Full immersion in social media is now simply a part of daily life. But what does this mean for the home and building product manufacturers?
On one hand, it’s easy to look at the social landscape and think you have specifiers, designers, contractors and developers at your fingertips to sell to. But only relying on overt sales tactics in your social media presence can do more harm to your sales than good.
One of the biggest shifts we’ve seen with the rise of social media is that users—your potential customers—are wary of brands. So it’s imperative that when refining your brand’s social strategy, you do so in a way that builds trust and moves with your potential customers’ needs.
So how do you do that? Consider these trust-building tips for your social content:
1. Be a thought leader.
Because you’re selling a service or product in a specialized market sector, you know a lot about the industry and the market to which you’re selling. And most likely, your product or service solves a problem within that industry. Why not share some of your vast industry knowledge with your following? Link to white papers, case studies, infographics, inspirational image galleries—any solutions-focused owned content that offers your target valuable information about your industry. This can help position you as a reliable source of insider knowledge and problem solving. And as a corollary, you’ll be at the top of mind when it comes time to make purchasing or specification decisions.
2. Be an aggregate of thought leadership.
Hand in hand with positioning your brand as an expert is sharing insights from other industry experts. This shows you do your research, that you have insight into the latest building and design trends and that elevating industry knowledge among architects, designers, contractors and installers—not just selling a product—is a main priority for your brand. And sharing insights from other thought leaders can broaden your audience reach and help you become more relevant with new followers, especially if you’re using best tagging and hashtagging practices.
3. Be current.
There’s so much noise in social channels these days that sharing more in your feed than product-pushing will make your account much more appealing to followers. Instead, rely on news, trends, new industry insights or any other topical content that both your brand and your followers’ interests align with. It’s a great way to transmit knowledge, spark dialog and increase brand awareness.
4. Be judicious. And clear.
At times, it is appropriate to share your products and services on your social channels. A new or expanded product offering, for example. When you finally share products service posts keep these things in mind for max benefits:
- Keep them to 1 in 4 (or 25 percent of) posts. Having a ratio helps direct content creation and has the added benefit of keeping you on track with a good posting schedule. This way you can see at a glance that your schedule includes valuable content that your followers will look forward to seeing and benefiting from.
- Be sure to clearly highlight what problem your product or service solves. Help your target audience understand what exactly your product does to make their life/job easier. Tell them what is special about your service and what they should know about it.
- Add a call to action. Don’t just leave them hanging – tell them what their next move is. Whether that means driving them to your website to learn more, make a purchase or simply tagging a friend, it’s important to continue the engagement you worked so hard to cultivate with your post
Social media is one of many tools in your strategy to connect with your target audiences. The trick is knowing how and when to use it to bolster your brand and your sales.
Ready to see how Stoner Bunting can help promote your brand, product or service? Contact Dana Gulick at dgulick@stonerbunting.com or fill out an inquiry.