Facebook and Instagram have become two of the top channels for people researching and buying products online. Digital advancements like social commerce and artificial intelligence are changing the game when it comes to connecting and engaging with your audiences — and that includes making it a lot cheaper. Still, the challenge of marketing your business with a social conversion strategy can feel like chasing a moving target as you try to keep up with this new frontier. That’s why we’re here to help. If you’re looking to take advantage of the power of social media to turn your followers into customers, start with these six low-cost social ad strategies.

1)    Make Your Content Engaging

The best way to get someone to stop scrolling is to give them a reason to. Your content has to have compelling call-to-actions and a deeper message than simply “buy our stuff!” When you’re creating a post, be thoughtful with your content. Give your captions some personality, encourage engagement by asking questions or including offers, promotions, or experiences to get your customers invested. Running contests or creating interesting conversations will help your ads not only stand out, but also become more interactive than linear. 

And use video! 83% of marketers generated more leads using video in their marketing strategy (RenderForest). Testimonials, behind the scenes content, or tutorials are all great routes for video that can engage your viewers for longer and build stronger relationships. 

The right visuals paired with a strong message can go a long way as well, so don’t think that every post has to be a marketing production. Use a clear call-to-action and choose your visuals wisely based on your voice of the customer research to keep your post cadence strong and their effectiveness even stronger.

2)    Stay Consistent with your Brand

Consistency is key! Your creative elements should use a similar tone, color scheme, and imagery that reflects your brand so people begin to build a familiarity and sense of trust with your posts online. While a subtle and somewhat obvious tip, you don’t want to give your customers any reason to hesitate as they make their way down the funnel. It should be clear where they’re coming from and who they are working with. 

Keep consistent with your posts as well. Try to keep your post cadence on a regular schedule — but that shouldn’t mean simply posting to post. Come up with a post schedule that you can stick to each month because this kind of reliability will keep your customers engaged and looking forward to seeing your internet content.

3)    Build a Genuine Relationship with Your Customers

Offers and prizes will get them to the table, but a connection will get them to pull the trigger. Not every post has to be about your brand. Test out things like Friday Follower posts each week to shout out specific customers, or create a poll encouraging them to share their opinions to show you care about their feedback. You want every customer to feel like you’re talking to them and posting with their interests in mind!

Respond to comments and acknowledge your customers when they share your stuff, and you’ll be on your way to creating a loyal customer network. Remember, loyalty leads to repeat customers and referrals, so the juice is worth the squeeze!

And don’t forget to keep your promises! The connection you’re building needs to be trustworthy. If you offer a prize, make sure someone gets it and shares about it by tagging you. If you’re launching a new product, make sure it’s available on the date you said it’d be. It can be easy to think individual posts aren’t important enough to warrant that much attention. But the minute someone notices you lied to them, that trust and authentic reputation are broken beyond repair.

4)    Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly

According to recent studies, 54.8% of global web traffic is on mobile (Oberlo). So make sure when someone clicks your social ads, they land somewhere functional, navigable, and relevant. In today’s fast-paced, digital world, your web design has to be mobile-friendly in order to have an effective online presence. Even the slightest delay or difficulty viewing your company’s site will quickly become a bounce.  

The more your landing page operates like a social media platform — i.e., clickable, scrollable, and easy to navigate — the more seamless the sales journey will be for a potential customer. Use large, bright buttons so people know where to click when they’re interested in a product or your services. Have a compelling and creative design that’s easy on the eyes with enough white space. Lastly, make sure you come off as credible by having testimonials, ratings, and reviews from existing customers.

5)    Test & Analyze

Not everyone will respond to the same marketing content in the same ways. And not every message will resonate with every customer. Figure out what messaging and creative marketing strategies are the most effective through A/B testing. Create similar ads with slight differences in messaging or assets to see which combinations perform best. Listen to the digital data and tailor your content to the style and language that drives the most engagement and results. It may be an extra step in the process, but the effort will end up increasing the effectiveness of your ads and boosting your sales.

Pay attention to your customer demographics and the best times to post as well as your best content. Speak to your demographic and schedule your posts to reach the most amount of people based on when your audience is online. And utilize URL tracking to better understand where your website traffic is coming from to prioritize the platforms that the majority of your audience is using. These details in the data will do wonders for your conversion rate!

6)    Promote User-Generated Content

Once you’ve started to build a loyal following online, your customers will start posting about your products. These posts can serve as free advertising if you use them properly. According to QualtricsXM, 93% of customers read online reviews before buying a product. People are seeking the opinions and experiences of others who have used your products and services, and social media is where they can find it. By sharing user-generated content, showcasing how and why people are enjoying your product, you can help build your brand’s credibility and build trust in potential customers.  

Sharing this content also inspires others to make more of it! People like to feel heard by the brands they love, and on social, tagging them to show off their content is the perfect way to do that. Be proud that customers want to be associated with you and strengthen your brand by bringing their content to your pages. 

Your Social Conversion Strategy

Creating content that works for your customers and being mindful of your marketing metrics will create a loyal online following that leads to sales. Use these low-cost strategies to make the most of your advertising investment. For more ways to strategize and take your social strategies to the next level, contact shyft today.