Although many have not found how to generate sales in social media it is actually very doable.
The problem is that they try to take a traditional approach to it – by trying to promote and sell their products – while you need to take a much different approach.
A September 2012 study on
The only way to sell on social media is through incentives that make people share:
- Offers
- Group Deals
- Ideas on how to use your products
- How your products solve a problem your users have
- Get users to submit product reviews and recommend how to use your products
Group Offers
Using offers with social media is a very efficient tool to bring in new business and connect with a large audience. When consumers receive coupons from their friends via social media, they’re more likely to redeem them than if they come from a brand or retailer.
These deals normally require offering a minimum discount of 40% off a regularly-priced item in order to make them attractive enough for users to opt-in.
Ideas on how to use your products
Kirkland’s is a home decor retail chain that found a good way to showcase products on Facebook by sharing pictures of different ways of how to accessorize their products.
How your products solve a problem your users have
Bowflex uses Facebook to show photos and videos of its exercise machines to demonstrate how they work and how they can help customers to achieve their goal of losing weight.
Get users to submit product reviews and recommend how to use your products
Customer reviews provide valuable feedback that can influence purchasing decision and promote your products in a very efficient way. 
How to drive users to your website with an incentive to buy at that moment
Present products in interesting ways to get users thinking about how they can incorporate your products into their lives, or for specific uses where they can solve a problem.
Social media is a tool that can be used with great success to drive sales and new leads.
In order to achieve that goal, you need to promote good, relevant content, run contests, create an identity in your industry to foster a good relationship with your customers.
The key factor to get people buying is to build trust. Create compelling, interesting and encourage UGC to get your community engaged and grow your fan base. Having significant reach is crucial to build a strong online presence that will influence followers and turn them into customers.
Check out Wishpond’s Twitter Campaigns to boost your ROI from Twitter using contests and promotions:
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