Social Media vs Social Selling?

Are you looking for a new way to reach your target populations?  Are you tired of feeling like you are technically challenged?  It seems that EVERYONE is turning to social media – twitter, facebook, pinterest, instagram and just when I think I know what is happening (or what I am missing) another social media format pops up.

As Jason Dorsey says – you need to communicate with different people differently.  In Inc. Magazine there was an article on “4 Tips for Using Social Media to Sell“.  I love that Matt Heinz talks about “social selling” instead of “social media”.  Here is a link to his book “Successful Social Selling”  Although I still have my doubts on whether or not you can actually SELL on Social Media, I am game to try anything ONCE.  I believe that it is an AMAZING way to start to build relationships with potential customers but I am not convinced that it is a way to make sales.  Here are the 4 key principles that were shared in the article:

1. Getting more “followers’ in not a goal.  “There is no connection between the number of followers or likes and your amount of sales.”  THIS makes sense to me.  I have learned this through my blog.  Sharing products and information is offering readers an opportunity to experience my Thirty One products without the HARD sell.
2. Connection is not engagement.  Selling comes from interaction and not just pushing my messages or expertise.  I don’t have as much interaction on my blog as I would like but it is definitely true with Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.  I have to learn to INTERACT with people by posting/ responding when potential customers post on my page.
3. Buyers signal by declaring problems.  I think this is tough!  LISTENING for buying signals when you are face to face with a customer is one thing since there are key words that we can LISTEN for.  I find that written messages are often edited so that we don’t get the “sales pitch” – or at least mine usually are.
4. You are not in control.  Getting followers, and then provoking them to buy your products as a result of your posts rarely happens.   “If you tweet, blog, or post about a solution, idea, or product that a person does not have, they won’t necessarily connect with you. If you are listening to the social Web and hear someone declare a problem that you can solve or a question that you can answer, giving you an opportunity to send a relevant response, then you are truly engaging.”  I am not sure that I agree with this.  I have found that by sharing a variety of ideas, products or solutions – I get more interaction from my customers.

So, what are your thoughts on social selling ON social media?  If you use Social Meda, what platforms do you use and are they creating business opportunities for you?  Please share your thoughts…. Have a ThirtyOne-derful day.