Social Media Optimization For Dummies

Chapter 11

Using SMO to Sell Products or Services

In This Chapter

• Building prelaunch buzz
• Courting customers through Snapchat
• Connecting with the blogosphere
• Turning followers into customers

Generating social media buzz and finding new followers is all well and good, but for a lot of people, those activities are less important than feeding the sales funnel. For the sales-conscious, social media success is merely a means to an end, and social media is effective only to the extent that it generates leads.

Although we would argue that the brand-building aspects of social media are never to be overlooked, we can appreciate that the bottom line remains the key driver for a lot of firms. The good news is that social media is very effective in promoting sales and generating leads. If you're more focused on turning social media followers into customers, you can apply several proven techniques, and those techniques are the subject of this chapter.

Generating Prelaunch Publicity

Great product and service marketing begins before launch. If you, as a social media optimization (SMO) practitioner, have the luxury of getting involved before the formal launch of the product, don't miss the opportunity, as it can pay significant dividends and jump-start the marketing push. Whether you are dealing with a product or a service, prelaunch is the time to start framing expectations, building excitement, and creating demand.

Prelaunch is the optimal time to stake out your turf on social media channels. ...