|| For Freelancers & Entrepreneurs |
These days, social media piques the interest of just about everyone: its users, top executives, marketers, and social scientists. The reason is that online social networks such Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube are redefining people's lifestyles as well as the way they conduct business on the Web.
Almost a year ago, ComScore reported that social media was the pivotal input that buoyed 2010's eCommerce performance even within the dampening effects of a serious economic recession. According to the report, online transactions went up by a surprising 10 percent, following the strong participation of many brands in social media campaigns.
But why is social media such a powerful tool for boosting your sales? The simple answer is that individual and organizational users of social networks have lot of ways for endorsing ideas and brands, sometimes triggering the so-called "viral effect" that generates awareness about something across unusually broad demographics. In fact, social media campaigns have been demonstrated to yield significantly high ROI levels when executed properly.
To leverage social media to boost your own sales, remember to understand your target customers and which social media tool can be used most effectively. Use different and fresh ways of interacting with your audience in order to keep them sufficiently excited to join different campaigns. Set up a viable and reward system that makes it easy for participants to win and claim practical, attractive prizes. Experiment with different types of content and engagements (videos, games, free downloads, coupons, catchy articles, etc) but make all these very compelling. Lastly, consistently build trust in your brand by addressing customer needs or issues that may be verbally or implicitly communicated during your social media campaigns.
