tokens, DAOs (and so much more) will affect your business in the near future.

    Every Friday, host Michael Stelzner interviews leading industry experts about what works right now in Web3 and what to expect in the future, so you can prepare your business for the shift, even if you're a total newbie.

    FOLLOW THE SHOW

    Tags: Social Media Strategy

    About the authorJim Belosic

    Jim Belosic is the CEO of ShortStack, a self-service software that allows businesses to create engaging campaigns for social, web and mobile.
    Other posts by Jim Belosic »

    Get Social Media Examiner’s Future Articles in Your Inbox!

    Get our latest articles delivered to your email inbox and get the FREE Social Media Marketing Industry Report (39 pages, 50+ charts)!

    Industry Report Cover

    Worth Exploring:

    Facebook

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Instagram

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    YouTube

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Linkedin

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Facebook Ads

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Social Media Marketing Industry Report

    Get Free Report →

    Social Marketing Trends

    The data you've been missing!

    Need a new plan? Find out how thousands of marketers plan to change their social marketing activities in our 14th annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report. This 39-page report reveals what marketers have planned for their organic social activities, video marketing, social ads, and more. Get this free report now and never miss another great article from Social Media Examiner.

    Enter your email to get
    our free report:


    Footer

    Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle
    Copyright © 2022 Social Media Examiner®
    All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy.

    Helpful Links

    • About us
    • Our content via email
    • Our podcasts
    • Our YouTube channel
    • Our live show
    • Our industry report
    • Sponsorship opportunities
    • Write for us…
    • RSS
    • Accessibility