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Let’s face it: It has been an *intense* year for everyone, including many businesses, big and small. The global health crisis, on top of the regular pain of selling (Yes, we’re talking about those countless calls and messages and uninterested, even hostile prospects!) is, without a doubt, very frustrating to deal with.

But we think all is not lost yet. Social media and online platforms still exist. In the advent of the “new normal,” with people worrying about being out in the open, businesses weather through with their online presence.

However, this is where the hard part comes in. Highlighting your brand to grab a share of the market is not as easy as it sounds. Even though businesses have the option to seek help from digital marketing agencies, not everyone wants the price tag for this service on their books. This is especially true because building a social media persona takes a lot of time and a lot of trial-and-error.

So, to help you build a credible online presence, here are some things that you could do to improve your chances of driving sales through your social media accounts.

Make Sure Your Social Strategy and Your Customers are Aligned.

Nowadays, experts almost always do away with the one-size-fits-all approach from yesteryear. Why? Because they do not work. The little reminder to personalize your messages and tailor your experiences to those of your customers is important for your digital marketing efforts to pay off. Get to know your customers—from surveys to social listening—and find where they are most comfortable before you strike. A closer look into the minds of your prospects will change the very essence of what would be your best marketing strategy.  After all, the best way to remain relevant is to make sure that you are indeed relevant.

Don’t Write too Little, Don’t Write too Much.

It’s an old classic: quality versus quantity. It is easy to associate establishing an online presence with creating so much content by mistake. The possibility of losing SEO traction is a genuine fear (and not an entirely incorrect one) for many organizations. However, let’s not forget about the opportunity cost associated with this, shall we?

As a social media agency in Singapore, here’s our advice: Understand the difference between consistent content and too much content. Then, circle back to what you know about your customers, capture their touchpoints, and improve your marketing communications. When you do, you’re likely to foster loyalty like no other. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to create superfans.

Speaking of superfans…

Rapport Building Can Be Helpful.

This is the best way to tap into good old FOMO (fear of missing out). Getting people to cultivate this fear and link into your brand is fine. That is if you can pull it off. If not, then go the old-fashioned way: Tap into the connectors, friends, fans, and superfans and turn up the self-awareness of your network. Sounds like a lot of work? Well, an unconnected network with no social capital is a colossal waste. Welcome to social media marketing.

Connect it back to the business.

BDC Business Consultant Chris O’Shea said, “People don’t want to be sold to.” We agree. But social media is one of the most productive places these days. And while businesses want to build networks of like-minded people, at the end of the day, they need to turn a profit.

Pro tip: Display your expectations before you even start interacting with your brand’s fans. Remember, honesty creates trust, which secures future relationships.

Don’t Be too Pushy With Your Content

Rather than pulling off a pushy attitude, making your social media content into something that offers additional value for your customers is a great campaign strategy. In this era of possessive digital natives who see social platforms as “their” permanent companion, a colonizing salesperson who leaves people feeling ugly will have an impact that counts—though it will be against you.

Pave the Way for Your Audience to Buy on Your Social Media.

In places with advanced technology, social media platforms are valued companions with a significant impact on life and digital environments. A report published by Statista Research Department says that for technologically developed countries like Singapore, social media marketing works for up to 55 percent of marketers “because it is easy to reach a wider group of customers.” Likewise, these platforms are already the most accessible network so making it easy to purchase via these channels, through these initiatives, is a great marketing move.

• The Shoppable Posts Can Drive Sales to You.

They said a picture paints a thousand words. Hence, Instagram. But, that’s not all. In 2016, Instagram also launched the Shoppable Posts—a little gift that makes tagging and online shopping a breeze.

• Shoppable Tags Can be Used in Your Stories and Its Pretty Impactful

If others are on Facebook, some marketers prefer Instagram. Why? Because about 70% of online shoppers find their products via Instagram and over 130 million clicks on a shopping post at least once a month. If this isn’t an opportunity, then we don’t know what it is. Of course, if you get the shoppable tags, on top of the aesthetics down pat, what else would you need.

Don’t Forget Your Call to Action

Calls to action (CTAs) may sound simple, but for digital marketing agencies like us, this is a low-investment prompt to take that oh-so-important final step. Simple CTAs paired with valuable content makes the difference between a potential (level 1) fan and a superfan (top-level), as it builds trust and authority and creates optimal opportunities.

• Instagram’s “Shop Now” Function, Don’t Miss It

People know how to shop. But if for some godforsaken reason you decide that you need proof before you believe it, look no further. We could point you to indisputable proofs that will tell you that embedded buy buttons create contextual buying experiences that your customers love. This powerful “end-game” is, no doubt, an unbelievable strategy to bump up your sales.

The concept of social media marketing spans a wide spectrum. As we all know by now, it goes beyond mere content creation and network-building. Social media has become very nuanced in that, for consumers, the opportunity to identify with more suitable brands to connect with goes beyond mere preferences. But even if you, as a brand, do identify with one community, proving yourself to be an ally who understands the language in consumer terms can still take a lot of work. (And yes, if you do not wish to go through this pain, going to digital marketing agencies will always be an option.)