Top Mistakes of People Who Have Just Started Social Selling
DIY Sprocket Solutions
This article has been updated on 9/26/2023 with the article entitled “Social Selling Do's and Don'ts for Small - Or Any Sized -Businesses.”
There are countless businesses on social media at this point –both new and old to the game by now. When businesses decide to take the step to use their social media platforms as a selling tool, there are some common mistakes that people seem to make again and again. Before you jump the gun, take a look at some of the biggest offenses of businesses who have just started in the social selling game.
No Plans –Just Hard Selling
You have to remember that social media for businesses is marketing. It is sales. It is customer service. Would you go into any of those areas in your brick and mortar business without a plan in place? I doubt it. So, why would you do that when it comes to social selling? You shouldn’t. You have to do some research behind who your potential clients are and stop throwing branding around with no plan.
If you’ve done enough research to understand that your clothing store might do great on Pinterest, wonderful. That doesn’t mean you can jump on Pinterest without a plan in place. This isn’t as simple as just downloading an app. Create a business plan. There’s so much more to it: create a Pinterest business account, fill out that account completely, take or choose which photos you want to create as pins, research what captions you need to make those photos searchable, understand whether Pinterest ads would be beneficial to you. The list goes on and on. Have the plan in place before you’re knee deep in accounts and selling and you don’t know which end is up.
Forgetting to be Social in “Social” Media
You are putting forth a persona on social media. Choose who that person is for your audience and run with it. If you are going to have a slight tongue in cheek approach, then keep that up. If your goal is to respond to every customer, every time –then stick with it. Be social. You can throw up your sales, with no engagement, and see who bites. Or, and I think this is definitely more valuable, you can create a relationship with your customers via social media and you can lead the horse to water that way. This is not an ad in a newspaper. This is an interactive platform. Interact!
Being Self Centered
I see a lot of me, me, and me from businesses on social media. Don’t you care what your followers think? If not, at least pretend! Sheesh. Don’t make your brand that guy at the dinner party who can’t stop talking about himself. Get off your soap box once and awhile. Communication is a two way street. When engaging with your followers you can certainly push the content that you want, but make sure to do it in a way that you’re finding out what your customers are thinking.
In an actual storefront, you would cater to the customer’s needs to a degree. You have to do the same thing on social media. If they like funny photos on Fridays or contests once a month or a giveaway once and awhile, appease them! This isn’t just about you. In fact, you wouldn’t have anything to sell if you didn’t have customers or clients willing to pay for it. Try to remember that.
What are some of the biggest mistakes you yourself have made or you’ve seen other businesses make when it comes to selling on social media? Comment below!
Breanne Bannon
Breanne is a Content Writer, Social Media Marketeer, and Sales Associate for Sprocket Websites.
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