How to promote and sell items on social media
Social media is a powerful way to not only grow your store’s brand, but to sell directly to customers. While each social platform is different in its own way, they all offer the potential to build an audience and promote your online store. Let’s look at a few of the main platforms and how to get started with them.
There’s a lot you already know about Facebook, but let’s begin by saying that Facebook is the largest social media platform with the broadest audience. When you promote through a Facebook page, it should be up-to-date and look credible. Be sure to fill in the About section, give yourself a catchy bio and add a profile photo, ideally with a logo.
Use Facebook to share important updates and links to items in your store, especially when you’ve got discounts or promotions on offer. Post regularly, but not too frequently. As a business owner, you can set up a Facebook Business Manager account to get information on followers, create ads, and learn the best ways to use those ads.
Like Facebook, Instagram is great for ads because of the image format. Seeing items is one of the most important things for customers, and with Instagram stories and Live broadcasts, you can even give your customers product demos. It’s also easy to show positive experiences from people who have bought from you in the past.
Twitter is different. The lifespan of one tweet is around 15 minutes, so you’ll need to post more often. Growing your audience on Twitter is all about follows; so not only should you post a lot, but you should engage as much as possible in discussions relevant to your business so your name gets out there. Hashtags are a great way to loop yourself into relevant conversations.
Engaging and promoting
Social media is an incredibly reactive environment and it’s easy to respond to feedback – which is great, because making customers feel heard is essential. Selling through social media is a process of building a rapport with your audience, learning their needs and listening to them, and coming in with your offer at the right moment.
You can build that rapport through consistent customer interaction. While doing this often, you can also partner with influencers, or well-known social media personalities people already trust. Influencers have their own audiences ready-made for you, as well as their audience’s networks. By seeking out influencers who act within your desired market, you can grow your business much faster than if you worked alone.
How to get started
Here are a few tips to start promoting and selling with social media:
Add links to your social media profiles in the online store. Customers will see these links when they visit you.
Build credibility by posting photos of your items, your (physical) store, or the tools you use to get creative.
Use social platforms that help with brand positioning. Use Pinterest for craft and design lovers, Instagram and Snapchat for young adults, or LinkedIn for a professional crowd. Then be bold – repeatedly express what your mission is and how you’re different from the competition.
