First things first, the idea that sharing what we publish and “liking” our posts helps us is real. But it helps us much more if someone puts their hand in their pocket and buys our products or hires our services. You can’t live off “likes” alone.
In order to convert our followers on social networks into customers, we need a precise marketing strategy. On a personal level, what has worked best for me is the “sales funnel,” a tool that I will explain today, which has four fundamental steps.
Awareness
This first phase is where most people are at, and stay for life. In it, the goal is to grow in followers, to increase our audience. It’s a necessary stage, but it is only the beginning of what we as an enterprise or content creators want.
Engagement
Once we begin to have followers, it is essential to know what moves them, what they want to see, what motivates them, what they expect from us. This can only be achieved through constant interaction. It is important to respond to comments and ask interesting questions that help us create a bond.
Conversion
Once we have followers who identify with us, it is time to convert them into customers. This is achieved through calls to action, advertising and proper customer relationship management.
Loyalty
Finally, there’s loyalty. If you’ve gotten this far, you’ve realized that the task is not easy. It’s less expensive to keep a customer than to find a new one. So never stray from your essence: to stay loyal to those who follow you. We don’t want to sell bread today and go hungry tomorrow.
Personal experience
In my facet as a writer I do the following: I plan four posts a week, three of them to attract new followers and one to achieve conversion. As an enemy of “in-your-face” or direct advertising, what I post instead generally tells the story of one of the phrases in my book. If people feel identified with it, they end up buying a copy. I cover the engagement stage on a daily basis thanks to Instagram Stories, which are an exceptional tool to keep in touch with future clients.
