As businesses embrace blogging, Facebook, and Twitter at an ever-faster rate, the clutter and garbage being put out there is increasing exponentially. Many people believe that using social media will increase their company’s sales, but few companies are seeing a positive ROI on social media use.

I see two problems in how companies are using social media.

1. They are too focused on sales

Everyone can sniff out someone who has joined the ‘online conversation’ just to make a quick buck. Oddly enough, some companies actually think Internet users are dumb, or dumb enough to fall for some cheap online marketing strategy.

2. They build a fantastic community, but don’t sell

All companies that participate in social networks online expect some form of return on investment. Companies are not throwing cash at developing and maintaining social media strategies because they want to build a community of admirers who don’t buy their products. If a company is incapable of discretely selling to their followers they will eventually abandon their social media strategy due to a lack of return on their investment.

The above two problems are easily solved by first looking at what businesses wish to accomplish.

Businesses wish to build a community of admirers who eventually become paying customers – who eventually attract other people to their business.

So, in the end, proper use of social media for business is about sales, it’s about making money. And therefore, proper use of social media is a form of sales.

Sales is still king no matter how you look at it. And despite the advent of the Internet, online social networks, and other modern technologies, the sales process remains largely unchanged. And thinking that you have to change your sales process when using social media will lead to confusion and ultimate failure.

Businesses need to remember to approach the use of social networks with the same approach they would in making any sale. That approach is as follows.

1. Join a conversation within a group of potential customers
2. See what people want, need or crave
3. Show that what you offer adds value to their business or life
4. Make the sale

Remember
People don’t like to be sold to but they still like to buy.

Pushy salespeople are sure to be exposed but salespeople who are incapable of ‘closing’ are just as bad. Business is about making sales, making money, and if social media is used properly, it not only has the ability to add tremendous value and contribution to a community, but it can make a business a lot of money as well.

The sales process is not ‘pushy’ and proper use of social media for business should by no means appear pushy; instead, proper use of social media should follow the same strategy as all great salespeople – expose what your potential customer needs and offer a product or service to fill that need. Add value to a community before attempting to sell to that community. But in the end, companies must sell something, because that’s what business is all about.