Did you know that talking about brands and their products/​services can increase sales? Why? According to Twitter and Publicis, shopping is a social experience. “From hitting the mall with friends as a teen to asking officemates for recommendations – we all seek validation of our choices. And who hasn’t sent their bestie a pic from a store asking, ‘Should I get it?’” So, what are you and your client doing to get conversation going about their brand and offerings? Have you considered using social media as a part of your strategy? 

Using Social Media to Power Brand Conversations 

Why Brand Conversation? 

Of course, consumers are capable of making their own shopping decisions. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t want a second opinion. According to Twitter and Publicis, 92% of consumers “seek out comments about brands, products, or services on social.” Not only do the majority of consumers want opinions on their potential purchases, 68% say that conversations they’ve had about brands have changed their previous mindset about a brand, product or service. Additionally, 75% of brand conversations result in the potential customer feeling more positive about the brand. Those are not percentages that can be overlooked. 

Start the Conversation Early 

Now, you and your client may be thinking that you can just start using social media to respond to outreach that potential customers may send their way. There’s a problem with that mindset. Twitter and Publicis say that brand conversation is “most impactful early in the purchase journey.” Which makes sense. If a consumer decides that they’d like to make a certain type of purchase, of course they’ll seek second opinions and brand conversations early on. The deeper they get into the buying process, the more likely it will be that they already have their heart set on a certain brand, product or service. 

According to Twitter and Publicis, 71% of consumers are likely to consider having brand conversations before they begin their purchase journey. Another 55% will have these conversations early on in their journey. So, the sooner you can get consumers having brand conversations about your client’s brand, products or services, the better. 

How to Start Brand Conversations 

So, how can your client get consumers talking about their brand, products or services? An easy way is to use social media. Social media make it easy to communicate what is important to your client’s business. And according to Twitter and Publicis, “Businesses who establish and communicate their missions, values, and points of view are well-​positioned to leverage conversation.” 

All you have to do to start brand conversations using social media is to make posts that will spark and contribute to conversations. Introduce new products via social media. Invite consumers to chat with your client’s representatives over live social videos. Go through your client’s reviews on their social channels and make comments on them. And pay attention to when your client’s brand is tagged in social posts so that you can respond to those too. Sparking conversations and getting involved in existing ones can help sway potential customers’ purchase decisions in your client’s favor. 

Which Social Media Channels to Use 

So, we agree that using social media to drive brand conversations is a good plan. But which social channels should your client be focused on? AudienceSCAN on AdMall by SalesFuel has the answers. Simply visit your client’s target audience’s profile and click on the Social Media button on the Marketing tab. There, you’ll see, in order, which social media channels these consumers are active participants on. That way, you’re only focused on the social channels that will yield the best results. 

Photo by Taan Huyn