If you think about it, we are all probably members of some form of social selling platform. Companies and their brands engage with us daily in conversations that keep them fresh in our minds. Book lovers who are part of social media platforms where bookstores post the latest best sellers will have experienced social selling. I am one of those people who thrills at that daily update of books to watch out for and then periodically orders the e-book version to be downloaded to my e-reader. As you can see, social selling is an excellent way to understand, appreciate and cater to your customer without annoying them with direct mailers and e-adverts which are not only old-school, but ineffective.
Social selling simplified
As mentioned before, this is when a company or brand uses various social media platforms to connect with its target audience. In today’s busy and tech-savvy marketplace, it is doubtful that any brand can survive long without some sort of social media presence. This is how the modern consumer interacts with their products and services – by first looking for something that meets their needs online, and then understanding the product’s characteristics and effectiveness via various online content. Therefore, social selling includes, but is not limited to, product pages, product videos, user demos, influencer videos, etc. In all this, the focus is on quality relationships formed between the product/brand and the consumer. It is NOT a focus on numbers.
Theoretically and logically speaking, social selling is about making each customer feel as though they are the only customer – special, valued and cared for. This means that customers should get personal attention, top-notch service and know that their voice is being heard.
What works best
Today’s consumer is never without their mobile phone. Entrepreneur.com says that 85 percent of Americans revealed in a survey that their mobile devices are an integral part of their daily lives. Certainly, I know how important my phone is to me and how often I use it for my purchases. New entrepreneurs need to make use of this user ‘phone-dependency’ and devise selling strategies that can easily reach their potential customers through their mobiles. Platforms like the Facebook mobile app, TikTok and Instagram cater to this by allowing consumers to scroll through content on the go, leaving feedback, comments and even messaging sellers to engage with the product. Add an online store to these platforms and you have yourself a winner. I personally love links that take you to the online store or have an ‘add to cart’ option when you stop to admire a product as you’re scrolling through social media. It just helps you to move across online spaces seamlessly and makes your browsing and purchases that much easier.
The hashtag generation has spoken, too. Hash-tagging your products and brand will see customers tagging your company or brand each time they engage with it. This may not always be for positive reasons, but eventually will lead in that direction because when consumers hashtag your company in a complaint, you can deal with it quickly and efficiently. Good, modern, consumer-centric businesses will thrive through these tags as they will appreciate the opportunity to obtain real-time feedback from the users of their product. Conversely, only ineffective businesses will ignore instances where their company has been tagged in complaints and allow the bad feelings to accumulate. Sadly, this last scenario is not impossible and happens more often than it should. Frankly, in the current technology-driven market this is inexcusable.
Technology has indeed made the world a global village and the modern consumer loves to share their stories with their ‘village.’ Fledgling entrepreneurs thus, possess the exciting opportunity to use this in their social selling as well. Encouraging customers to share their own experiences and stories on your product page on social media is an excellent way to increase leverage. Small businesses such as beach-holiday villas post pictures of their beachfront properties and invite their audiences to also post images of their last visit to the beach. This gets visitors to their social media page excited, because they get the chance to boast a little about their last vacation and perhaps win a prize (if offered) at the same time – so it’s a win-win.
Why social selling is a hit
According to Search Engine Journal, as of 2023, there are 4.8 billion social media users globally and this is set to increase annually. It also notes that individuals, on average, use 6.6 different social networks per month. Statistically speaking, this is a significant number and opens up a vast number of opportunities for social selling. Perhaps this is why 42.62 percent of businesses hope to expand their social media budget this year.
The results are in: social selling is a tool that we will never look back from. It fosters relationships between businesses and their customers in a way that other Above-the-Line (ATL) and Below-the-Line (BTL) methods do not. These relationships ensure that customers keep coming back to the same brand and creates brand loyalty, which ultimately reduces customer turnover. For entrepreneurs especially, this is gold. But just because you are a smaller brand and are doing relatively well, don’t be complacent. Follow your bigger competitor brands on social media platforms, too. Arm yourself with knowledge on what they are doing to give top-of-the-mind positioning to their brands. Then strategise on how your social selling can be even better so that you not only strengthen existing relationships, but also inspire brand conversions from among competitor audiences. And the two words that you should ALWAYS keep in mind – mobile phones. Do not underestimate the power of the mobile phone in selling your product for you.
(Anouk De Silva)