Did you know: 71% of consumers who have had a good social media service experience with a brand are likely to recommend it to others?

Social media is a great online tool to use to increase brand awareness, and trust within your community, whilst also becoming a thought leader in your industry. Where most small businesses struggle is actually turning this engagement into sale.

With my 25+ years experience in sales and marketing, and 7+ years experience in social media, I have learnt the difficult art of making a sales from the strategic use of social media and digital marketing. Here are 6 of my social media tips and tricks to get your 1st online sale.

1. Give, Give and Give Some More

To make a consumer purchase your product or service, they first need to see the value of doing so, which is done through building trust. To build a relationship, you need to give them something of value. I have various complimentary downloads which I share with my online audience, which they can access completely free of charge (in exchange for a name and email address).

The more great pieces of content in the form of infographics, video’s, visuals, downloads, and eBooks that you share with your audience, the more likely you are to get your online sale.

2. Position Yourself As A Thought Leader

One of the best ways to convert an online sale, is to prove your authority by being a thought leader in your industry. This does take time, and will not happen overnight. Part of becoming a thought leader is blogging, and guest blogging. I write two blogs a week for my own website, and also guest contribute on other sites as well as offer expertise through quotes for various outlets such as The Guardian, LBT and Bloomberg.

3. Stay Consistent Across All Social Networking Platforms

This might sound obvious, but I see inconsistency across social media for hundreds of small businesses. You need to make sure that the message you are putting across on your website matches that of your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+ and Pinterest. You never know where you potential customer will first “touch” your business so make sure the message is the same for each social network you are using to promote your business.

4. Measure Your Social Media Activity

One of the biggest tips I can share with you is to always manage your social media activity. If your main goal is to increase sales using social media, you need to understand where your customers are coming from, and how they engage with you online. Knowing this will give you the data to truly understand what works, and what doesn’t.

5. Ask Your Audience For Feedback

Just like the above, finding out what your audience wants to see from you is crucial. Other than measuring your social media activity, you can also go straight to the source and ask for feedback from your audience. Who best to gain insight from than those who are potentially going to purchase your product/service?

6. Get Engaged

My last social media tip for you is to get engaged. This is one of the most important parts of using social media. I don’t just mean sharing great content, getting engaged is more than that. You need to be having a two-way conversation with your community so that they get to know you and your brand, enough to trust purchasing from you.

I hope my 6 social media tips and tricks will help you to get your 1st online sale. What do you find works best when using Social Media to connect with your target audience, and; do you have any Social Media tips you would like to share?