Using Social Media To Increase Sales | How To Use Social Media to Make Sales

It can be difficult to monetise social platforms, but in order for your omni-channel strategy to deliver results, your social media has a large role to play. Being able to offer your customers that sought after seamless experience, regardless of device or channel, requires an in sync social media strategy. So, boost your sales with social media using these 3 tips:

P.S. Get tips for implementing your omni-channel strategy here: 

Link your posts directly to your products

Whether it’s using a ‘like 2 buy’ link on Instagram or a ‘buy it’ button on Pinterest, you need to look at making the purchasing journey as easy and simplistic as possible for your customers through social media. Imagine walking into a store seeing a nice big point of sale image with a pair of jeans and then not being able to find the jeans advertised. Posting an image containing a model wearing your latest outfit and not linking through to the products is exactly the same thing! Don’t keep your customers guessing, lead them straight to those products in your ecommerce store.

Incentivise your social audience

According to Buffer, 35% of Facebook Fans like a page so they can participate in contests, so if you’re already active on Facebook, a competition could be a great way to engage your audience. Of course, as the brand, you’d be giving away something for free, whether it’s an experience like the chance to meet David Beckham through a H&M competition for the 2014 Super Bowl, or a physical product such as Banana Republic’s equality campaign in 2013 to dress the chosen couple for a special occasion. No matter what you’re giving away, make sure it’s on brand and catches the eye of your target market and raises the profile of your products!

Don’t forget about the #hashtags

Hashtags can be pretty powerful. They can connect followers everywhere with your brand, helping effectively unify your social campaign. Topshop is a perfect example of this, launching their #LIVETRENDS hashtag in partnership with Twitter across the 2015 London Fashion Week. With over 3 million customers engaged using the hashtag, this helped Topshop connect with their audience coupled with strategically placed billboards, all playing part in a real-time campaign. Don’t forget about the already trending hashtags, too, whether it’s a relevant news topic or just a topic of interest to your brand, utilise them as much as possible to help boost your brand visibility - and your sales!