It’s true, you can sell just about anything using social media, even ice to an eskimo, but how? Many people who run businesses are dubious about the marketing power of Facebook, Twitter and even Tumblr but what are they missing out on? This guide looks at selling anything (even your own bellybutton fluff if you wish) using social media and networking.

Test It, Test It Again and Then Test It Some More

 The only way to find the right social marketing approach for your business is by testing it and monitoring the results. If you find that 10,000 people liked your Facebook post but you only have 12 Twitter followers then you will be able to make a pretty easy decision as to what works for you. Many companies find that a mix of social networks is the best route for them, others find that Twitter is full of Bieber fans and so unless they are selling JB tour tickets they are not going to get very far.                                                                                                            

Target Your Market

Just because there are over 800 million people on Facebook does not mean you need to target each and every one of them. In fact, targeting a smaller market ensures that you will get the maximum amount of return for your time. Think about who your targeted audience is and then provide the keywords or hash tags that they regularly look up. “Hey, 682 fans of broadcasting equipment, I’m selling the hottest 3D processors EVER right now” will work better than “Hey, 800 million Facebook people, you don’t even know what a 3D processor is but buy it anyway!”

There’s an ‘us’ in trust

The above title is pretty irrelevant to the following point, but at least it’s true which means that now you trust what I have to say. Proving your worth to a potential customer is all about building up the trust with valuable content that will have them rushing back to your page to find out more. Putting together the best Tweet on the web is great, but if no one knows who you are, it’s your first ever Tweet or you haven’t provided enough information then it is going to the bottom of the sad social networking pile along with Tweets from Piers Morgan.

Get Chatty

One of the biggest secrets when it comes to selling via social media is to actually engage with your potential customers. Everyone loves it when they get retweeted, or someone replies to their comment on Facebook personally. Instead of just filling human brains with information about why your product is so great, ask them for their opinion, share news stories they might like and even funny pictures of cats in costumes. Engaging and chatting with people will make them feel as though they are part of a community, a community which you created.

If You Don’t Ask, You Don’t Get

How many times did you hear this as a child? When I asked for a red scooter for Christmas, I got it. When I forgot to ask that the red scooter had flames up the side, I was disappointed that it didn’t. Alas, if you don’t ask your customers to buy something from you they probably won’t. I’m not saying post “BUY ALL MY STUFF IT’S SUPER CHEAP AND GREAT VALUE NOW VISIT WEBSITE FOR MORE INFO”, you can be a bit more subtle than that. A call to action will be the difference between a social media dream and a social networking nightmare.

Guest Author Bex Wilson works for a well known online marketing firm in the UK. Her main marketing interests being the rise and fall of different marketing strategies including broadcast media and social media tactics.