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                              StreetSmarts                                                SM



























                      Social media, a powerful sales tool







        By Nick Cucci                                            popular social networks are engaging tools that allow
        Fluid Pay LLC                                            brands to find their customers and catch attention. With
                                                                 social  media,  brands  gain  access  to  4.9  billion  global
                  ince its introduction, social media has demand-  users (see https://bit.ly/3mBAqpC). However, with modern
                  ed attention and left many guessing where it   integrations, social media can also be used to actually
                  would lead us. Some thought it would be a      accept sales too. What kind of role does social media play?
        S passing fad; others believed it would be the           In modern times—a big one.
        end of face-to-face interactions. So far, neither of these has
        come true, but social media has come with some unex-     A solid social media strategy involves several components,
        pected changes.                                          and each is designed to entice customers and drive sales.
                                                                 Even the most serious industries have companies using
        With billions of users around the world, social media is   social media to grow their revenue. Social media can be
        the perfect opportunity to get in front of customers, and   used in several ways to grow company sales year-over-
        modern businesses are using it to drive sales. In this   year.
        article I'll explore how social media can be used to grow   Generate leads—globally
        your sales and your business.
                                                                 The most obvious sales method using social media is
        Can you generate sales using social media?               lead generation. Most social media platforms offer access
        Posting regularly online might seem silly when viewing   to  a  global  audience,  making  it  easy  to  find  your  ideal
        your co-worker’s profile, but businesses have learned    customers no matter where they are located.
        to recognize it as a powerful branding tool. Generating
        sales using social media does take more than a few simple   Lead generation works in two ways on social media. The
        posts, but when it is used correctly, it can absolutely   first is through posting, which increases brand awareness.
        generate sales.                                          Every time a company posts online, they increase their
                                                                 chances of having their posts seen by potential customers.
        More than 50 percent of revenue  gained across the top   The more time brands spend, the better. Sixty-six percent
        14 industries is generated through social media sales    of marketers who spend a minimum of six hours on social
        (see https://bit.ly/311LiMC). Already, small brands and   media each week report more leads than those who don’t
        larger brands alike are using social media platforms as a   (see https://bit.ly/3GTy1xa).
        powerful advertising and sales tool.
                                                                 High-quality content can capture attention and convince
        What roles does social media play in the sales cycle?    potential customers to learn more about what you offer.
                                                                 For the highest level of success, posts should be made
        Social media plays two prominent roles in the sales cycle.   using high-quality images and text, as well as appropriate
        First, it helps with acquiring customers. Today’s most   hashtags as needed.

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