Although all brands and companies want to sell products on Twitter, only a small part of them get the desired performance. Among the main causes are a poorly optimized profile, the refusal to use trends and hashtags or the error of using Twitter as if it were a traditional sales channel.
Did you know that more than 9 out of 10 companies (92%) publish on Twitter at least once a day and 42% of them publish up to 5 times a day, according to Simply Measured (now Sprout Social)? For the most successful ecommerces, this social network is no ornament on their websites. They really get great business performance using this platform. In the following lines, you will discover how to use Twitter for social sales. Will you join us?
Optimize and give a professional image to your profile
Appearance isn’t everything, but first impressions can make all the difference. Brands like Amazon, Zalando or eBay know the importance of giving a professional image to their customers. In this sense, their profiles are examples to follow. The biography, logo and background image must work together to underline the branding, mission, and tone of the advertiser company.
One of the most important metrics of Twitter Analytics is profile visits. Optimizing it to get a professional image should be the first step for brands that want to sell products via Twitter.
Take advantage of trends to benefit your brand
Following the most relevant themes and hashtags and riding the ‘wave’ to boost marketing campaigns is a widespread practice among brands. KFC, for example, is launching very creative campaigns for National Fried Chicken Day, but not all the trends are so evident. Earth Day, for example, has been used by Amazon and other ecommerces to highlight the sustainability and other values of their brands.
However, it is important to use it properly. Today, one of the most common hashtags is #MeToo, and although the philosophy of many brands coincides with this initiative, trying to take advantage of this trend for one’s own benefit can be dangerous. In fact, many companies have been harmed. Not all trends can be used to boost a brand.
In addition, companies should be careful to follow trends that do not relate to their niche market. In September 2014 the DiGiorno Pizza brand received a wave of criticism for misusing the hashtag #WhyIsStayed. This error had a big impact. Even the Times echoed this malpractice, which evidently damaged the reputation of this pizza chain.
Help and connect with users, don’t sell them your brand
Another key to selling products on Twitter is to remember that this is a social platform, not a marketplace. Users do not access Twitter to purchase products or services. Pretending to use this social network as if it were a sales channel will produce the rejection of potential consumers. The objective of social network marketing should be to attract potential customers, build a community around the brand and improve its reputation.
But that doesn’t mean brands should be hidden on Twitter. Starbucks, for example, displays its delicious coffees in each tuit and does not suffer from user rejection. The same goes for Zappos and his shoes and many other ecommerces with a presence on the social network of the little blue bird.
But these and other brands, far from limiting themselves to selling their products, help users. Twitter is an excellent alternative to traditional customer service. In fact, numerous statistics suggest that consumers prefer to communicate with businesses via social networks, rather than using the telephone, email or other channels.
Use Twitter Ads for your marketing campaigns
This recommendation does not conflict with the previous point. Twitter circulates 500 million tweets a day, which means that it is extremely difficult to stand out from the rest. Using Twitter Ads to achieve this is the most sensible decision, with many formats available: Promoted Tweets, Promoted Accounts, Promoted Video Ads, etc.
The latter may be the most interesting for ecommerce, due to the increase in video content on the Internet. In addition, Twitter users are very receptive. An IPG Mediabrands survey revealed that 7 out of 10 Twitter users consider that video ads are not intrusive, nor do they worsen their experience on this social network.
However, it is important to stress that the goal does not have to be to sell products on Twitter. Behind a paid campaign there may be other goals, for example:
● Brand recognition.
● Increased follower community.
● Search for social traffic through clicks on the website.
● Increased downloads of an app.
Find and use influencers.
All sectors, industries, and market niches have influencers: bloggers, YouTubers or subject matter experts, who use Twitter to connect with their audience. What happens when this influence is positioned in favor of a brand? That their loyal followers buy that brand instead of going to the competition.
On the other hand, statistics also show that the use of influencers is an excellent way to sell products on Twitter. Even among ordinary users, this strategy works: 56% of consumers are influenced by their friends and co-workers when it comes to shopping, according to a study released by Twitter in collaboration with Annalect.
But not all brands and companies will find the influencers they need on Twitter, due to the target of this platform. According to data provided by the social network itself, 8 out of 10 Twitter users are millennials. Brands whose consumers coincide with this generation should use this social network; otherwise, discarding it may be the best option.
