How to Use Social Media as a Tool to Influence, not Sell

Your online persona is an extension of yourself, allowing you to reach more people and share more information than you could in person. One common misconception we see with many solopreneurs and small business owners is that social media is a sales machine. Getting hot leads and sales from social media is absolutely possible, but you or your sales team must dedicate daily time to generate and nurture those leads. Without that, your social media efforts are better spent building your online presence and influence.

Here’s why.

When you meet a potential client in person, you don’t jump right into selling, right? No. You have a conversation, build trust, qualify the lead, and nurture the relationship. Similarly, you can build a social media strategy that uses content and engagement to digitally mimic this process.

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How to Influence Potential Clients through Social Media

How to Influence Potential Clients through Social Media

We work with small business owners who provide high-value services and rely heavily on referrals, which means it’s highly unlikely a potential client will simply click “buy” from an Instagram post. Instead, we tap into the behavior of our client’s target audience to craft a social media strategy that subtly nudges them toward a buying decision.

For example:

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We pinpoint the platforms on which users find our client, and we build a plan to engage, connect, and influence them there. And as you can see from the above example, social media is just one piece (albeit a very important piece) of your overall digital marketing strategy.

Simple Tips to Improve Your Social Media Presence

• Think about how social media can support your overall marketing strategy, then craft a social media strategy accordingly.
• Optimize your bios and about sections.
• Be relatable, helpful, responsive, and consistent.
• Create images or graphics that stop a user as they scroll and write captions that compel the user to engage.
• Check post insights to find which content your audience likes most.

At its core, social media is a way to share content that makes your audience think, feel, act, and advocate on your behalf. Doing this effectively means you influence a decision - a decision like following you, calling you, or visiting your website to learn more. Worrying about sales without focusing on your content means you are missing the point of SOCIAL media. Meet your target market where they are and provide valuable content and engagement to influence their decision to hire and refer you.

Contact Us

Are you ready to build an effective social media strategy but need guidance or help with the execution? Contact us for a consultation.