Your reach is through the roof. You have enough retweets that if retweets were bricks, you could build a structure rivaling the Great Wall of China. Your followers comment and like almost everything you post. But those social media fans aren’t translating into revenue. Sound familiar? Here are some tricks on how to turn those fans into customers.
Use Exclusive “Fan-Only” Coupons
If your content marketing strategy is solid, many of the fans that like your Facebook page, for example, don’t necessarily like it because they know about your products and services. They like it because you post interesting, valuable content. If you want to transform those fans into customers, you need to bridge that chasm between their appreciation of your content and their use of your services. For starters, offer “fan-only” coupons. That’s half the reason people like a company’s page, because there is the possibility that that company will offer discounts that reward their followers for being there. Try “facebook15” for a coupon code that gives your fans $15 off their next order.
(Bonus: promoting your coupon/discount as a “fan-only” secret will actually drive more fans to your page.)
Go Behind-the-Scenes
Depending on your product or service, a behind-the-scenes look can instill in your fans the desire to be part of it. Perhaps your product designer is particularly charismatic and bubbles over when talking about the sweat and blood (and love: don’t forget the love) that went into creating what you’re selling. Interview her! Put a video on your page, and promote it on your other platforms. When fans and followers can see the face behind the thing you’d like them to buy, they connect more personally with it. And creating a personal connection with your business is what social media is all about.
Offer the Right Call to Action
With character limits and/or the need to toe the edge of what is appropriate for your brand’s voice, many social marketers forget that a call to action is still needed when trying to convert fans into customers. Provide a clear and concise call to action—and make sure you’re choosing the right one. “Download this” (and always say why) may make sense for some offers, versus “give us a call” making more sense for others. Click to calls on Twitter are increasing in popularity now that smartphones are taking over the digital world, so make the most of them. As mentioned above, creating a personal connection is what social media is all about. Promote the fact that someone seeing your ad on Facebook can merely click it to be connected immediately in conversation—now you’re getting personal.
Listen to Your Followers
A social community is full of opinions—it’s what can make social media so thorny to navigate sometimes. But if your engagement strategy is strong and you’re already replying to comments and suggestions on social media, you’re halfway there. Rather than using canned responses—“thanks for the suggestion, Jerry! We’ll stow that away!”—actually listen. Ask clarifying questions. Ask them to send you a link that illustrates whatever concept they’re suggesting. When fans feel heard, they are more likely to get invested in how they interact with you—and often, that means spending money.
Don’t Be Afraid to Go All-Out Social
Are you only creating content that promotes your products and services—even if you think it’s subtle? That’s not social-friendly! Do you have landing pages that are devoted to people who convert from social media? You should! Go all out. For some potential customers, social media may be the only contact they have with your brand: make the most of it. Give them everything they need to get acquainted with your brand—from videos of your employees to videos of your customers delivering testimonials to content that illustrates how to use your products to achieve something awesome. Go all out. Social media truly is your world—make them a citizen of it.
We have more social media tips if you want them! Check out this webinar—it’s on-demand: The New Mobile Rules for Search, Social, and Display.