With the advent of social media, some seem inclined to think that we entered a new era in which clients do all the work: talk about the brand, create interesting content, promote products and simply buy more because they are so passionate.

Nonsense.

There are many ways to get clients and prospects to buy more or promote the brand in a compelling way, but this requires a much more sophisticated approach than creating a Facebook Page or opening a Twitter account. Both of those and many other options offer interesting added value, but they all present a fundamental flaw: they require clients and prospects to work and find the time. As a result, if and when this occurs, only the true fanatics are doing so. Fanatics, unfortunately, are rarely the customers who spend most.

These are a few directions that one should consider when approaching the web with the objective to convert and sell:

1) INVOLVE PEOPLE WITHOUT ASKING THEM TO WORK.

While they generate a lot of attention and energy, most social networks today are highly inefficient. They usually require all parties involved (including the brand) to do the work and the return on investment is difficult to grasp, and in some cases evidently non-existent.

I often like to use the Broadway metaphor: imagine a scene with two hundred people on it. There is no lead actor, no script, no background, no beginning and no end. We brought those “actors” (our clients and prospects) to the spotlight – now they have to do everything on their own. The result: 60% of new users not returning after a month (Twitter) and thousand of “fans” giving away their and the brand’s time on Facebook Pages. This is not a sustainable way to engage the market and sell products or services. Understanding how your audience is organized (experts, voyeurs, advocates, employees) and – more specifically – how people can get involved, is the first step towards a meaningful and profitable involvement by all parties.

2) GIVE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT – NOT EVERYTHING THERE IS.

Flashy animations, fancy realistic 3D environments and other online bells and whistles quickly fail these days. They can create an involving and beautiful experience but the question should always be: do they actually bring clear value to the audience?

It is time to rethink how we use the web with prospects and clients. I believe that the web-as-a-service is going to replace the web-as-a-media and the conversations I have been having lately with senior executives tell me that things have already started to change. Emphasis needs to be put on defining solutions that make the clients’ lives (and the brand’s) easier, as opposed to more complex or demanding. Consequently, all eyes and minds focus on finding the right balance between providing a service and creating a compelling experience. This is absolutely possible today – with the right approach.

3) NOT-SO-SOCIAL PROFILES.

We can all agree: the number of multiple profiles a person can have online is quickly reaching its limit. That is particularly true for social networks. Now, what if my profile allowed my favorite watch brand to tell me things I didn’t know about my model without asking me to look for information? What if a car brand could provide me with relevant tips for driver when they are most appropriate? What if a fashion brand could automatically tell me about and invite me to events it knows I would enjoy in my area?
The new dialectic is “tell me who you are and I’ll give you what you want“. Anything that digresses from this simple rule is probably going in the wrong direction – at least online.

Bottom line: if a company wants to sell more products and services, it needs to apply clever strategies to give (a service) before it asks (for a client’s attention or money). When applied, this simple rule can positively impact a company’s entire value chain.

The interesting part is that none of the above costs millions to offer. The true cost is a simple mind shift and general re-think. It’s about moving away from traditional or new-but-already-old media models to value-focused web services.

The web-as-a-service