Sell On Social Media

Master the DM game, master the art of selling on social media.

People want to tell you that social media is terrible and that it's ruining our society. I think social media has done a lot of good for us. It's connected me with so many people worldwide.

My business would be drastically different if not for social media because I've spent a lot of time studying social media, staying on top of trends, and learning how to use social media to grow my business and sell my product.

I believe that social media is a powerful tool that anyone can use if they take the time to learn it. So for the next few weeks, we're going to be doing a mini-course all about selling on social media. Last week we covered the basics of selling on social media: understanding what you're selling, knowing your audience, and creating a promotional plan.

Today we're going over the DM Game, AKA my strategy for using direct messages to make actual money off of my social media.

If you're not utilizing your social media platform's DMs to sell your products, then you are ignoring a CRITICAL element to making money and growing your business on social media.

If you need to catch up with last week's post, check out the link below, and make sure you subscribe to my mailing list so you don't miss the final installment of this mini crash course all about selling on social media!

Week one: The Basics

Week two: The DM Game

Week three: The Follow Up

Let's get into it.

WHY SHOULD YOU USE DMs?

You should be using DMs to sell on social media and grow your business because it is the best way to connect with your audience and build a trust-filled relationship with them.

I always encourage my students in Pretty Rich Bosses to think of their social media platforms like strip clubs. I know; just stay with me on this one.

Let's talk about Instagram. Your Instagram is like the front room of a strip club. It's what gets everyone's attention, right? All of the content you make lures people in. You don't make any money off that content alone. You get some likes, comments, and a little interaction, but you don't make money.

The real money comes in the back: the private rooms. That's where you can form a more intimate relationship, right? And the private rooms are where the real money is made.

It's the same concept with social media. Your content catches the eye, but those private conversations build the relationship and make the sale.

You already know how to make eye-catching, engaging content. Now you need to learn how to perfect your DM game to make the sale and bring in that money.

Remember that any time someone interacts with your content, whether they like your post, comment, vote in a poll, or engage with your story, that's a lead. If you're not following these leads into the DMs, then you are LOSING MONEY!

Leads mean nothing if you don't convert them. So let's talk about how to convert your leads into sales.

BUILD TRUST

The first step to using DMs to make money on social media is to build trust. Think about the times you've gotten spam messages in your DMs that immediately open with "Hey, you look like you would be interested in buying my product." Nobody wants to trust that person. Don't be that person.

The key to selling on social media is building trust with your audience. The content that you post to your feed and stories will help with that, but in the DMs is where it gets personal.

I tell my students that selling is like dating. You don't want to jump right into the sale; you need to get to know them. Treat your leads like potential dates.

I always like to go to someone's profile and make sure I learn a little bit about them first, just like in dating. Find the things you have in common: maybe they have the same sense of fashion as you do, or they have kids. They might live near you, or somewhere you've always wanted to visit.

If you're a trainer or a coach, it's always nice to ask them about their experience in the industry. Ask about the work they've posted on their social media or give them compliments (only if you mean it!).

The point is to come off as human and relate to their humanity. When you first message your leads, it is NOT about the sale; it's about the connection. That will lead you to the sale, trust me.

NURTURE

Like dating, this is a process. Before closing the deal, you need to nurture the relationship. The key to being a good salesperson is being a good conversationalist.

If you remember one thing from this entire post, it's to treat your leads like people.

People love to be cared for and listened to. So ask them questions! When you have a good rapport, ask about their problems that SPECIFICALLY relate to your business.

Find a common connection point. If you're a brow artist, ask what they use for their brows.

If you're a business coach, ask how their business is doing.

When they respond, keep the conversation going by probing their pain points. You can ask if they're happy with the results they have right now or if what they're currently trying is working as well as they'd hoped.

Then ask if they've ever used a service like yours.

"Wow! Have you ever tried permanent makeup?"
"Have you ever had your brows microbladed?"
"What business courses have you taken?"
"Have you taken a business class specifically for beauty businesses before?"

At this point, they'll probably feel comfortable opening up to you about their problems and challenges. You've officially established trust between yourself and your lead when you reach this point.

To nurture this relationship, I highly encourage you to use voice notes and video messages. When you ask questions like these, some leads can start getting cold feet. Using videos and voice messages helps humanize you and nourish that relationship even more.

CREATE A SCRIPT

Ideally, you will generate a lot of leads in a day and start multiple conversations. It's easy to feel overwhelmed when you have so many conversations going. This is when I suggest creating a script to help your process flow more easily.

Once you get a hold of your own unique conversation structure and what works for you, outline it in a script.

Your script can be as specific or vague as you need it to be but create an outline that will help keep you on track with your messages and help make the process easier.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not copy and paste lines from your script into your DMs! This can get flagged by different social media sites as spam, and it will also come off as less genuine to your leads.

Every conversation should be different, but a script will help keep the general gist the same.

Plus, when you're ready to hire and delegate your tasks, you can share your script with your assistants, artists, or sales team to convert leads on their own!

To get started, download my FREE Newbie Sales Script and adapt it for your own use!

OFFER

Once you have established trust with your lead, nurtured the relationship, and taken the time to understand their pain points and challenges, you're ready to close the deal. This is where your offer comes in.

If you don't believe your lead is ready to pay, I always like to offer a freebie.

This can be a free consultation call, a free download, or a quick audit of their social media.

This will help establish trust even further, and you can continue the conversation until they're ready to commit. We'll cover more of this next week when we talk about The Follow-Up, so don't forget to subscribe to my email list to make sure you don't miss that update!

Otherwise, this is when you plug your products and services! Tell your lead why you're qualified to provide this service, send a link to your testimonials, and give her a way to close the deal.

I like to get my clients on a call before closing the deal because it helps make that connection even more personal. Do what feels right for you and close that deal!

We always hope to close the deal on the first shot, but sometimes our leads take a little more TLC. Don't get discouraged if you don't close immediately after your first offer. According to a study by Brevet, 80% of converted leads require five follow-up calls, while 44% of salespeople give up after the first call.

That means 44% of salespeople are LEAVING MONEY behind because they're not following up. The Follow-Up is one of the MOST CRUCIAL elements of selling on social media. Make sure you're subscribed to my mailing list to get notified next week when we cover The Follow-Up!

Download my FREE Sales Script
Apply for a FREE Business Strategy Call
Read How To Sell On Social Media: The Basics

Sheila Bella is a marketing expert and beauty business coach, as well as the President of The American Academy of Micropigmentation and founder of the Pretty Ambitious Summit.

She is considered a leader in the world of permanent cosmetics and beauty having built a 7 figure beauty business in 3 years.

In 2019, she pivoted to the online coaching industry and grew her online program, Pretty Rich Bosses, to 7 figures.

She works with beauty entrepreneurs every day, helping them create the businesses and lives of their dreams!