Social media is a crucial marketing tool for growing your business. Most internet users in 2021 are using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, etc., daily to connect with others, find information, and shop online.

Social media should be an essential part of your marketing strategy to reach more prospects online and increase your store’s sales. However, sometimes social media platforms don’t directly affect your sales. You may see low conversions even when there is a lot of interaction with your content and social media profiles. Although getting likes, comments, and shares can encourage you to produce more social media content, if it doesn’t affect your company’s income, you may start wondering – is it worth the effort? If people don’t buy what you sell after seeing your social media post, why should you bother? Although these might seem like valid rational questions, you shouldn’t be disappointed if your sales don’t match your social media numbers, and here’s why.

People Use Social Media Platforms for Different Reasons

Although you may aim to increase your sales through social media channels, people log into their social media profiles for different reasons, usually connecting with others, finding information, or entertainment. Some or many of your prospects will have no intention of buying anything while they scroll their feeds. So, while they might indeed like your profile and posts, there is a strong probability that they aren’t looking for products to purchase. Should that stop you from posting on social media? No. Even if many of your followers aren’t your customers today, there’ll be a great chance of them becoming your customers tomorrow by engaging with your brand.

Social Media Might Affect Your Prospects at the Early Stage of Customer Journey

Social media interactions don’t directly bring sales, so you may feel discouraged from producing more content – we’ve all experienced that. Sales are like a pat on the shoulder to keep going. Even if your social media presence doesn’t influence your income today, it may drive results tomorrow. The reason for that is the customer journey – the experience your prospects have with your company until they decide to purchase your product.

In many cases, following your page, liking your post, and interacting with your content may be the first interactions with your brand. That’s when people get to know your products.

Even if social media users don’t buy anything today, they might come back tomorrow or shuffle between your website, social media, and online reviews until they purchase your product. Your new customers are investing in a product they haven’t tried yet, and most probably, they will want to ensure that it’s reliable before they spend their extra dollars on it, so hang in there until your prospects decide it’s worth it.

Moreover, by being active on social media, you build relationships with your prospects. Some may not become your customer until you’ve built trust towards your brand, and converting them may take more than just a click on a button.

Social Media May Not Bring Direct Results

Social media improves your online visibility and may bring indirect results. Although it doesn’t directly affect your ranking on search engines, it allows you to create and share high-quality content to acquire backlinks – other sites linking to yours. When you have more backlinks, your site will improve its rankings. Therefore, when someone searches for a product you offer, they might come to your site for purchase. Because backlinks are crucial for SEO, social media channels can improve search engine rankings, affecting your sales.

Some of Few Reasons Why Your Social Media Conversions Are Low

Although we encourage you to stay optimistic and wait to see the desired outcomes from your marketing efforts, increasing your sales through social media channels may not be only a matter of time.

Here are a few reasons why your social media conversions are low.

Your Followers Are Not Your Prospective Clients.

One of the most apparent reasons social media doesn’t increase your sales is that you share content with the people who don’t need your products. It can happen because you created ads targeting a broad group of users without knowing the demographics or using the wrong channel to connect with your audience. It’s crucial to understand who your prospects are to focus on the platforms they are using. Moreover, if ads are your primary way of increasing engagement and acquiring followers, ensure you know who your audience is and who’s likely to convert to customers. Then use the demographics and interest sections on Ads Manager to target a specific group of people.

You Don’t Provide a Call-to-Action

Another reason for having high engagement but low conversion is because you don’t include a call-to-action in your posts. It’s like an instruction for users – what should they do once they view/read your content? Should they visit your site? Use a discount coupon at the store?

You Don’t Post Consistently

You may feel creative today and create five social media posts but have no inspiration tomorrow and create 0 posts. While it can happen to anyone, try to post regularly to keep your page fresh and active to make the most out of your social media presence. Regularly posting on social media will build more credibility and trustworthiness towards your company, increasing your sales.

You Don’t Create Engaging Content

Although your posts might have interactions, they don’t directly lead to sales. When you want to increase sales, create posts that lead to sales. Such can be an online contest, giveaway, or encouraging user-generated content. For instance, you can create a weekly online quiz and offer a discount coupon as a prize or a product sample – these encourage users to either buy or try your products which can directly affect sales. You can also share about seasonal discounts or coupons available at your store. Statistics show merchants with an active discount code are eight times more likely to make sales, and your social media profile is a great place to spread the word about it.

Although low conversion rates can be discouraging, it shouldn’t stop you from using social media platforms for your business. Sometimes, all you need is a slight tweak in your social media marketing strategy to see the desired results.