Sell It With Pictures

A picture paints a thousand words.

Companies are starting to realize that to sell effectively, consumers must see what a product or service does. Photos also help companies reinforce brands and strengthen market position.

Businesses are now using Instagram in marketing their products and services to consumers; at the same time, this relatively new photo-sharing social networking platform is one of the tools organizations use to strengthen their brand.

Big organizations such as Pepsi, Coach and National Geographic use Instagram to connect to fans and followers all over the world.

Instagram has become popular because of a simple premise. People with a smart-phone that has a camera can just simply point and shoot, add filters and then upload the photos on the Instagram social network.

An average person can instantly edit the photo without having to learn some photo-editing software. The digital filters in Instagram help in making photos look better and more customized. This feature is what most digital cameras lack.

The more than 80 million subscribers is a testament to what Instagram is doing right. The increase of sales of both the iPhone and Android-enabled smart-phones will only help increase the subscriber base even further.

Businesses have learned how to take advantage of Instagram. Organizations realize that people who have the same interests tend to form a group and by adding hashtags (#) to the photos, it would be easier to connect with these people.

By using hashtags and the right keywords, companies are also finding it easier to rank higher in search engines.

Instagram also has a feature that connects to Facebook and Twitter, thus, any update done on the Instagram account is instantly reflected on Facebook and Twitter. This feature easily allows posts to be shared or liked and tweets to be re-tweeted generating more buzz for the company.

Organizations take advantage of Instagram through the following:

1.       Creating a contest

2.       Marketing an event

3.       Increasing presence in social media

4.       Connecting with other customers in Instagram

5.       Adding locations to the image uploaded

Savvy Internet marketers support the use of Instagram to connect to more people. Images being shared in Instagram are more effective than advertising in traditional media, where people now that what will be presented are to the organization’s benefit. However, photos uploaded through Instagram are more personal and evoke more emotional response from the subscribers.

Photos uploaded through the photo-sharing medium also engage more people through ‘likes’ or ‘comments.’ These things either drive interest up on a particular product or service or push prospective consumers to a company’s website. Either way, this only means good news for the company.

Facebook, the social networking giant, has acquired Instagram for U.S. $1 billion.

The Art of Selling

When I was in college, I told myself that I would not be a salesman. My idea of a salesman is someone who sells insurance, condominiums and those Electro-lux men. They would hound you at all times of the day, calling and texting you just to get a sale.

Little did I know that the art of selling is an everyday occurrence. We sell our ideas to our friends when we tell stories. We sell our point of view to our partners when we tell them our ideas. We sell our vision to our employees when we tell them what are our plans. Selling cannot be avoided; it is part of our every day life. We are selling all the time even if we are not aware of it.

Entrepreneurs understand that selling is a great part of whether their business will succeed or not. They understand that they need to sell their products so that they can pay for their expenses and earn profits to expand and grow their business. They train people until they are capable of selling their products.

image from http://zenmastersales.com/

But what happens if someone who has not sold anything is suddenly put in a situation where he needs to sell? Most often than not, he will be shy. He will not be able to meet his quota and will blame extraneous circumstances for his failure. When he has not met his quota for a couple months, there will come a time when he will blame his boss or the products themselves. This scenario is not only harmful to the individual but also to the company as well.

Entrepreneurs must place importance on product and sales training. He must make sure that everyone of his employees know what the product can do for their consumers before they go out. The entrepreneur must feel assured that his sales staff will be able to overcome any objections placed by their target market.

In my experience, I have come to realize that there are three important factors that determine the success of each sales staff. The factors are:

• Knowing your customers. 
• Sell them the benefit they will be getting when they buy your product.
• Buying is emotional.

In my next blogs, we will be discussing these factors in detail to help you become a successful salesman. You can also use these three when talking to anyone to win them on your side.

Lastly, the mastering the art of selling takes time. You may see that some people have the knack for selling - natural salesmen; while others are not good at it. You must need to practice often and practice consciously to be able to sell more.