Social media is a powerful tool for all types of businesses, but it can be especially effective for equipment sellers. You'll find that social media can help you connect with customers, build your brand and increase sales. Use social media to educate and inform customers and increase buyer confidence before they even walk into your store. And when buyers are confident in their buying power, they buy more.
Get to Know Your Audience
Social media is all about people. So, it makes sense that the first and most important thing to do when selling on social media is to get to know your audience.
- Find out what they like and don't like by lurking in the comments section of posts they share or respond to.
- Know their pain points by asking them directly via Facebook Messenger or Twitter direct messages. Or even better, create a survey using SurveyMonkey (for example) and ask them questions about how they use equipment in their daily lives and what challenges they face along the way.
This will help you tailor your social media presence so that you're speaking their language, sharing content that resonates with them, and addressing any concerns they might have without having them tell you outright what they want from you as an equipment seller!
Turn to Video
Video is a great way to connect with your audience on social media. It creates an instant connection between you and your customer, who gets to see your personality, hear your voice and see the product in action.
Video is also a great way to educate customers on how to use the equipment or why it's better than the competition. You can even show them how easy it is for them to work with you—whether it's by showing off your culture or getting feedback from customers who have used your products before.
Video is such an effective tool because people are busy these days; they don't always have time for lengthy text posts or paragraphs of copy written about every niche product that comes into their lives (just look at all those emails in your inbox). Video does all the hard work for you by presenting information succinctly so everyone can get up-to-speed quickly without having time wasted trying too hard at first glance looking through pages upon pages of information trying find what they need quickly
Post Regularly, but Not Too Much
It's important that you post regularly, but not too much.
Posting too often can dilute your message and make it difficult for customers to find the content they need from you. Posting infrequently might make you look unprofessional or cause people to forget about your brand altogether. Posting regularly helps keep your company top of mind for both buyers and those who are just browsing through social media for fun. It also builds trust with potential customers by showing them that sales reps are active on social media and willing to engage with them in a timely manner, even if there isn't an immediate need for equipment right now (which could lead someone else trying out another brand).
Tailor Content to Each Platform
The first thing to keep in mind is that your social media strategy shouldn't be the same for every platform. Each one has its own rules, expectations, and function. For example:
- Facebook is where you want to use content as a way of nurturing relationships with customers, while Twitter is more useful as an advertising platform.
- Instagram and Pinterest are great ways to showcase product images and inspire customers with ideas for how they can use what you sell in their own lives, respectively.
- LinkedIn is best used for communicating directly with industry professionals who might become customers or suppliers down the line.
Talk about Financing Options
30% of equipment buyers say they would have walked away empty-handed without financing. And 83% of buyers say knowing their financing options helps them make buying decisions. And yet, most equipment sellers still treat financing like a payment processor. Set yourself apart and put customers at ease by talking about financing early and often.
Sharing your financing options on social media gives potential buyers the confidence to start seriously shopping. If removes the affordability hurdle. And customers who know that they’re approved, spend an average of 30% more on equipment. They aren’t just buying the cheapest equipment they can get away with. They’re buying the right equipment for their needs. Which also leads to happier customers.
At Clicklease, we provide sellers with all the tools they need to talk about financing at any point in the sales conversation, from social media to Point of Sale. Check out our Marketing Toolkit to see all the resources we have available for sellers.
Conclusion
Social media is a great way to reach your audience, educate them about the benefits of buying from you, and increase customer confidence. You can use social media to connect with customers and potential customers, promote your products and services, or launch new offerings.
Social media is a powerful tool that can help you sell equipment. It gives your customers the opportunity to see how the product works in real life, and it gives you an opportunity to interact with them on a personal level. Use social media marketing effectively to make customers more comfortable throughout the buying process and grow your sales.
