People spend more time on social media than anything else. How else can you explain the average social media user spending 2 hours and 27 minutes on social media every day? Imagine the treasure trove of potential customers that you can tap into on social media. But if you find yourself struggling with getting social media users to click that awesome “Buy” button, it means your social media conversion strategy needs some serious revamping.
It’s also quite likely that you’ve already swallowed that bitter, red-colored pill. And that’s why you are here looking for answers. If that’s the case, you are on the right page.
Here you will find the top tips to boost your social media conversion rate and get more customers to flock to your websites and blogs. But before we get to the good stuff, let’s look at why you should seriously consider upgrading your social media conversion strategy:
The Place of Social Media in Digital Marketing: Key Numbers
Social media conversion is the process of turning your social media followers or visitors into customers or leads. All businesses, even the big ones, are striving hard to keep their fingers on the pulse of their customers on social media. And when you look at the three statistics below, you can see why.
- A staggering 75% of internet users research products and services on social media. [DataReportal, 2022]
- Social media also works like a discovery engine for some. 57% of Gen Z discover new products on social media. 36% of millennials and 41% of Gen X love discovering new products and brands through TikTok and Instagram Reels. [HubSpot, 2022]
- 90% of marketers believe that social media marketing increases exposure to their business, while 75% claim it increases traffic. [SmallBizTrends, 2016]
- Social media is among the top three drivers of website traffic. [Growth Badger, 2020]
Now, any digital marketing expert worth their salt knows that exposure and traffic don’t amount to much if they fail to convert a social media user into a bona fide customer. Ultimately, that is what every company wants its social media conversion strategies to achieve.
But how do you do that? How do you get more people on social media to buy your product or service?
The following section may help you with that.
Top Tips to Boost Your Social Media Conversion Rate
All businesses are looking for that one ace in the hole that can increase their social media conversion rates, and we are giving you not one but eight.
Here are six top tips to boost your social media conversion rate:
1. Grab them with your headlines
Your target audience’s social media feed is an infinite scroll. With so many brands vying for their attention, you have to make your posts stand out from the clutter. And the best way to grab their attention is through your headlines.
Keep your headlines short
Your first instinct to craft a stylish headline that packs in everything would be strong, but don’t do it. In a SEMrush study, the researchers found that headlines between 10 and 13 words result in twice as much traffic to the websites and are also shared 1.5 times more than longer headlines.
Use power words
Power words create curiosity and urgency. When you use words like "grab," "unique," or "pre-approved," or power phrases like “Stop doing X before you understand Y,” or “Limited time only,” all work great in making social media users pause at a post.
Use numbers if you want to make your headlines more specific
People love it when they scan through copies. They get invaluable information in a short amount of time. And if your post has a list of any kind, why not make that very clear with your headline?
For instance, “Top 3 Knockout Strategies to Make Your Social Media Headlines Awesome” is likely to perform better than a bland “How to write great headlines for your social media posts”.
2. Create persuasive copies
After you have grabbed their attention and made them pause, the next step is to persuade them with your text body. This is where you convince them to take the desired action. This could be anything from buying a product to subscribing to a channel.
Spark an emotional response
You have to take some time to understand what makes your target audience tick in order to create an emotional connection with them. If they have trouble understanding a complex subject and you are simplifying it for them, make sure you make it crystal clear in your copies.
Talk to them in their voice
If you have done your market research, then you should know how your customers talk on social media. Your copies should mirror their language. If you are targeting the Gen Z crowd who use emojis in their posts, then you should too. But if it’s the millennials who go easy on the emoji trigger, maybe LOLs and LMAOs would work better with them?
Have a clear call-to-action
There are times when people get hooked by a brilliant social media post, but then don’t know what to do or where to go. So they just swipe the post away and move on.
Not having a clear call-to-action is a cardinal sin that a brand can commit on social media. You don’t want your target audience to be stranded, but they should follow your signs. So give them a clear direction of what they must do. “Follow for more information,” “Grab it before it’s gone," and “Download a free report on XYZ” are good examples of compelling CTAs.
3. Make your content snackable
Adding audio and making use of visuals to create TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels also vastly increases your reach and social media engagement. People are addicted to snackable content, and if you are not leveraging that to your advantage, you are missing out on an excellent way to boost your social media conversion rate.
You can not only capture their attention with short videos but also convey the right information, given that you have already done your homework. So try to include infographics, memes, quotes, and similar content in your social media content strategy. You would be surprised at how well it works.
4. Rope in content creators and social media influencers
Popular content creators and social media influencers can have a staggering impact on your social media conversions. They boast a large number of followers and subscribers and have built up a certain reputation among their fans.
They help showcase your product
You may find it hard for your videos to find new markets and reach new audiences. Social media influencers can do that for you. They can spread your customer testimonials, Q&A videos, positive product experiences, and similar videos quicker.
They generate social proof and establish credibility
When a content creator or an influencer vouches for your brand or your product, it instantly projects you as a force to be reckoned with. Their subscribers trust their views and opinions, and they start trusting you too.
5. Establish further social proof with user-generated content
79% of people base their purchasing decisions on user-generated content. That’s a staggering statistic that shows why you should leverage the power of user-generated content to bolster your social media conversion rate.
User-generated content, or UGC, in digital marketing-speak, is any content that your fans create. Roping in an influencer to kick-start this trend can do wonders for you. Hire them to create engaging content like podcasts, testimonial pieces, or feature showcases, and have them kick-start a fun trend that their fans and your target audience would love to be part of.
You can also take a leaf out of Dove’s marketing playbook and do this without a social media influencer. Ask your present customers to share their positive experiences and use that to create a trend. You will likely see more of this type of UGC popping up on social media with your hashtag.
All you have to do is repost them on your channel, and boom! You have established social proof - just like that!
6. Spruce up your landing pages
You have done everything else right and got a social media user to your landing page only for them to be greeted with a dull landing page. And this is where social media conversion rates fall apart.
Anywhere between 2% and 5% is considered a good social media conversion rate.
If 1000 visitors from social media visit your site but only 20 do what you want them to do, you should take a closer look at your landing page and test it for performance and effectiveness. You would rather not be among the 17% of marketers who don’t A/B test their landing pages and wonder why their conversion rates aren’t taking off.
Here are some things you can do:
- Create a smooth flow for your visitors. Let them fill up forms or finish their checkout with minimum friction.
- Include some of the social proof you have gathered and let your visitors see them. Putting up an influencer’s brand endorsement on a landing page is also a good option.
- Consider adding live chats to your website. 9 out of 10 visitors may not need your support, but for that one visitor who needs it - it may save a lost conversion.
Final word:
We hope you’ve found these six top tips to boost your social media conversion rate helpful. Even getting verified on social media platforms can also help you to improve conversion rate. Remember that you may not see improvements instantly. You will have to keep track of your measurement metrics. You may even need to introduce incremental changes and try out different options to see which one performs the best.
