If you're using social media for your business, I'm assuming one of your goals is to convert more customers. One of the biggest complaints I hear about in social media is that people aren't able to increase their views, clicks and conversions. The good news is, there is something you can do to fix this, but it is going to take some time and patience to get this right. This doesn't happen overnight, but if done correctly, you can over time increase your views and clicks in your social media channels.
But let's back up for a second. Before you can convert more customers, you have to begin to view your social media channels differently than your other marketing channels. In radio, TV, or print, it's all about pushing your product. In social media, it's all about providing value for the customer, and that isn't always directly connected to your product. You must build brand loyalty in your social media channels, before you go in for the sell. You must be willing to not constantly push your product through your social media channels for the sake of building your brand loyalty. After people trust you as a voice in your industry, then they're going to be much more willing to purchase your product.
So find out what those niche posts are that people will pay attention to. For some it's quotes from experts in the industry. For others it's pictures. For others it's blog posts. Ideally you should have a well-rounded social media presence that includes all of these. When you begin to provide value for your niche, then you will begin to see your numbers rise. You will begin to see the Likes increase, and your tweets being retweeted. Only after you have given your customer a reason to pay attention to you and trust you, then the sell will come as a natural next step.
Go build brand loyalty by providing value for your customers. Then go try to sell to them.
Josh Burns is the director of web & social media at Park Community Church in Chicago, IL. He loves helping businesses and organizations learn more about how they can use social media to grow and share their story. He is also an avid blogger at joshburns.net.
