Marketers like to say that social media is a great way to reach customers who are looking to purchase, but the truth is that it takes much more than a few lines of copy to sell a product these days. And at every level of the purchase cycle, a consumer wants to feel engagement with your brand. That means that whether they’re just browsing or after they’ve made a purchase, they want to know that your company desires to keep them as a customer. There are several ways to make that happen online, but here are just a few of our favorites:
1. Offer resources, research + reviews
It’s no secret that people turn to the Internet to do their research before making a purchase either online or offline. With trends like showrooming growing larger, it’s obvious that providing research, reviews and resources about your product is imperative. Whether these are user-generated, third party reviews/recommendations, or simply information that your business provides about its products, it will make consumers happy to find all the information they need about your product or service in one place. If you want to try something progressive, you could even offer information about your competitors (especially if you beat them in price and/or quality), which will prevent people from venturing to other sites to compare. Providing a lot of information about your products on your company’s website also means that you can control the messaging, which is not always the case on sites like Amazon or in online forums. Bonus points: Make your research and reviews accessible on your mobile site and/or app.
2. Make your brand shareable
Go beyond social and be shareable. This essentially entails creating content that is not only compelling but fun. People who share your content because they find it informative or humorous are likely to check in with your brand again. In conjunction with creating shareable content is making it easy to share the content. Install share buttons on your blog posts and across your site. Ensure your on-site images are pinnable, so people may share them on Pinterest if they so wish. When people like your company page, write on your wall, share a photo, etc., they are exposing your brand to the hundreds (or thousands) in their personal networks, which is free brand exposure that comes with a fan’s implied seal of approval.
3. Proactive engagement
In addition to creating content that is both informative and shareable, your company must utilize its social channels to be proactive in your consumers’ conversation. Answering questions and solving users’ problems on your social channels will bolster brand loyalty. It is also another great way to be the first to put out a fire before it rages out of control (that is, goes viral) and control messaging. Do not assume that your relationship is over with your customer when they purchase from you. Instead, ask consumers for opinions and reviews about the purchased products and engage with them so that they will keep you in mind when searching for their next car/dog food/health insurance plan/sweater.
4. Customize elements of marketing campaigns
If your brand has a specific purchase cycle, use your database to aggregate which individuals will be needing your product in the next few weeks. Customize/individualize your marketing solutions to reach out to these consumers specifically, reminding that it’s time to restock. This simplifies the process for the consumer and allows you to connect with them after they have purchased and perhaps earn their business again. It may be as simple as creating a simple email marketing campaign, but this customized targeting can be implemented across practically all digital channels.
By using these tactics, your brand will be able to connect with your consumers on every level of the purchase cycle. You may be able to not only retain them as consumers, but get them to recommend your company to their friends and followers as well. And that is the ultimate goal.
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