A large following on social media ≠ higher sales. Converting social media followers to customers is easier said than done, especially if you don’t have a strategy.
A recent study shows that 76% of customers buy products they see on the brand’s posts; 11% buy it immediately, while 44% buy it online after some time (source). Social media isn’t just for building brand image; it can become your lead and sales-generating machine if you use the right social media conversion strategies.
But what are those strategies? Let’s look at 9 strategies to increase sales from social media. We have used these for our clients and have seen results. Want to know more? Let’s connect on a call.
Tips On How To Convert Followers Into Customers
Social media is more than just posting and scrolling; it has become a medium to help you connect with your customers and increase direct sales. The following strategies and tips help you turn your social media followers into customers.
Build A Conversion Funnel Based On The Buyer’s Journey
Understanding the customer journey is the core pillar of any marketing strategy. Thus, to create an effective social media conversion strategy, you need to create a conversion funnel based on your customers’ buying journey.
You don’t directly jump into selling your products. You need to understand the multiple stages your viewer goes through before becoming a paying customer. All the consequent steps depend on your conversion funnel.
A typical social media conversion funnel includes the following stages:
- Awareness: Customer is discovering your brand and product
- Engage: They explore your content and start to interact
- Consideration: They are highly interested in your products and are evaluating options
- Convert: They make the purchase
- Retain: They keep interacting with the brand and may make a purchase again
Your customer might not go through each step, but having an understanding is necessary to build marketing strategies and content.
Balance Organic & Paid Marketing Strategies
Only organic or paid marketing won’t help you turn Instagram followers into customers. You need both to build a loyal community and increase your sales successfully.
Both of these strategies help you increase sales, but have different purposes.
An organic social media marketing strategy is focused on:
- Knowing which type of content resonates with your audience
- Identifying the most engaging audience for targeted offers
- Strengthening your brand image and customer loyalty The paid social media marketing strategy is better for:
- Targeting a high-intent audience who regularly interacts with your posts or has checked your website
- Boosting your high-performing posts to attract a more relevant audience
- Boosting sales and promotional posts to increase conversions
Optimize Your Social Media Profile
Your profile is the social media user’s first touchpoint with your brand. Therefore, optimize it to show who you are, what you do, and how they can know more about you in your social media bio.
Here are some tips to optimize your profile:
- Add a relevant description that shows who you are and resonates with the audience
- Add a CTA to encourage them to take action
- Add an active link tree for customers at different stages of the sales funnel
(use advanced tools to create a link tree for multiple pages)
- Strategically use pinned posts to promote your business and best content Use colour and tone consistency for branding
Build Trust & Authority To Increase Sales From Social Media
While a large part of social media bonds over memes, it is also used to find people and brands with the same values and thoughts. So, the fact that 77% of customers prefer brands they follow on social media isn’t surprising (source).
Social media platforms are the best tools to gain your customers’ trust and turn followers into customers. You can share niche-specific content to educate the user, engage them, and also promote your products/services. – Develop Content Funnel For Conversion
Just posting promotional content isn’t enough. You need strategic content based on the stage of the customer’s journey in the conversion funnel.
Instead of randomly posting content, create purposeful content targeting the conversion funnel. Diversify your content between these types to increase your chances of converting social media followers to customers.
The following are 5 popular types of content for social media platforms:
- Educational/Informative content for your audience to build trust and industry authority.
- Engaging/Interactive content to build your community and know your target audience’s needs.
- Using candid videos or behind-the-scenes footage as a medium to build an emotional connection.
- Entertaining content that can be disseminated in order to enhance your brand’s visibility.
- Promotional materials for your products/services or new releases to increase your conversion rate.
Use AI Tools To Optimize Social Media Conversion Strategies
AI is making social media selling much more accurate and faster. AI tools automate tasks and provide deeper analytical insights to create effective social media conversion strategies.
Here’s how to use AI for social media marketing:
- Generate engaging content and captions using tools like Jasper, Copy.ai, and ChatGPT.
- Identify user behaviour triggers with tools like Sprout Social and Hootsuite AI.
- Use smart AI ad-targeting to reach a high-intent audience
- Use AI-powered chatbots and DM automation to increase customer interaction and sales
Choose The Right Performance Tracking Metrics!
If you are tracking vanity metrics such as likes and shares, you are losing out. While these metrics are good, they don’t help in tracking sales. Therefore, you need to track the right metrics and optimize the strategies.
Here are a few metrics to track how many social media followers convert to customers:
- Click-through rate (CTR) on the ads you push on social media
- Cost per conversion based on the returns on your spending on paid & organic social media marketing.
- The number of DM inquiries you get regarding a campaign or product/service.
- Website traffic that comes from social media
Use Social Media Monetization Strategies
You can use social media monetization strategies on many platforms. It could be through engagement rate, views, subscriptions, and more. You offer premium content or early access to keep your audience engaged.
DMs Increase Direct Sales!
While website sales are prioritized, many times, direct messages (DMs) often lead to direct sales. Your customers might reach out to you for some queries or a complaint. Interacting with your customers directly makes them feel seen and increases your sales. Additionally, most DMs come from a high-intent audience; therefore, you must invest in chat management and AI chat tools to make it faster and more efficient.
Conclusion
Social media is one of the best tools to connect with your audience and boost your sales. There are still numerous brands that find it difficult to turn their social media followers into buyers. To assist you in this matter, we have put together nine tips and strategies to not only increase sales from social media but also to create a community around your brand.
The very first thing to do is to establish a conversion funnel for the different stages the customer goes through on social media prior to making the purchase. This will allow you to come up with the appropriate content, advertising campaigns, etc., which will ease the trust-building process. Four Pillars Media Agency is here to help you create effective social media conversion strategies, use advanced AI tools, and track the right metrics. Contact us to know more.
FAQs
1. What Are The Best Social Media Conversion Strategies?
The following are a few of the best social media strategies to increase conversions (that we also use):
- Create a buyer’s journey funnel for better targeting
- Post social proofs of reviews and more to increase our credibility
- Use both organic and paid marketing strategies for social media
- Create content for diverse stages of the buyer’s journey
2. Which Social Media Platform Is Best For Selling?
The ‘best’ social media platform for sales depends on your niche and where your target audience is. For most brands, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok (if available) work the best. LinkedIn is most used for B2B businesses. You can also use YouTube to engage your audience and drive traffic to your website. Four Pillars Media Agency can help identify the best fit for your brand and goals. Contact us now to know more.
3. How To Increase My Conversion Rate On Social Media?
The following are a few tips to increase your conversion rate on social media:
- Posting high-value content that targets every stage of the buyer’s journey
- Use strong CTAs to encourage action
- Post social proof of your sales and customer reviews to gain trust
- Engage with your target audience through polls, stories, and DMs Run targeted ads for high-intent customers
4. Can Small Accounts Turn Instagram Followers Into Customers?
Absolutely! You can convert their followers into paying customers by building trust, offering high-value content, posting proofs, and using targeted DMs to resolve any queries. We can help your small business grow with affordable digital marketing and brand management services. Schedule a consultation call now!