You connected with your prospective customers through your Facebook business page. You reached out and built rapport by replying to their comments. You developed a relationship with them. Now, you’re wondering how to convert these audiences into paying customers.
You’re not alone. Most of us have been there before—we worry about sounding too much like a salesperson or that it’s too soon to make a pitch.
This is where closed-loop marketing comes in. It simply means that the marketing team and the sales team work closely to make sure that leads are turned into sales. For the majority of Facebook business pages, the sales team and marketing team are one and the same. The question to ask then is, “How do I convert Facebook likes and comments into sales?”
By using the Closed Loop Framework – tagging, tracking, matching & integration – you can accurately attribute revenue to the marketing campaign that generated the lead.https://t.co/kkYX6ICIa5 pic.twitter.com/GO8LPmo5nD
— Ruler Analytics (@RulerAnalytics) April 2, 2019
Build trust and get to know your prospect
Successful online businesses are based on trust. How do you build trust? Below are some tips:
- Sincere compliments: People like to hear compliments, so give them out like candy. Make sure that they are personalized and sincere.
- Visit your prospects’ profiles: Check out their most recent posts, and comment on them. They will feel special knowing that you took the time to get to know them.
- Messages: If they send you a message of any sort, positive or negative, you have to reply ASAP. It’s also appropriate to initiate a conversation from time to time.
By getting to know your prospective customers and having an engaging Facebook page, you are also giving them the opportunity to know you and what you have to offer.
Introduce your product/service based on your previous conversation
After you’ve built rapport and trust, you’re ready to do your pitch. How do you introduce your product or service without sounding like you’ve been waiting for the opportunity? Your approach should be based on your past conversations. Do not just barge in from nowhere with a topic that’s not in line with your previous interactions.
If the person is already into some kind of business, talk to them about it first then transition until you can introduce your own business.
Trust your intuition
Only about 9% of Americans have a business. How do you know when to do your pitch if your prospect is part of the larger 91% of the population? In this case, it’s best to trust your instincts. You’ve talked to the person before, so you may have an idea about how they feel about businesses. There are also scripts available online that you can use.
Share your story
While it’s important to tell the truth, telling it in an emotionally engaging way is more effective if you want sales. Share your story to your prospects. Get them emotionally tied to the product or service so that getting their “yes” will be easier and more natural.
Follow through
Don’t expect prospects to accept your business eagerly after your first pitch. You may need to do a second, third, even up to a fifth follow-up before you make a sale. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get any affirmation after you have shared your story.
Continue posting great content, commenting on their posts, and talking about things other than the business. If there’s an opportunity, talk about your business again. If there’s no opportunity, then create one.
Be organized
You need to know the status of every prospect that you have. Make a list and specify where you’re at for each of them. For example, you might write that prospect #1 is thinking about accepting, you didn’t make a pitch yet for prospect #2, or you’re at the third follow-up for prospect #3. Set a reminder on your phone or calendar for each prospect, and do a follow-up after a determined amount of time.
Don’t give up
It’s easier to walk away if you get the cold shoulder treatment from a prospect. Before you do that, think about the reason first. Maybe there’s no established trust yet, so continue sharing your story through photos and videos. Do not let a “no” affect the rest of your strategy.
Closing the loop between marketing and sales
If you build trust before introducing your business, you have a higher chance of a positive response, as opposed to bombarding your prospects with a sales pitch from the start. Don’t be the kind of person who seems to see only dollar signs instead of seeing prospects as individual persons.
Online businesses are successful because the owners took the time to build a relationship with their followers and the people who like and comment on their posts. Remember that the number of likes and comments won’t translate into sales if you don’t close the loop and reach out to these people.
