Using Social Media as a Sales Channel

You probably are already aware of what an amazing communication channel social
media is, but did you know that social media can also be a wonderful sales channel?

It’s True!! And, why not…. in order to bring about a sale there needs to be consumer trust. And, what is the best way to earn trust?

Conversation & Relationship Building!!!

Enter Social Media…

Social Media is powerful. Consumers are in more control than ever before. The large companies are no longer the power-houses…. it’s the consumers. And, do you know why? Because of Social Media…. Because of Social Media Communities like Twitter.

Twitter is an amazing social media community that brings the power of the people together to talk about everything and anything in real time…. and they are.

Here are a few methods Companies large & small are taking advantage of Twitter as a Sales Channel. Check out their strategies & see which one is the best strategy for your business.

The Sweet Deal Shouter

• @woot
• @amazondealsThese are the companies that only tweet links to their deals & promotions. That is pretty much it. Most companies couldn’t get away with something likes this, however, it appears Woot and Amazon have earned their trust and respect already on their eCommerce websites to be able to do this.Keep in mind that Social Networking sites like Twitter are communities that thrive on conversations. “The Sweet Deal Shouter“ are shouting out links & not conversing at all, but seem to do amazingly well.

  

• Why this works for them:
  • Consumers trust and respect these Companies already
  • They have earned relationships with their consumers.
  • Due to the trust they earned consumers will buy from them already
  • Everyone loves a Sweet Deal
  • Amazon has some other cool profiles… Like one that will check on the Wii every second to see if they are available for purchase. It is a great way to assist consumers on finding the product for the Holidays.
• I would love to see more:
  • Customer Service – Answering Questions and offering Suggestions
  • Relationship Building through Interaction
  • Conversations

The Structured Informer

• • Dell on TwitterDell is on Twitter in a major way. But, they don’t use Twitter the way most do…. with conversations. They use Twitter very much like “The Sweet Deal Shouter” above. However, the difference is that “The Structured Informer” uses Twitter as a sort of news feed for its followers. For example, if you are looking for Dell deals there is the Dell Outlet. If you are looking for deals for the small business or deals for the home…. they have Twitter profiles for just those deals. Or, maybe you are a gamer that wants to keep up with the updates for that type of news they have that too. Dell has about 17 different Twitter profiles that you can follow for those particular type of news. There are many choices for its Consumers. Why is this a good idea??

• Why this Works for Them:
  • Consumers can use their different Twitter profiles as a type of New Reader…. as a way to keep up with Dell News specifically that interests them.
  • Less Noisy – Just hear the news you want to hear & ignore the rest.
  • This is great for large businesses to keep people informed real time.
• I would love to see more:
  • Conversation between Business & Consumer
  • Lack of building “Relationships” on Twitter
  • Let’s get Personal
  • Customer Service Interaction

Tweet a Little of This & a Little of That

• @nordstrom
• @handbagplanet
• @buildabearThese companies’ online presence might be smaller than the other mentioned companies, but they understand the importance of social media conversation. They don’t just tweet their deals and promotions…. they converse. Through their conversations with consumers they are building relationships and earning trust. They are answering questions. Basically, they are using Twitter for Customer Service. When they tweet their deals and promotions they are making sales. They are earning these sales because they have earned the consumers trust….the good old fashioned way. Sure, it has a modern social media spin on it. But, the basics are the same. Earn the consumer’s trust = more business.

  

• What do these companies do on Twitter to increase their sales? They…
  • Link to Sales, Promotions & Deals
  • Answer Questions
  • Offer Tips & Suggestions
  • Link to helpful blog posts & articles
  • Tons of customer service… better than what you might get in person.
  • Tons of interactions with consumers
  • Using Twitter Search as a Customer Service Tool – What do consumers
    need help with?
• Why this Works:
  • Perfect combination of news & interaction
  • They realize that interaction & business should go hand and hand
  • Great Word of Mouth Marketing… real time.
  • Great conversation gets re-tweeted throughout many different Twitter Profiles
  • Builds Trust through human relationship & interaction
  • Awesome Customer Service
  • Shows empathy – See a consumer struggling empathize & offer suggestions
  • Shows they are a caring Company
  • Clear up their mistakes publicly.
  • They realize that the consumer is the one in control

The Extreme Twittering Business

• @zapposZappos is one of the large companies that understands the importance of Social Media as a Consumer as a well as a Company. It is using Twitter to the extreme & thriving.Zappos even dedicated an entire website just to their twitter presence. The site is broken down into what others are saying about Zappos; What employees are talking about; What the CEO and COO are talking about; and even links to what people are talking about regarding the brands they sell at Zappos.

  

• What is Zappos doing to increase sales
  • Answering Customer Questions
  • Keeping an eye what people are saying about their brand & responding to everything
  • Instant Feedback through real time discussions
  • Online Customer Service at its best!!
  • Converses about everything…. not just limited to the business, but everything.
  • Very personal…. see the personal side of the business
  • Pics…. personal pictures that show their real side.
  • Building trust through human interaction
  • Created an entire website dedicated to Twitter…. Twitter discussion from employees, customers and their brand.

You can see that all of the above companies are using Twitter differently. They all have their reasons & strategies to do what they are doing. But, most of us are not large companies like Amazon and Zappos.

So, what do I think is the best strategy for the average small business? I think the perfect combination is the “Little of This Little of That” Strategy. It is a great way to earn a consumer’s trust through interaction, conversation and wonderful customer service skills.

What Twitter Strategy are you going to use?