Suppose you have unsuccessfully tried selling your products and services through social media. In that case, it's easy to think that 'Social Selling' is all a game of luck, with success purely in the hands of the ever-changing algorithms and AI that power these platforms.
The truth is that utilising social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram to effectively market your business is far less reliant on luck than most other advertising mediums.
Placing an advertisement in your local paper, doing a letterbox drop or even running a 15-sec spot on the radio (if you can afford it) are all very broad targeting tactics that rely on a chance encounter with your potential client. The chance someone will first see, read, or hear your advertisement and be the right audience for your product or service is relatively low. And finally, the likelihood they will take action by purchasing or engaging with your business on the spot, is also low.
On the other hand, using social media is a powerful way to communicate and engage with potential new clients is a more targeted approach. Plus, those seemingly annoying algorithms and AI's (if you can appease them) will ensure your brand lands right in your ideal customer's lap - at a fraction of the cost!
However, to use the power of social media to its full potential, you need to know your 'target audience'. Here are five tips for creating social media posts that sell:
Target Audience:
A Target Audience is a group of people defined by various common attributes and characteristics. They are the groups of people most likely to purchase your product or service.
For example, you want to promote your skin treatments, and you think, "great! I'm going to get inundated with interest because everyone has skin!" Realistically, your potential client pool has many variables such as gender, age, location, interests, behaviours, and the type of skin service they may need (perhaps they need a Professional Skin Peel and you are not yet offering this service).
Just as importantly, you need to know which social media platforms your potential clients are most likely to be using and how they are using them.
In 2021, Facebook had 2.7 billion active monthly users worldwide, with 51% of those aged between 50-65 years. Instagram had one billion active monthly users, with 23% aged between 50-64 years. This is important to know. Why?
Because if, for example, you want to promote your range of age correcting skin treatments aimed at targeting fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation and broken capillaries - your target audience is more likely to be hanging out on Facebook, less likely on Instagram, and almost not at all on Snapchat. However, if you want to promote Acne treatments, the exact reverse is more likely true.
Click here to see the full 2021 demographic breakdown across multiple social media platforms.
Once you have defined your target audience and selected the most suitable social media platform to promote your services on, you can then use the following tips to produce engaging content in your posts:
Always Include A Call To Action:
Simply posting a picture of your product or service on social media is rarely enough. Using a 'call to action' (CTA) is a great way to encourage your target audience to engage with your post in a certain way. CTAs are usually clickable buttons, images, or links that direct users toward a specific action.
Perhaps you want to sell ASI's Vitamin B3 Complex. Your call to action could be a 'buy now' button that directs them to your Shopify or another eCommerce platform. Or it could be a 'learn more' button that leads them to an informational blog you have posted on your website. Research has shown that adding a call to action will significantly increase the likelihood of your audience interacting with your content. Check if your website platform offers a blog feature; otherwise, take a look at WordPress for some free blogging tools.
Encourage User-Generated Content You Can Share:
UGC (user-generated content) is any post, text, video, image or reviews that have been created by your existing clients that you can then share online via your business's social media accounts.
Potential clients often rely on other users' opinions and experiences with your product or service to make their purchasing decisions. UGC helps brands build trust with the client, and more often than not, existing clients love seeing themselves acknowledged by the brands they support. Just make sure you ask if you can share before doing so.
Also, combining UGC with a compelling call to action is a powerful way to engage clients through social media marketing.
Platforms such as Google offer free business profiles that allow you to encourage customers to leave reviews, include these links in your social media posts and any direct marketing you send out to increase your businesses perceived legitimacy.
Develop Brand Partnerships To Expand Your Social Media Reach:
Finding local or complementary brands or businesses that you can partner with is a fantastic way to expand your target audience on social media organically. Ensure you @tag and share each other's posts to grow your followers.
Perhaps you have a local hair salon that would be willing to collaborate with your business. Or let's suppose your target audience is 'brides', for example (maybe you offer pre-wedding skin packages). In that case, you could search for a jewellery business that specialises in wedding and engagement rings to collaborate.
Remember that whomever you choose to collaborate with should be complementary rather than a competitive service or product.
Forget The Hard Sell
Nurture leads, Don't Hard Sell. In the world of social media marketing, nurture should lead 80% of the time. While the goal is always to attract and engage clients, the main aim on social media is to execute this via informative, educational and entertaining posts.
Use an 80/20 principle in which 80% of your posts are educational and entertaining while the remaining 20% are service and product-focused.
Set yourself up to be a credible source of industry information. Show your professionalism by sharing helpful content, answering questions, commenting and replying to interesting posts from other users. It's called 'social’ media for a reason - so be social and interact with your clients and community.
Learn more beauty marketing tips in our ASI Stockists Journal: How To Win New Clients And Keep Them For Life
ASI Australian Skin Institute Is Here To Support Your Beauty Business In 2022
ASI - Australian Skin Institute is a community of beauty and pharmaceutical experts passionate about skincare.
Founded by Australian entrepreneur and award-winning businesswoman Francesca Webster, ASI was created with a commitment to continual innovation of cosmeceutical strength formulations, biotechnology and the development of cutting edge skin delivery systems.
Fresh, potent and affordable. ASI is more than just another skincare company. Whether you are an established clinic, spa, salon, or run a small beauty business from home, ASI welcomes and supports all beauty business owners. We provide exceptional Australian-made skincare formulations and practical business tools and support to help make you and your business successful.
Accredited by the Skin & Beauty Training Centre and MediLight Australia, our skincare range is featured in countless independent and national clinics across Australia- including our sister brand Brazilian Beauty. We train 100's of beauty therapists each year who have performed ASI professional treatments on thousands of happy customers Australia-wide.
We invite you to visit our website, join our Facebook community or contact our friendly team about becoming an ASI Partner Stockist.
Contact us by telephone on 07 3357 4081, Live Chat online or click here to fill out an enquiry form for all inquiries.