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Zero Degrees of Separation: Learning to Harness Social Media for Product Sales

Social media channels take care to cultivate and maintain

Zero Degrees of Separation: Learning to Harness Social Media for Product Sales

We're not going to sugar coat it: there's no shortcut to good social media strategy as a food entrepreneur.

Social media channels take care to cultivate and maintain, and brands can spend years developing a social presence that represents their product and drives consumer purchase. Though the easiest solution may seem to be buying followers or hiring a young person who “gets it,” those methods don't necessarily translate to the metric that matters to your business: sales.

Tough Truths About Social Media

  • It doesn't replace marketing.
  • Though it's convenient to update your SM profiles from wherever you are, they should work in tandem with other marketing channels you're using.

  • It takes time.
  • Engagement with customers requires logging in consistently to share, like, and reply to your consumer base. The more you put into SM, the more you get out.

  • It should align with your goals.
  • Each post you put out should support a specific sales strategy and be geared toward a particular goal (for example, driving attendance to a demo, or highlighting a new flavor available on the website).

Whether you're an e-tailer using social media to drive web sales or a more traditional packaged product that consumers can find in stores, your feeds can be used strategically to accomplish your goals. Work with stores to identify sales and promotions, then highlight them on your feed. Or add links to your posts and feed that send customers directly to your website.

Whatever you're doing, keep the goal in mind at all times - it's easily to get off track and start to post less strategically.

Below is an excellent list of social media rules, applicable for almost any brand:

[pillar_card type="vertical-link" image="1684" title="Make Social Media Work for Your Food Business" subtitle="No other medium matches social's immediacy, affordability, or sheer viral power" link="https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-to-make-social-media-work-for-your-food-business-1326005"][/pillar_card]

And for the best in weekly food & beverage maker content, delivered straight to your inbox, sign up here.

We're not going to sugar coat it: there's no shortcut to good social media strategy as a food entrepreneur.

Social media channels take care to cultivate and maintain, and brands can spend years developing a social presence that represents their product and drives consumer purchase. Though the easiest solution may seem to be buying followers or hiring a young person who “gets it,” those methods don't necessarily translate to the metric that matters to your business: sales.

Tough Truths About Social Media

  • It doesn't replace marketing.
  • Though it's convenient to update your SM profiles from wherever you are, they should work in tandem with other marketing channels you're using.

  • It takes time.
  • Engagement with customers requires logging in consistently to share, like, and reply to your consumer base. The more you put into SM, the more you get out.

  • It should align with your goals.
  • Each post you put out should support a specific sales strategy and be geared toward a particular goal (for example, driving attendance to a demo, or highlighting a new flavor available on the website).

Whether you're an e-tailer using social media to drive web sales or a more traditional packaged product that consumers can find in stores, your feeds can be used strategically to accomplish your goals. Work with stores to identify sales and promotions, then highlight them on your feed. Or add links to your posts and feed that send customers directly to your website.

Whatever you're doing, keep the goal in mind at all times - it's easily to get off track and start to post less strategically.

Below is an excellent list of social media rules, applicable for almost any brand:

[pillar_card type="vertical-link" image="1684" title="Make Social Media Work for Your Food Business" subtitle="No other medium matches social's immediacy, affordability, or sheer viral power" link="https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-to-make-social-media-work-for-your-food-business-1326005"][/pillar_card]

And for the best in weekly food & beverage maker content, delivered straight to your inbox, sign up here.

We're not going to sugar coat it: there's no shortcut to good social media strategy as a food entrepreneur.

Social media channels take care to cultivate and maintain, and brands can spend years developing a social presence that represents their product and drives consumer purchase. Though the easiest solution may seem to be buying followers or hiring a young person who “gets it,” those methods don't necessarily translate to the metric that matters to your business: sales.

Tough Truths About Social Media

  • It doesn't replace marketing.
  • Though it's convenient to update your SM profiles from wherever you are, they should work in tandem with other marketing channels you're using.

  • It takes time.
  • Engagement with customers requires logging in consistently to share, like, and reply to your consumer base. The more you put into SM, the more you get out.

  • It should align with your goals.
  • Each post you put out should support a specific sales strategy and be geared toward a particular goal (for example, driving attendance to a demo, or highlighting a new flavor available on the website).

Whether you're an e-tailer using social media to drive web sales or a more traditional packaged product that consumers can find in stores, your feeds can be used strategically to accomplish your goals. Work with stores to identify sales and promotions, then highlight them on your feed. Or add links to your posts and feed that send customers directly to your website.

Whatever you're doing, keep the goal in mind at all times - it's easily to get off track and start to post less strategically.

Below is an excellent list of social media rules, applicable for almost any brand:

[pillar_card type="vertical-link" image="1684" title="Make Social Media Work for Your Food Business" subtitle="No other medium matches social's immediacy, affordability, or sheer viral power" link="https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-to-make-social-media-work-for-your-food-business-1326005"][/pillar_card]

And for the best in weekly food & beverage maker content, delivered straight to your inbox, sign up here.

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