Tips for using social media to sell more

By Michael Cornnell

Social Media. It might seem frustrating, ephemeral and ludicrously inefficient, but underneath all the suffering, there’s definite sales potential. Like other sales tactics, the problems people have with social media are often more perceptual than realistic (“I hate it because it takes work,” “Why is everything on Twitter either about Ayn Rand or Justin Bieber if he was also a cat?” etc.). Social media can be mastered same as anything else—all it takes is some work, patience and focus.

Quick Tips

Looking for a few fast ways to punch up your social media performance? Give these tips a try!

THE BEST TIME TO POST: It varies day by day, but in general the hours around lunchtime (between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.) and after dinner from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., are the most effective times, as reported by Mashable in the articles “The Best and Worst Times to Share on Facebook, Twitter” and “Sorry, Marketers, You’re Doing Facebook Wrong.” As for days of the week, the website recommends weekend posting (where competition is low and users are starved for content) and avoiding the middle of the week (for whatever reason, Wednesdays are not good social media days).

USE PLENTY OF IMAGES: Images are not only a great way to grab attention, but Facebook also ranks them higher in its display algorithms that determine what users do and don’t see. So if you want to give your messaging a better chance of being seen, use pictures frequently.

LISTEN: A point often glossed over in social media advice is the importance of listening. You can collect an absolutely vast amount of information on the wants and needs of your prospects without speaking a word to your clients. Remember that social media is a conversation, and like any conversation, more than half the work is listening and interpreting what is being said.

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The Technophobe's Guide to Selling with Social Media