Social media is a relatively new frontier for sneaky salespeople to explore, spam and conquer. But it is happening, and at an alarming rate. Netizens are quickly becoming educated on how to spot and ignore salespeople and spammers.
Here are 6 Ways to Do Social Media Selling, Without Being Too “Salesy”.
1. FOCUS ON THE CUSTOMER, NOT THE BRAND
The desire to be important is one of the most basic drives in human nature. Appeal to people not by trying to show how important your brand is, but how important they are as a consumer. It is difficult to express sincere appreciation online, but still possible. A twitter “favorite”, a Facebook “like,” or a nice comment will do a lot more than thousands of spammed tweets per day.
2. YOU ARE THERE TO GUIDE, NOT SELL
Do not think in terms of trying to sell people your product or service. There are plenty of people doing that. Think rather that you are helping people to have their needs met and guiding them through the chaos of too-many-choices. Define for yourself what benefit you can bring to people – can you save their time and effort, can you offer them quality information, etc. What you want should begin with what other person wants.
3. GET A YES-YES
When you have a conversation (on Twitter, Facebook or eye-to-eye for that matter) try to get a few “yes” responses before you present the actual product or service. When a person says “yes” a few times, his mind is more favorable towards you and he is more likely to hear what you want to say.
4. APPEAL TO A NOBLER MOTIVE
Every product or service requires time, money or both from the customer. One possible way to overcome objections is to appeal to a nobler motive. Would your product or service benefit their family or loved ones? Think of positive side effects that can be achieved with your product or service. Let them see a bigger picture, the overall benefit of an experience instead of focusing on sum totals.
5. KEEP IN LOOSE CONTACT
Even if the person does not choose to use your service or product now, do not close the conversation. Be polite, and make an effort to interact with them socially (with likes/retweets etc). These micro interactions reflect positively on your brand and will show you care. When the customer does have a requirement, you will be the first person they think of.
6. ASK QUESTIONS
Keep asking questions when you engage in conversation. This will let the other person feel important, as you want to listen to their opinion. Strategic questions can enable you to get “yes-yes” answers. Moreover, when the other person speaks, you will get to know their needs and wants, so you can adjust your message accordingly.
“There is only one way to get anybody do anything – that is by making the other person want to do it.” -Dale Carnegie
At the end of the day, the key to not sounding too “salesy” is to simply be human, friendly and give people value wherever you can, even if it is just liking their post. There is a lot of spam online so you need to ensure you set apart from this, especially if your objective really is to sell.
Sources: Rick Best “How customer-centric social media marketing drives growth” at UsefulSocialMedia KissMetrics “The Guy Kawasaki Guide to Rocking Your Online Marketing” SalesForce “The mini-guide to Social Selling” Social Media Examiner “5 Ways to Sell with Social Media” Dale Carnegie “How to Win Friend and Influence People”
This article also appeared on: https://www.afdigital.com/6-ways-to-do-social-media-selling-without-being-too-salesy/
