By Nick Cucci
Fluid Pay LLC
Since its introduction, social media has demanded attention and left many guessing where it would lead us. Some thought it would be a passing fad; others believed it would be the end of face-to-face interactions. So far, neither of these has come true, but social media has come with some unexpected changes.
With billions of users around the world, social media is the perfect opportunity to get in front of customers, and modern businesses are using it to drive sales. In this article I'll explore how social media can be used to grow your sales and your business.
Posting regularly online might seem silly when viewing your co-worker’s profile, but businesses have learned to recognize it as a powerful branding tool. Generating sales using social media does take more than a few simple posts, but when it is used correctly, it can absolutely generate sales.
More than 50 percent of revenue gained across the top 14 industries is generated through social media sales (see https://bit.ly/311LiMC). Already, small brands and larger brands alike are using social media platforms as a powerful advertising and sales tool.
Social media plays two prominent roles in the sales cycle. First, it helps with acquiring customers. Today’s most popular social networks are engaging tools that allow brands to find their customers and catch attention. With social media, brands gain access to 4.9 billion global users (see https://bit.ly/3mBAqpC). However, with modern integrations, social media can also be used to actually accept sales too. What kind of role does social media play? In modern times—a big one.
A solid social media strategy involves several components, and each is designed to entice customers and drive sales. Even the most serious industries have companies using social media to grow their revenue. Social media can be used in several ways to grow company sales year-over-year.
The most obvious sales method using social media is lead generation. Most social media platforms offer access to a global audience, making it easy to find your ideal customers no matter where they are located.
Lead generation works in two ways on social media. The first is through posting, which increases brand awareness. Every time a company posts online, they increase their chances of having their posts seen by potential customers. The more time brands spend, the better. Sixty-six percent of marketers who spend a minimum of six hours on social media each week report more leads than those who don’t (see https://bit.ly/3GTy1xa).
High-quality content can capture attention and convince potential customers to learn more about what you offer. For the highest level of success, posts should be made using high-quality images and text, as well as appropriate hashtags as needed.
Though posting is crucial for any social media strategy, lead generation gets easier when companies use ads. Most major brands actively advertise on prominent social media platforms. These ad spaces can give brands easy access to hand-selected audiences that are interested in what they offer.
Capturing the attention of an audience is important, but companies can also generate more sales by using social media to create brand loyalty. Brands that use social media platforms to establish connections with their audience make it easy to maintain their attention.
When this happens, it often means customers will continue to choose your brand over the competition. Some brands generate loyalty simply by creating entertaining content. In 2022, the total spending on social media video ads increased by over $3 billion (see a href='www.insiderintelligence.com/content/us-social-video-advertising-2022' target="blank">bit.ly/3UQ8RoX). Companies know that social media leads to loyal customers and more sales.
The era of the private and distant brand image is behind us. Today, companies must be prepared to speak out on certain topics and address customer concerns. Companies that choose to be active on social media do an excellent job of controlling their own messages to ensure that customers have the right information at the right time.
Being in control of your brand message online allows you to simultaneously build up your brand identity and address any potential setbacks. Ultimately, this means companies can control their public image and use that public favor to drive more sales.
Advertising has come a long way from standard TV spots and newspaper ads, and social media is the perfect way to share major announcements. From mergers to acquisitions to flash sales, social media is the perfect place to promote exciting deals and opportunities.
The viral nature of social media makes it a particularly effective tool for companies to drive sales by offering deals and other perks. When a deal is great, people are more likely to see it and share it, which can amplify how many sales you end up making.
A mid-day announcement about a four-hour flash sale can lead to sold-out products and even higher levels of demand. The potential reach of an ad on Instagram is 1.8 billion people (see https://bit.ly/41C1pzV), making it easy to find leads and drive conversions.
One of the more recent developments with social media sales is the introduction of shopping interfaces in social media platforms, like Instagram Shopping (see https://business.instagram.com/shopping). This means companies have the option to sell directly through social media apps, providing one more place where customers can say yes to a purchase.
For brands that would prefer to track their own sales in-house, many social media sites also support browser-based shopping without leaving the app.
It is impossible to mention social media without talking about influencers, and this is one group that can really drive sales. In fact, the influencer marketing industry is valued at $13.8 billion (see bit.ly/43FwynX).
Influencer marketing is now a leading strategy in many modern marketing campaigns. Companies that partner with influencers can establish trust with customers immediately and get their products or services in front of an audience that is already a good fit. There are influencers for every industry, making it easy for brands to find someone to partner with.
With so many users logging hours every single day, it makes sense why social media networks are a powerful tool for companies. Using social media, you can find new customers and convince them to make the purchase all using one simple profile. Companies that stay ahead of the curve can enjoy leads and conversions that build revenue over time. 
Nicholas Cucci is the co-founder and COO of Fluid Pay LLC. Cucci is also a graduate of Benedictine University and a member of the Advisory Board and Anti-Fraud Technology Committee for the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, as a CFE himself. Fluid Pay is the ONLY 100 percent cloud-based Level 1 PCI Payment Gateway processing transactions anywhere in the world. Contact Nick at Nick@FluidPay.com.
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