Social media is often claimed as one of the best means to increase marketing ROI. But, while this might sound enticing, the actual tasks can be quite daunting. So, how do you do you truly get more for your business from the work you put into the socials?

Getting more out of promotions

A tricky part of doing promotions on social media is getting them to move from there to your sales page. Mashable’s Adam Popescu said that having the right kind of content for each of your social media outlets will help in convincing your readers to make that move. He pointed out that each platform has a different language and manner of approach. As such, when distributing content across different channels, instead of simply putting it in as it is, tailor that content to fit into the particular channel. This will ensure that it will be better received by readers who are using those channels.

Audience engagement is also very crucial in increasing interest and eventually making sales. And this is more so the case when it comes to making promotions on the social sites. One important rule when it comes to keeping your audience engaged is responding to their comments and inquiries within 24 hours. Another good strategy to keep your social audience engagement high is to create offers that are specifically directed to them.

Opening your social media store

If improving promotions aren’t enough to boost your marketing ROI in social media, then the next move you might want to try is to set up your own store within these sites. While this strategy was first employed by small businesses which were unable to put up their own online portal, it is now slowly being adopted by bigger companies for their own marketing strategy.

However, Jason Beles of Exact Target.com cautions that setting up shop in the social networking sites should be planned out carefully. As a lot of people are not fond of too many sales posts flooding their news feeds, finding a balance between outright selling goods and providing visitors with useful info is vital. Beles says that a 50-50 ratio of both kinds of posts is a good start for your store, but you can pay around to find the best composition for increased sales. 

Tying it together

While social media has been proven to deliver significant results, it can only do much. Tying it closely with your other marketing efforts, including those outside online marketing, will help in delivering even larger returns. A while ago, writer David Mercer said having a face to represent your business on all of these marketing fronts will contribute in making this effort effective, as people are more likely to support your brand if they see someone to relate to.

However, Mercer also warned that the brand ambassador that you pick should be adept in handling customer interactions both online and offline. In particular, he or she needs to avoid needless conflicts that can turn people away instead of drawing them in. Furthermore, your ambassador should have the charisma to drive people to make that purchase and drive your marketing ROI higher.

So with the right resources in place, social media can tie directly driving sales – with a measurable return on investment.