How to Convert Social Media Followers into Customers

As a business owner, you may know that it’s important to grow your social media following. Doing so helps you grow brand recognition, allowing you to market your products without overspending on advertising. However, a common problem many business owners face is in converting online followers into paying customers. If you don’t know how to overcome this challenge, you may be surprised to find that your sales aren’t increasing even though you’re continuously growing your social media following. These tips can help you convert more of your followers into customers.

Identify Your Target Audience

Just as you use a data analytics dashboard to identify your target demographics for paid advertising campaigns, you should also know which audiences you want to reach with your social media presence. You can use a social media analytics service to find out which types of users are most interested in your content. This will help you find out which platforms deserve more focus as well as letting you know how your content should be written to appeal to your key demographic groups. For instance, if your products appeal to 20-30-year-old adults, you should be using Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube more than other sites. If you’re trying to reach older adults, the focus should be on creating content for Facebook. You’ll have a bigger impact when you spend more time on the sites that will generate the most interaction.

Be as Active as Possible

Repetition is an important factor for any effective marketing campaign, and that includes using social media to grow your business. If you’re not posting new content on a consistent basis, your own followers are likely to forget about you. Additionally, you won’t be attracting new followers to your social media pages consistently. However, if you post two or three times every week, you’ll be giving your followers reminders to follow your pages. When your posts link back to your website, this will also consistently drive more traffic to your external site.

Offer Something Exclusive

Your goal should be to make it worthwhile for people to follow your social media pages. When someone starts following your page, they’re showing an interest in your brand or products. However, you’ll want to offer incentives to keep those followers engaged. This means offering something of value, such as an exclusive promotion that’s only available to your social media followers. You can use a special keyword phrase or code that your followers can use to redeem discounts on their purchases. If you offer regular promotions, your followers will stay subscribed to your pages, and they will buy your products more frequently.

Host Contests Online

Contests will help you attract new followers to your social media pages, while they will also convert those followers into paying customers for your business. As you host a contest via your social media pages, you should be using relevant keyword phrases and hashtags to reach a larger number of users on the platform. When users enter your contest, they will compete for prizes that market your business, such as personalized tees or hats with your brand logo on them. They can also win free prizes and discounts that are redeemable at your place of business. Once in your store to redeem your prizes, your contest winners will be more likely to buy other products as well.

End Every Post With a Call to Action

Finally, you should never leave a post with an open ending. Each post should end with a statement or question that compels the reader to do something. Even if you just link to one of your blog posts, you should be encouraging your followers to visit your links. Ask them a question that urges them to find the answer on your bomb site. Alternatively, you can encourage your followers to take some other action. Perhaps you want them to post pictures of themselves using your products in unique ways. By getting your followers more involved with your brand, you can compel them to buy your products without putting out a hard sell tactic.

While maintaining a social media presence can give your marketing campaign a consistent boost, it’s not the only thing you should be doing. When you take advantage of other types of marketing, such as SMS or mobile marketing, you’ll extend your reach beyond your existing followers. A well-rounded advertising strategy will help you bring more consumers to your website, which serves as the gateway to your business.