Social Media Must = Selling More Product
My last post was about understanding your customers offline in order to understand what the mandate and goal is for the target market you want to reach and how best to reach them. You need to talk to them and find them, so that you can be sure that you are aiming your strategy in the right place.
At the end of the day, each business that decides they are ready to engage in a social media strategy and campaign has one thing in mind–ROI. Return on investment and selling more products and services: this is the sole reason for their existence–to make money. Yes, they want to build relationships and have those that they connect with spread the word. They also want to listen in on what people are discussing and sharing. WHY? Because ultimately they want to find ways to sell more products, services etc. to these customers, their friends, families and colleagues.
There have been a lot of articles and questions about the value of social media as the ROI has been hard to measure. It’s still a new communications arena for many—not to mention the concerns and trepidation regarding negative responses, management and time resources, lack of understanding of the integration of their offline and online initiatives and the list goes on. While pondering what is most important and the defining reason why a customer is going to want to work with our business, it comes down to dollars and cents. Will they receive an ROI on the initiatives we help them plan and execute, which will lead them to a slam dunk—the sale of more products?
I came across a blog today written by Jason Falls: The Social Media Explorer. In this blog, he speaks about the fact that many in the social media space are focused on engagement, listening and connecting with little to NO discussion about ROI. Digital agencies are popping up like dandelions in spring. He talks about the conversation and issues of engagement and listening in on what the consumer is talking about. All this is important, he cites, but how is it going to make my customers money? Jason says -
“I’m all for your principles. I’m a big fan of The Cluetrain’s “markets are conversations,” notion. But I can promise you a conversation never paid the damn electric bill.
Make your company blog drive search results to the keywords you want to win. Present calls to action that lead your Facebook fans to buy your product. Entice Twitter followers to subscribe to your e-mail newsletter where you can present similar calls to action for purchase. And if you think doing that turns consumers off, look at the millions of dollars Marriott racks up from Bill Marriott’s blog. Look at the sales Southwest Airlines attributes to it’s social media activity. Look at the $3 million Dell reported earning from its @delloutlet Twitter account. Look at Wiggly Wigglers, which has 90,000 worldwide customers, largely because when they talk about a product on their blog they put an “order here” link along with it.
They don’t do this because they hug and kiss everyone. They do this because they make a compelling argument and persuade you to buy things, then they give you the opportunity to buy them. It doesn’t mean they aren’t social. Just that they’re smart.”
Many experts argue that there are not a lot of businesses that are truly bringing in ROI using social media, which is very true. But Jason has cited some very impressive companies that are doing just that by finding ways to leverage the social media tools that engage their customers, build relationships and sell more products and services. As the famous O’Jay’s song, For The Love of Money, says, “money, money moneeeeeeeeeeey. Almighty Dollar!” As I write this post, Jason has 185 comments on his post. I was 185—need I say more?
Best Nicole
