Social Media for Direct Sales: Take Control in 5 Steps

Are you challenged in taking control of your social media for direct sales success? Do you feel like the volume on social media is loud?  Sometimes we feel like we open the apps to share our message and the voices come out of every direction:

“Do this!”

“Don’t do that!”

“Share authentically!”

“Be vulnerable!”

“Who cares what everyone thinks!”

“Niche down!” or  “No, don’t niche down!”

It can seriously feel like social media has power over us rather than us holding the power over our social media.  Our goal at Chic is to help you turn the volume down on the outside voices.  We want to help you turn up the volume on your inner voice and purpose to take control of your social.  Confident control.

The thing is, you have power over what you share and how you share it.  You are the gatekeeper of your content.  So if you have felt powerless recently, or sucked into the hustle, tell-all culture swirling around the interweb, let us slow you down and give you 5 actionable steps to reclaim your social situation.

Quote block for Social Media for Direct Sales: Take Control in Five Steps. It reads: You have power over what you share and how you share it. You are the gatekeeper of your content. Chic Influencer

Step 1: Post with a purpose every single time.

There are a lot of messages out there that preach consistency and showing up every day on social media.  While we agree that consistency is key in social media for direct sales success, if you’re simply posting to check a box, you’re missing the point.  True clarity comes for you and for your audience when you take control of your social message by planning your content and having a purpose for each piece of content that you post.

At Chic, we teach our clients and community members to identify their purpose for posting.  Typically, there are 4 main categories that a post will fall under.  Hold on tight, we are about to time travel back to 6th grade Language Arts!

The acronym is PIES and it comes down to this question: Are you posting to Persuade, Inform, Entertain or Share a thought or feeling?  Identifying your purpose for a piece of content gives you control over your message and acts as a compass for your purpose.

We also like to filter each post through the following three questions:

  • Is it helpful?
  • It is hopeful?
  • Is it healing?

If the answer to any of those is “no,” we simply redirect and plan for a different piece of content.

We strongly encourage you to check out our Make Chic Happen Planner as a resource.  This planner is carefully crafted to help you plan and prepare your social content in a way that makes sense to both you and your audience.  It’s the ultimate guide to taking control of your social media for direct sales!

Step 2: Filter what you feel comfortable sharing.

One message that we respectfully disagree with is that you have to be vulnerable with your network in order to increase relatability and sales.  At no point in your content sharing should you feel like you’re standing naked in your middle school cafeteria.  There is a way to carefully and authentically share while continuing to maintain control of your social.

Yes, it is important that your followers know you.  It’s also important that they know the real you.  There’s nothing worse than meeting someone offline and immediately having your bubble burst that she actually isn’t as (kind, funny, authentic, genuine) as you perceived her to be through her carefully crafted social personality.

But think of it this way: your followers should know you like a friend.  But maybe not like the friend who saw you through your darkest or most personal days.  They can know the you that is true without knowing the you who showed up at therapy today.

Being vulnerable online doesn’t mean that you are sharing every single true or authentic aspect of your life.  It simply means the parts which you choose to share ARE authentic and true.

Picture of Katy Ursta with a quote block for Social Media for Direct Sales: Take Control in Five Steps. It reads: When you're branding effectively and sharing your USP, you get so good about how you niche down that the things that you want off limits, they can stay off limits. You can give people perspective and insight into your life and you mindset without telling them everything that you think or every area of your life. Katy Ursta.

Step 3: Caring converts – listen to your network (within reason!)

We know that trolls be trolling, friends.  The internet is filled with keyboard warriors who seemingly sit in wait of a post that they disagree with just so that they can engage.  Nothing we can do will stop them, and let us save you the trouble with this tiny truth bomb: no one’s mind was ever changed by an Instagram comment war.  When we encourage you to care what your audience has to say about your content, trolls are not included in this equation.

What we do mean is this: your audience is continually dropping you breadcrumbs and hints about what they love to see from you, and what they don’t.  When they comment on a post, hit the heart, share or save something that you created, they’re telling you what is working.

If you’re thinking, “My audience is radio silent.  What does that mean?!”  You know what they say: sometimes no answer is an answer.  Chances are if your audience isn’t engaging with your content, they aren’t resonating with your message.  That doesn’t mean that your message is wrong, it just means that the right people aren’t seeing it yet.  But the hard truth is this: if your content isn’t resonating, it also isn’t converting.  And if it isn’t converting, you’re not scaling or seeing growth.

We would love to offer you a peek at our Recipe for Great Content to get you on the path to creating content that does convert.  Check out this free download and start moving closer to taking control of your social message!

Promotion block for Social Media for Direct Sales: Take Control in Five Steps with an image of Katy Ursta. It reads: Free Download From Chic Way Media; Recipe for Great Content.

Step 4: Don’t be afraid to niche down when it comes to product-talk.

There is one potential issue that we consistently see across the direct sales board. It happens when people try to share every single thing in their company’s product portfolio.  Chances are that your company has a vast catalog of products.  If your network is watching you show up talking about every single one with the enthusiasm of 1,000 suns, it’s not going to be easy to follow.  Truthfully, it’s not even going to be that believable.

Let us give you the permission that you might not even know you need: you are allowed to share about a few key products that your company represents. You’re also allowed to not talk about the ones that don’t align with you!  In fact, we encourage you to practice discernment when it comes to what you are repping on your personal social.  It’s okay to be known for a handful of products VS your network not even being able to figure out which eye cream you’re talking about that day!

Niching down when it comes to which products you’re endorsing helps you narrow your focus, your message and your content.  It truly gives you control over your social.  How do you pick the favored ones?  Take some time to consider this question:

What do I specifically love in this product catalog that I would endorse whether I got paid or not?

This is your sweet spot friends.  We recommend restaurants, movies, boutiques, Amazon favorites with abandon and with no expectation of compensation.  By the same token,  you have the power to decide which of your company’s products deserve your raving reviews and representation.

Quote block for Social Media for Direct Sales: Take Control in Five Steps. It reads: Don't endorse products that you don't believe in. Just because it's new to the catalog doesn't mean it deservers your voice if you don't absolutely love it. Chic Influencer

Step 5: Set goals that align with YOU.

Have you ever gotten swept up in your company’s reward program or ranking system? Maybe so much so that you were creating goals that didn’t even align with your real purpose?  If that’s an oddly specific question, it’s because we can confidently raise our hands in solidarity that we’ve done it before.

When we allow outside and external forces to dictate the pace of our business, we fall out of alignment with our purpose for sharing.  In order to once again take control of your goals, we encourage you to answer the following questions:

  • Why am I working towards this goal?
  • What does this rank or achievement mean for my business or for me personally?
  • In the grand scheme of things, why does this matter to me?

It is imperative to step back on a quarterly basis (at the very least!) and ask yourself if you’re still heading in right direction.  Your marketing is tied to your goals, which means your goals are tied to your content.  When you’re clear about where you’re going and why you’re going there, you have complete control over the picture that you’re painting for your network.  Make sure it’s the most authentic, vivid and truest picture of who you are and how you’re there to serve.

Promotion block with image of Katy Ursta. It reads: The Chic Branding Experience.

 

Lastly, if you want some Chic guidance when it comes to taking control of your social media for direct sales success, we have you covered.  We encourage you to check out the Chic Branding Experience through Chic Way Media!  You can find information about this comprehensive service here: https://chicwaymedia.com/service/chic-branding-experience/