How to Create Social Media
Content That Drives Sales

Focus on Value, not Features

When you do create content for social, avoid simply listing features and specifications. Focus on what your products or services can do for the customer and the benefits they provide. Explain how they solve problems or improve lives. Using value-driven language shows customers you understand their needs and can help them.

Tell Compelling Stories

Data, facts, and bullet points may provide information, but they rarely inspire action. Customers purchase from companies they relate to and like. Use stories in your social content to share how your products positively impacted real customers. Show the human side of your business to create an emotional connection.

Use High-Quality Visuals

Studies show that video content is viewed 94 percent more than text content. Whenever you can include a nice high-quality photo and video with your social posts. Visuals will help grab attention, deliver value, and inspire engagement-all from views that keep the probability that a prospect is a buyer. Ensure your visuals look good for your brand.

Ask Questions and Encourage Interactions

Instead of broadcasting to your audience through your social posts, ask questions. Want to spur a great conversation? Pose something relevant to your industry or regarding your product, and tap into that vital input. Further engage with comments-relevant ones-by thoughtfully responding to show customers that you value them and that they are considered in your business. The more that your post incites users to interact with you, the more it exposes your business.

Provide Discount Codes and Deals

While giveaways are attention-grabbing social content, providing discount codes provides a more reliable way to convert leads. Offer time-limited promotional codes for a percentage or dollar amount off in your social posts. Give customers an incentive to take action and make a purchase. Take advantage of special holidays and events by offering promo codes for that special something.

Share Customer Testimonials and Reviews

Nothing is better than social media content comprising happy customers speaking for themselves. Share some of the testimonials and reviews on your social media channels. Select those that specifically mention results and benefits most likely to connect with prospects.Customer endorsements build trust and credibility that can motivate a purchase decision. Consider asking new customers for a testimonial to keep a steady stream of content.

Create How-to Guides and Checklists

Creating step-by-step guides and checklists around common problems in your industry or topics related to your products can be incredibly useful social content. Consumers are more likely to buy when they feel knowledgeable and prepared. How-to’s and roadmaps establish you as a thought leader and solution provider while simultaneously teaching customers what they need to know to take the next step – buying from you.

Provide Regular Publishing Schedule

Consistency in publishing helps build familiarity with your brand and positions you as a reliable source of information and solutions. It also makes it easier for prospects to remember to check in with you-that is, at least two or three times per week and on the same days and times for maximum impact.

Repurpose Evergreen Content

Instead of creating something completely new, such as an ebook, a how-to guide, infographic, or another form of “evergreen” educational content, simply think about ways that you might reuse existing material. Repurposing old content is a great way to create new social posts that will still deliver value. Just don’t forget to include a call-to-action so your customers can take some kind of action – whether that’s downloading an ebook, requesting a quote or just following your brand.

Measure and Test Your Content

To really take your social media content to the next level of actual sales, you’ll need to measure your results. You’ll want to measure click-throughs, leads from social channels, and purchases that originate from social. A/B test different types of content: photos vs. videos, questions vs. stories. That means it’s time to dig into what works best for your customers and go for the highest-converting content strategies going forward. Armed with these best practices, you’re now ready to begin making truly influential social posts that drive actual sales and ROI. Focus on insights, storytelling, images, and customer value in testing and refining your approach over time. Soon enough, your social channels will be turned into a powerful lead-generation machine for your business.