The Secret to Selling on Social Media
Out there in the real world, there seem to be mixed feelings about selling one's product or service using social media. And more often than not the reason for this can be placed into one of three categories:
- We want to be in control - very often, if you don't truly understand the psychology behind social media, you are far from in control...and that may be quite scary.
- We just don't get it - and when something proves to be quite complex, sometimes, the most efficient thing to do is to just give up and find an alternative path.
- We fear it might just be a waste of time and resources - whether you own a multi-million enterprise, or are an SME or self-employed, there is one thing we all agree on. No one wants to waste time and money, so once again, if we are not sure, we tend to just give up.
The good news is that, frankly, there are other avenues and other means of selling. The bad news is (there is always a bit of bad news!!) that, given how much time people spend on social media these days, it is, well, a gold mine of potential clients and contacts. And if you don't participate, you are just missing out!
So what's this blessed secret?
It is simple really - EARN THE RIGHT TO SELL TO PEOPLE ONLINE.
Some might think "easier said than done". Our answer is, no, not necessarily. It is a question of learning how people think while they are on the various social media channels that we are surrounded by these days.
We have all heard about the changes that Facebook will undergo in the coming months. And businesses are panicking, because let's face it, we've all pulled the taking-over-our-Facebook-page-with-posts-related-to-our-products stunt. And that is not going to be possible any more in the sense that such posts will no longer be visible on the Facebook news feed, hence, if you continue to post aggressively on your Facebook Business Page, that's going to be quite in vain. And do you know why? Because it didn't work to begin with!
People don't respond to aggression, nor do they respond to spamming.
So how do I earn the right to sell to them online?
Again, the answer is simple. Make them like you. Become relatable. Don't force yourself onto their profiles or into their inboxes. Allow them to get to know you. Build a relationship with them. Communicate. Be genuinely interested and in turn give them content they are interested in.
Then....you can offer your products or services to them.
