{"id":97980,"date":"2017-05-10T09:19:53","date_gmt":"2017-05-10T14:19:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=97980"},"modified":"2017-05-10T09:19:53","modified_gmt":"2017-05-10T14:19:53","slug":"social-media-matter-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2017\/05\/social-media-matter-sales\/","title":{"rendered":"Does social media still matter in sales?"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the reasons businesses have flocked to social media is the expectation that it is can drive sales. Is this true?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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If there is anything that has become ubiquitous these days \u2013 even in the Caribbean \u2013 it is social media. Although it is widely popular among individuals, who have a wide range of platforms to enjoy, including, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat and YouTube, organisations are also being encouraged to develop and nurture their social media presence.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the much touted benefits of social media to businesses is that it is facilitates direct and immediate contact between a business and its customers, and so is an excellent and affordable means of driving sales. It is also acknowledged that those online communities can be especially useful to secure feedback and to manage complaints.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, although organisations might pride themselves on the number of followers they have on a particular social network, frequently it does not readily mean increased sales (or lead conversions, for example) eventuate. Many social media platforms have configured their algorithms to encourage more paid advertising, which to an appreciable extent, is their largest revenue stream. Hence, increasingly, businesses need to pay in order to get a decent number of eyeballs viewing their content, without having to go direct to their account page.<\/span><\/p>\n

Further, and perhaps more importantly, some experts have been observed that generally, the interaction and participation of followers is not what it used to be. However, there could several reasons, such as: <\/span><\/p>\n