Move interested commenters into a direct conversation without pushing them.
Mei Ling runs a cake business and posts videos of her cakes on social media (an invented example). Under her videos she gets comments like "How much is this one?", "Do you deliver to Bukit Batok?" and "Can you do this in a smaller size for 10 people?"
Each of these looks like a simple question. But the person asking has moved from watching to thinking about buying, and they're waiting to see what happens next. Businesses often handle this badly in one of two ways. Some reply only "DM", which feels cold and leaves the viewer to do the work. Others jump in with a hard sell, which feels pushy. There's a middle path between the two, and it starts with noticing these comments in the first place.
A buying signal is a comment or message that shows someone is thinking about buying. The most common ones are questions about price, availability, delivery, sizes, timing and how something works in the person's own situation. Examples are "Is this available for next Saturday?", "Do you ship to Malaysia?", "Would this work for a 10-year-old who's weak in fractions?" and "Does it come in a longer length?" If you've taken the Sales foundations course, you'll recognise each of these as coming from a person at the comparing stage.
Buying signals aren't always questions. "I need this for my daughter's party" and "Been looking for a blouse like this for ages" describe a need or a long search, and they're just as strong. Signals like these are easy to miss among the compliments, so train yourself to look for them every time you read your comments.
When you see a buying signal in the comments, reply in public with the part of the answer that's useful to everyone. In the same reply, invite the person to message you for the details that apply only to them, and tell them what they'll get by doing so.
Mei Ling's reply to the price question says that starting prices for similar cakes are in her bio and that the final price depends on size and design. It then asks the person to message her with the date and the number of people so she can give an exact quote. To the delivery question, she replies that yes, she delivers islandwide. She asks them to message her the date so she can confirm the slot and the delivery fee.
A public reply like this does three things. The person who asked gets a real answer straight away. Everyone else reading with the same question gets the answer too. And the invitation to message comes with a reason, because the person knows they'll get something specific in return.
Avoid replying only "DM" or "PM for price". Some people take it as a sign that the price is embarrassing, and some just won't bother to message.
When the person messages you, answer their question first. Say they asked for the price for 10 people next Saturday (an invented example). Your first message gives the price, or the range and what decides it, and says whether that date is possible. Don't open with a menu, a long introduction or a request for their phone number.
Once you've answered, ask one question back that moves things forward. For example: "What theme is the party?", "Would you like it delivered or will you collect?" or "Which topic is she finding hardest?" One question is easy to answer, but five questions in a row feel like filling in a form.
Priya runs tuition classes. A parent messaged her to ask about her P5 classes. In two sentences, Priya's first reply gave the class times and explained how the trial lesson works. She then asked whether there was a topic the parent's son was finding especially hard right now. The parent replied with a paragraph and booked a trial.
Aim for the tone of a helpful shop assistant: answer, ask and let the customer set the pace. If the person goes quiet, one polite follow-up a day or two later is fine. Any more than that starts to feel like pressure.
If you don't count the conversations that come from social media, you'll never know whether it brings you customers or only views. Keep a simple log of every conversation that starts there. A note on your phone or a few columns in a spreadsheet is enough. For each conversation, write down:
the date the platform the post it came from, if you know what they asked whether it became a sale
After one month, the log shows which posts and platforms start real conversations. After three months, you can judge whether the time you spend on social media is paying back. Module nine shows how to use a conversation log like this alongside your analytics.
Mei Ling's log showed something she didn't expect. Her party-planning videos brought in far more messages than her finished-cake videos, even though the finished-cake videos got more likes. That finding changed what she made next.
For the activity, write reply templates for three buying-signal comments. For each one, also write the first direct message you would send.
Pick three comments that show someone may want to buy. For each, write a public reply and the first direct message you would send.
Junxiong-WFG Organisation is an authorised representative of AIA Financial Advisers Private Limited (Reg. No. 201715016G).