How does being on social media make money for my business?

During a recent course I was giving, we were discussing what we might share on social media as a business.  A voice came from the crowd ‘But how can you make money out of sharing that?’

As somebody who helps businesses create leads and sales with their social media, I assumed everybody would know how and why, but maybe not.  So I gave these examples of how gentle social sharing could result in cash sales:

The Yoga Teacher

Liz was a yoga instructor just starting out.  Yes, she put a poster advertising her classes on the noticeboard of the local library, but that was not resulting in enough numbers.  She decided to become more social on social media.   Liz started to share videos of her and a few friends doing yoga in her back garden.  She then started a regular Facebook live chat, sharing her thoughts on life, yoga and energy.  She filled her Instagram feed with yoga poses in beautiful outdoor locations.  This was a lot of time and effort just putting content out there and not once does she obviously ‘Sell’.  However, on close inspection you see her fans comment on various classes she has given them, you see her 5 star reviews, you see people asking how they can sign up.   Today, she has full classes and regularly guests at events around the country – another revenue stream.   That’s how she makes money from posting on social media.

The Fairy Story

Fiona produces handmade fairies from recycled material, they are the cutest things but she was making more than she could sell.  At first she was just posting images of the fairies with a price beside them on social media.   This was not getting her the results she wanted so she started to create a story around them and make it more interesting.  For the next month Fiona brought her fairies all over the county and positioned them in fun places and created a story around them.  Soon the ‘where’s the fairy’ videos and photos started to get very popular and sales started to improve.  Somebody suggested she add some other characters to the stories and soon the fairies had magic cats, bears and bees.  As her fame grew she was approached by a publisher and is now writing her first children’s book based on the ‘where’s the fairy’ adventures.   That’s how she makes money from posting on social media.

The Pay Off

Being social on social media will encourage potential customers to engage with you.  Yes, I hear you all say ‘It takes so much of my time’.  However, once the money starts to roll in, the pain of all that effort is soon forgotten.  So be social on social media, be creative, have fun and reap the rewards of your hard work and you will soon be making money on social media.