The same message is repeated by all modern marketing guides: Focus on social media.

73% of U.S. adults access YouTube and 68% use Facebook. 3/4 of these Facebook users use the platform daily. Snapchat is used by 78% of 18-24-year-olds.

These are just a few of the most recent stats on social media usage in 2018 from the Pew Research Center. Globally, these percentages might be lower. However, social media platforms continue to be popular and users are not likely to abandon them.

This is where businesses should focus their marketing efforts. These businesses target their audience via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as well as other social media platforms. This is not as easy as simply sharing information about your brand, and then waiting for people to buy what you have to offer. It’s not!

Social media is used by people for two purposes: to be informed and to have fun. We don’t mean to inform people about products or services they are interested in. Social media is the most popular way for people to find out about new developments. We don’t mean to say that shopping is fun when we say have fun. Cute dogs and cats are what we mean. We also mean babies!

It’s not easy to convert this audience into leads. To generate sales via social media, you’ll need to put in a lot of work. It’s possible, but it’s not easy. Here are some tips to help you get there.

1. Focus on Creating a Community

Social is pretty self-explanatory. Social media is used by people who want to make connections with others. They don’t like to connect with businesses. You know what? They want to get connected with their communities and engage with them.

Let’s use Coachella Festival as an illustration. It’s a business. But that’s not the way people see it. They view it as a part of a larger community.

The Facebook Page has more than 2 million fans. They will be commenting, asking for help, and sharing their opinions.

This is the type of relationship you want with your social media followers.

* Values should be the focus of the conversation. Coachella promotes a youthful, energetic, and exciting vibe. Alo Yoga is another example of a brand that builds a community around its brand. It promotes mindfulness.

This is the topic of their Instagram Page. This is the secret to their high engagement.

Social media productivity is an important element that everyone should be aware of. For your followers to feel comfortable sharing what they don’t wish to share with the world, you can create a closed Facebook Group.

This is an example of Book Club Novel readers on Amazon Kindle – this group can be found on Facebook.

It is very active and members share their opinions on books. While they won’t post on Amazon fan pages, they will do it in a community that feels like home.

2. Be That Go-To Page

You’ll see that the pages listed above are not about marketing a business. It’s all about the audience.

Someone may want to learn more about yoga. They can leave a comment on Alo Yoga’s Instagram. Some of the other members will be able to answer.

This is the goal you should aim for. People will come to you if they have any questions. People will buy from businesses that are such authority. You don’t even need to invite them.

How can you create such authority?

* Content! A blog is essential for your website. You must continue publishing high-quality content to provide solutions. You don’t need a team of editors and writers to make this happen. There are many cheap writing services that you can count on.

* How does social media fit into this picture? That’s where you will be promoting your blog posts. Each one should generate engagement so make sure you pay attention to what you write about them.

People should notice these posts and they should follow the link to your site. They will find the content they are looking for. 

If they see this content regularly in their feeds, they’ll start to recognize your brand. They will be able to remember the page and will contact you with any questions.

3. Use the Power of Influencers

What do you do if you don’t have many social media followers? Paid advertising is an option. If you make your ad attractive enough, people will see it in their feeds.

Are you sure that’s where you should be? No! No!

Are you following social media influencers? You should! You can find content that is relevant to your interests, regardless of what they are.

Influencers are a great source of cool content that we can share and comment on. They also give us advice on where to shop. Businesses can make a lot of money from them.

People will trust an influencer who recommends a brand of laptops on a popular tech blog and includes a detailed review.

This person will undoubtedly share their honest opinions about the laptop but they may also be being paid by the brand.

Manufacturers send a package along with the laptop and offer financial compensation. Followers get the recommendation and consider the brand when purchasing a laptop.

Easy. Effective!

* Concentrate on your niche! Influencers should have the same target audience that you do.

* You can use a tool such as Deep Social to locate these influencers. Start outreaching out to the people you want to target. 

* Personal messages are required. You can learn from these influencers what they are doing so that you can identify the things that will interest them.

Keep in mind that they will be sharing their opinions with the audience. If you want to get results, they need to like your brand.