10 Ways to Find More Customers on Social Media

Do you want more customers? Of course! We all do, or we wouldn’t be in business. The question is, how can you use social media to attract and convert more customers to build your business?

In 2016, social media networks boasted 2.3 billion users. These numbers will continue to grow. There’s no doubt that your target customers are on social media, but how can you find them, and how can you turn the followers that you do have into first-time and repeat customers?

Here are some great tips that can help to grow your business using social media.

1. Make it about Them

Remember, it’s really not about you. It’s about your customers. Put yourself into your target customers’ shoes. What are their behaviours? What social media platforms do they frequent and why? Stop to think about why they’re there, using social media, in the first place.

Your target customers are probably on Facebook. It’s the most popular social network. But are they using Facebook to shop? No, they’re there to catch up with friends and to browse the news that their network is talking about. You need to understand your target customers’ natural behaviours and preferences within the culture of Facebook in order to fit into the comfortable way that people use that network. It’s important that what you’re sharing adds value and builds trust with your prospects, both by adding entertainment or informational value, and by demonstrating that you understand your target’s preferences, wants, and needs.

What about Twitter? What’s likely attracting your prospects to that platform? Think Trump and Game of Thrones. Generally, it’s politics and entertainment, as well as news, discussion, and public opinion, celebrity interaction, business, and on some level, people are probably using Twitter with a desire to get a little attention for themselves. When you’re self-absorbed on Twitter (e.g.: only posting about your own products or services), people will tune you out, but when you’re thoughtful and take the time really “get social” with other users, you can shift away from the noise and into relationship building. Take the time to tag users and give shout outs in meaningful ways. Rather than just liking and retweeting, take the time to comment on their content in ways that show you’re actually paying attention to what they have to say. Then, when you add value with your own content, that’s when you can start to get some real traction.

How about Instagram? People love Instagram because they like to browse fun pictures that help them to feel more connected with their peers first, some celebrities second, and brands third. With that in mind, what can you do to engage people on Instagram? Remember, you have to keep it fun and engaging and also as authentic as possible. People want to get a sense of the real people behind your brand. Let them get to know you and keep sales posts to a minimum.

Spend some time considering the nature of each platform and the reasons why your target customers are browsing that platform. The more you understand their behaviour, the better you’ll be able to cater to their desires.

2. Improve your Copywriting

Imagine how much your business could grow if you had enticing marketing copy to attract your prospective customers. Engaging, well-written copy helps to build your brand in the hearts and minds of your potential and existing clients. With the right copy, you can establish trusting and memorable relationships and turn more “browsers” into the customers you’re looking for.

Get personal. Show your readers that your products and services are exactly right for them. Your prospects want to be understood, and good content makes people feel that you “get” them. When a person feels understood by you, they feel confident purchasing from you.

3. Put the “Social” in Social Media

Don’t sell, sell, sell on social media expecting that people will buy, buy, buy. Over-selling on social platforms is alienating and drives away more customers than it attracts. What you actually want to do is get to know your followers and give them a chance to get to know you. Stay true to your brand, but also don’t be afraid to have a little fun. Be conversational. As you become acquainted with your followers, you’ll build trust with them. When they feel sincerity and a human side coming out of your social profiles, you’ll be able to make more indirect sales.Why? Because people are more likely to buy your product or services if they already feel that they know, like, and trust you. When you stay in touch with people on social media, they’ll remember you when they’re ready to make a purchase.

4. Make Better Use of Hashtags

There’s a trap that people fall into where they make up hashtags that are only meaningful to them. Those hashtags might be interesting for people who are already following, but they’re not helpful for attracting new, targeted followers. I like to use the example of #BenBarkerforPresident. Sure, it’s cute, but if I used it, only my existing followers would ever see it. The chances of #BenBarkerforPresident catching on and becoming something that people would actually search for is close to zero. Unless you’re talking about something that’s related to a trending topic, creativity is less important in hashtags.

It’s very beneficial to choose hashtags that people might actually be looking for or that are already trending. Those hashtags are also more likely to be retweeted. If you’re going to create a proprietary hashtag, make sure that you have a darned good reason to do so.

As a general rule, use fewer hashtags on Twitter (two is the sweet spot) but many on Instagram. In fact, on Instagram, the more the merrier! (Up to 30 hashtags on Instagram.)

5. Set a Boosted Advertising Budget

You have to spend at least a little bit of money to make money on social media. If you really want to expand your reach and catch the attention of your existing and potential followers, boosted advertising can be an amazing tool. To ensure that you’re investing in an ad that will reap the best results, use A/B Testing before committing your entire monthly budget to a single ad. Even if you’re a small business, you can achieve great results with Facebook advertising with a minimum budget of $50. Start by A/B testing two ads with a starting budget of $25 to determine which ad is best received, then put the rest of the budget into the stronger of the two.

Of course, increasing your ad budget will also increase your results, so scale your marketing budget accordingly.

6. Target and Tweak your Ads

Don’t rely on simply boosting existing posts. If you want to expand your audience to include the right kinds of customers, you have to learn to hone in on your targets. In some cases, that means being more specific with your ads (e.g.: targeting a narrower age margin), while in other cases, a broad sweep within a certain geographic area might be more beneficial. Test and tweak your ads to make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck.

7. Get Blogging

When you write content-driven, informative blog posts (that are only indirectly promotional, not full-on sales pitches) you create value that you can share on social media. When you share this value-added content with your followers, you’ll entice them to visit your website. When people learn something new and gain value from what you share, they’ll want to connect with you more often. By keeping a robust blog in tandem with your social media marketing, you can become a go-to source for information (maybe even the go-to source) in your field, and the more often that people visit you, the more that they will come to know and trust your brand. This will ensure that they remember you when they’re ready to make their buying decisions, ultimately leading to more sales.

8. Learn to Understand your Analytics

Figure out what’s working and what isn’t. In order to monitor that data, it’s essential to install Google Analytics on your website so that you can measure your website activity against the data that you collect from each social media platform. You’ll want to learn to understand both the big data that you’re tracking on a monthly basis, and also minute data (e.g.: which tweets have been the most popular in any given day or week). Make checking your analytics part of your regular routine.

9. Use Custom Visuals

Your business page needs visuals. Lots of them! Custom branded visuals, photographs, memes, and especially videos are all significantly more effective than a text post for a brand. Human beings are drawn to visual content. Plus, the algorithms on Facebook don’t pick up on text posts for brands. In one form or another, just about all of your social media content should be accompanied by visuals, whether it’s an uploaded image or video or an accompanying featured image.

10. Focus on Follower Quality, Not Quantity

Having more followers isn’t necessarily better. Having more followers that actually want to hear what you have to say? That should be your goal. When you try to gauge your success by the number of followers that you have, you’re measuring the wrong variable. When you shift your thinking towards quality content however,you can create a social media community that consists of real target customers.

Getting Results

Your prospective customers are on social media, but at the end of the day, you might just not have the time or expertise to find them yourself. That’s why social media marketing has become such a big business–not just because there’s a demand for social media management, but also because professionals know how to get results.

Social media marketing is still a slow burn when it comes to making sales, but so is most marketing and branding. Just because it takes some time doesn’t mean that the time isn’t worth it. With the right approach, social media marketing can definitely build your business.

If you suspect that you might need some help getting the results you’re looking for on social media, don’t hesitate to contact us for a free marketing consultation. We’ll be happy to look at your current social media practices and advise about areas that could be better leveraged to convert more social media users into customers.