Businesses use social media to reach new customers and influence existing ones as prospects search online for information.
Social selling is exactly that. It uses online channels to reach prospects and build relationships. It is a vital tool for salespeople who want to connect with the right people and find leads.
LinkedIn’s “Global State of Sales 2022” report shows that about a third have closed deals exceeding $500,000 without meeting the buyer. 98% of customers believe that changing how a seller thinks will make them more inclined to choose a brand.
Social selling is a great way to increase sales and network online. Learn how to implement a strategy for social selling and see great examples.
What is social selling?
Social Selling A company or person uses social media to connect with prospects, make connections, and generate leads.
Julie Atherton from the podcast says that social selling is about building long-lasting relationships and supercharging your profile.
Social selling is a popular way for salespeople to reach their goals. This technique allows you to drive sales by bringing people into your sales funnel.
Social selling is about using social media to engage. However, digital sales, a broader version of sales that uses internet technologies and sales tech, is another term used frequently in this context. These include:
- Websites (ecommerce)
- Chatbots
- Data Analytics
- A Customer Relationship Management System
- Automation
- Webinars or online presentations
- Sales Intelligence
How can I become a social selling expert?
Social selling has the advantage that it is easy to start. It’s likely that your business and sales staff already use social media. So it’s about using those networks to increase sales.
How do I get started with social selling? Let’s take a look at some simple steps.
Select your network
All social networks are not created equal. One social network may work well for one company but not for another. Look at your engagement rate and who your audience is. If you are a B2B company, LinkedIn might help you make connections, while Twitter can help find and follow people.
Refresh or create your profile.
It is essential to present yourself professionally to the world. Our guidelines will show you how to make your LinkedIn profile more professional.
Create a target list.
It is essential to identify your target audience, so create a list of people or companies you wish to reach out to.
Do your research
According to LinkedIn’s sales report, 76% of top performers claim they do ‘always’ research before reaching out and contacting prospects. This compares to only 47% for other sellers. Take your time, and study.
Join social media groups.
There are many social media groups available. Some are specific and may be of interest to your company. Ask to join these groups or set up one useful for clients or customers.
Use social listening
Social listening allows you to track and monitor people and companies online. You can monitor conversations, track customers’ comments and even keep up with your competitors online.
Be consistent and post relevant content
Find relevant, interesting content that will appeal to your audience. It doesn’t necessarily have to come from your company. You could also use it as a podcast, media article, or webinar. It is all about providing value for the right people.
Determine social selling metrics
It is important to establish metrics that track your social selling activity in order to monitor performance. These could include LinkedIn’s SSI, message response rate, and content engagement rate.
These steps will help you get started as a social selling professional and help you to generate leads and nurture prospects online.
Social selling is a good business idea?
Social sellers get good results. This is a known fact.
This sales tactic will not only help your business and your sellers to make connections, but it will also increase your revenue. These statistics show the effectiveness of social selling.
- 61% of social selling organizations report positive revenue growth – sales for life
- Many industries have over half the sales reps’ quota made up of social selling or influenced deals – Twitter
- Six times more likely are audiences exposed to brand and acquisition messages via LinkedIn to convert -LinkedIn
According to Sprout Social, 68 percent of customers have purchased directly through social media platforms. This number is expected to rise with the adoption of social commerce, and TikTok’s growth.
This graphic illustrates the most common ways consumers find products. Nearly half of consumers say it is due to a targeted advertisement, while 40% see an organic post and 34% research on social.
Common ways consumers are finding the perfect product
What is social selling MLM?
Social selling is based on social networking and engaging via the social channels. It should not be confused Multilevel Marketing (MLM), a method of selling products directly through independent sales representatives. Unfortunately, it has received some negative press for its unsavoury tactics .
MLM sellers are independent business owners who recruit distributors to sell their products. MLM companies depend on this network for their income.
How to implement a social selling strategy
Social selling strategies will allow you to plan how to target, communicate with, and influence prospects and customers.
It is important that all salespeople in your company work towards the same goals, and that the tone and approach are consistent.
These are the steps you need to take in order to create and implement a social-selling strategy.
Make sure you are present on the right social media platforms
Find out which social media platforms are most popular among your target audience and create a presence there. This will allow you to build relationships and connect with potential customers.
Your audience might like visual content, and may be active on Instagram. You don’t have to post an image on Instagram. However, it can drive engagement.
Whatever platform you choose, find out what your audience is doing and what they are doing.
Optimize your social media profiles
Businesses need to optimize social media profiles, just like any social seller. Your profile should contain:
- Keywords that are related to your industry
- Professional profile photo and cover photo
- A concise and clear bio
- Relevant hashtags
- Link to your site or landing page
- Contact details
- Use a unique handle
- Pin the most engaging or best content to your profile
Make valuable content
Create content that addresses the problems of your target audience and offers solutions.
Through the development of a buyer persona, and interactions with your customer service team or sales staff, you should be able to identify the problems or obstacles that your customers face. These issues should be front and center so you can add value to your content.
Get in touch with potential customers
Social media’s search- and discovery tools can be used to connect with potential customers. To target prospects, you can also use intelligence and social listening . This will allow you to monitor digital conversations and digital behavior online and keep up to date with current trends so that you can personalize communications.
It’s easy to search for someone’s name on LinkedIn. To learn more about employees, you can also look at their profiles.
You can also find a section called “People You May Know” that will direct you to people you might have connections with. Here’s an example by Oracle.