The Social Media Marketing & Communications guide for Natural Health and Wellness insiders.

Social Media Marketing: FAQ from Natural Health Business Owners and Managers

The same questions are consistently asked by business owners and managers in the natural health industry. Here is a collection of those questions, along with some answers and comments to consider.

Q: Many natural health businesses seem to use social media like free advertising. Is that what social media is – free advertising?

Not in the traditional sense, no. Social media can support your sales cycle in many ways, but advertising or blatant pitching in social spaces is rarely successful and can alienate the people you want to reach. (Paid advertising on social media sites – ie Facebook ads, promoted tweets – is a different topic.)

Q: How can I be sure to get a return on my social media investment?

Social Media for Sales: Feed the Soil (The Organic Approach)

Social Media supports the matrix of your sales cycle

Experienced sales people tend to agree that “sales” is a cycle, not a one-shot deal. The exchange of money for goods or services is usually the result of many factors. And it doesn’t end when money changes hands. If you want repeat sales, the cycle must continue.

In agriculture, the argument for Organic has always been “feed the soil.” By feeding the soil, you build a sustainable foundation that provides many healthy returns, with fewer required inputs. In a successful Organic system, bumper crops are the natural outcome of wise soil management.

You can use Social Media to help build a Brand Environment that produces healthy sales as the natural outcome. Or you can focus on quick chemical fixes… at the cost of sustainability.