There is nothing quite as effective as face-to-face marketing. But with the explosion of eCommerce, few businesses invest in direct marketing anymore. Unfortunately, they are losing out on closing a great number of sales that way because, as any marketing pro will tell you, consumers prefer talking to a salesperson. In fact, Millennial’s are especially keen on meeting the face behind the brands they deal with. so how can you reap the benefits of face-to-face marketing without meeting shoppers in person? The trick? Facebook, of course!
What Propelled Facebook to the Top of Social Media?
When it comes to the world’s largest social media site, Facebook far surpasses all others. Twitter and Instagram aren’t even close in the number of active members and even mobile platforms like Snapchat can’t come close. So, what is it that Facebook has that others don’t? Well, a big part of it is history. Facebook is older than most other social media sites, but even here, it is not the oldest.
Many psychologists and sociologists who study online behavior feel a large part of Facebook’s success is in the name, believe it or not! When it comes to developing and growing relationships, there needs to be a personal connection, and this is why many ‘long-distance relationships’ are doomed to fail. So, Facebook combines the two in a revolutionary way, a junction if you will, where physical and online relationships meet.
How Today’s Businesses Are Cashing in on What Facebook Has Accomplished
Most marketing experts believe that face-to-face selling is superior to eCommerce because it allows the salesperson to establish a relationship with the customer, and in turn, a sense of trust. Furthermore, it is widely held belief that building a solid relationship with your customers leads to return sales and an increase in referrals.
Not only does a vendor have the opportunity to set up their own eCommerce store, but they are given the resources they need to market their eCommerce store on Facebook. It’s the best of both worlds. You get an eCommerce outlet for your merchandise and then add your store to Facebook to grow a following by building those all-important relationships.
The Key Is in Continuity
How many times have you heard the old cliché of failed long-distance relationships that end in ‘Dear John’ letters? Llong-distance relationships are hard to maintain because, again an old cliché, ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ With social sites like Facebook, you are never long out of site. Build a page for your store, use SEO techniques to draw people to your page along with actively pursuing friends and before you know it, you will have thousands of followers. However, the key is continuity! Just as a long distance relationship will fail because there is no physical ‘connection’ due to being separated by miles, so too are eCommerce stores doomed to fail if they don’t build and maintain solid relationships with their audience.
So you see, reaping the benefits of face-to-face marketing online is more than just building a social profile and attracting followers. It’s about dialogue and continuity in your relationship with your audience. The key to a successful relationship is continuity, so meet new customers face-to-face on Facebook and then continue courting them over time. Keep dialogue open over time and you, too, can reap the benefits of face-to-face marketing with an online social media approach. It’s the next best thing to direct marketing and key to the massive success of marketplaces like Shopify.
Do you know why Facebook is number one and YouTube is in second place as the world’s largest social sites? That’s right! A visual face-to-face connection that consumers crave. Take advantage of social media and you found the key to building awesome online relationships.