How Companies Can Use Social Media to Increase Sales

Now is the perfect time to think about how your company can use social media as a tool to increase sales. Whether your company has been experimenting with social media for years, or is more recently diving in, a few things are for sure – social media can help you reach the prospects you are looking for, drive web traffic and, ultimately, generate more sales. Consider using these tips to improve your social media marketing strategy:  

Link to content on your company’s website 

Image obtained from Sprout Social

People who come across your company on social media are not necessarily the same people who are searching for your company. Good SEO is important in reaching the people who are searching for your products or services. Others may come across your content on social media and not even realize they are in need of what your company offers. By linking to content on your website, there is a good chance of generating more site traffic and, in turn, more prospects that can lead to sales. In fact, a study conducted by Sprout Social found that many consumers want brands to link to more information on their social media accounts. While this study may have focused on B2C marketing, it is safe to say that the same applies in B2B marketing and that businesses are looking for similar content on social media. Social media can be a great tool to pique the interest of your target market and drive them to your website. Ultimately, with more eyes on your website and your content, the likelihood of generating sales increases. 

Communicate with prospects and show them the people behind the business  

Think about the companies you have done business with lately. What about these companies drew you to them? Do they have phenomenal customer service? Do they differentiate themselves from their competitors? Do they have a great presence on social media? There are likely many factors that contributed to your decision, but a few things that you may have considered might include the transparency of the company and how attentive it is to the needs of its prospects. According to Sprout Social, it is important for B2B companies to develop a personality and engage with other users on social media. If prospects see that your company is personable and warm, they will probably feel more comfortable giving your company their business. Show people that there are people behind your business. Social media is a great way to communicate with prospects and is an effective marketing tool, as well. Encourage your prospects to visit your website or compile a list of emails and personally send information to those who are interested in what you offer. The more your company puts itself out there, the more likely you will see an increase in interest, and then, conversions to sales.  

 Use hashtags to reach the right audience  

If your company is on social media, but isn’t yet using hashtags, now is the time to start. Hashtags are another great way to reach people that may have never heard of your company, but are interested in your industry. Before using hashtags, consider using Google Trends to do some research on trending topics. When you use hashtags, you want to use a combination of some that are trending and some that are niche. Using trending hashtags is great because then more people will see your content. However, using hashtags that are unique to your industry or company is also beneficial because then you will be only one of a few companies that will appear under that hashtag (it is also likely that you will reach more of the right people this way). If your company is already using hashtags, consider experimenting with some new ones. Once you develop a strategic plan for using hashtags – based on research of topics that are both trending and unique to your industry or company – you are bound to see an increase in web traffic, leads and sales.  

 In today’s world, there is no question about whether or not companies should be on social media – the answer is always yes. The people your company wants to reach are out there waiting for you, all you need to do is figure out how to reach them. If you want to drive traffic to your website, consider linking to your website’s content, communicating with prospects, and using hashtags as a form of outreach. While these steps aren’t a surefire way to success, they are a good start to developing a successful social media strategy. Ultimately, you will know when your company develops a strategy that works when your see a return on your investment in the form of sales. If your business can use some help when it comes to social media, MarketReach offers marketing solutions, including, social media management, that will result in impactful engagement.