What is social selling?
Social selling is the skill of using social media to find sales leads, connect with them, keep them interested, and grow the relationship. Today, this is how you build relationships with potential customers that make you the first person or brand they think of when they’re ready to buy.
To sell on social media, you need to listen to your audience, share helpful content, and join discussions to show that you are an expert in your area. This builds trust and confidence, two of the most essential parts of a good salesperson.
Social selling isn’t so much about making direct sales as it is about making genuine connections, building long-term relationships, and creating a space where sales can happen quickly.
Synonyms
- Social media marketing funnel
- Selling on social media
What’s Going on with Social Selling?
Since almost all people in Gen Z and younger use social media, being able to sell things through social media is quickly becoming the most critical skill for salespeople to have. You’re behind the times if you can’t or won’t sell on social media. You’ll be out in 10 years.
You might be wondering why social selling became popular in the first place.
The History of Sales
For me, sales has always been about getting to know people.
People used to meet possible customers in person and talk on the phone to get to know them before technology came along and changed everything.
How we talk to each other and buy things has greatly changed since the rise of e-commerce, SaaS, and social media. Suddenly, there was a new place where people could connect and talk to each other without leaving their computers.
These days, most social contacts happen online.
That’s how social selling began. Mostly, it’s just a natural progression from the old way of selling.
B2B Sales on Social Media Sites
Almost everyone hangs out on social media these days.
This is very clear on LinkedIn. The company says that 48% of its 900 million users (and growing) login once a month, and 16% log in daily. This means that more than 100 million people are waiting for you to meet with them on LinkedIn alone.
And yes, a lot of them make choices. This platform is used by about half of all B2B decision-makers, which makes it one of the best ways for B2B sales teams to meet potential buyers online.
Here are some numbers that show how effective social selling has already been for B2B sellers:
- The LinkedIn Social Seller Index shows that social sellers have 44% more sales chances and sell 78% more than their peers.
- According to HubSpot’s 2023 Sales Strategy and Trends Report, social media is the third-best way to make sales.
- Companies focusing on selling on social media are 51% more likely to meet their sales goals.
- 75% of B2B buyers use social media to help them decide what to buy.
97% of Gen Z customers say that social channels are their primary source of inspiration. This shows that it will only become more critical. Because of this, it’s not surprising that 95% of B2B marketers and 90% of top salespeople already use social selling.
Twitter and Instagram, two other popular social networks, also have many users. Most of the time, these aren’t the best ways to connect with a B2B buyer, but they may work for some businesses. People who buy things online often also like to sell things on TikTok, Snapchat, and Pinterest.
Why social media is a crucial way to make sales Networking
One of the best things about social selling is that it can help you make connections. You start to make friends on a social network as you become more well-known.
Some of these are:
Engaged followers who might not buy but help your trustworthiness
People who work in sales and are willing to share their methods and strategies; qualified people who can fill your open positions without you having to spend tens of thousands of dollars on hiring; interested affiliate and channel sales partners; qualified buyers who contact you directly or click through to your website;
There are millions of reasons why people buy things. Some do it because they believe in the same things that your company does. Some people do it because it helps them save money. Many people do it to get things done faster or boost growth in ways they didn’t know were possible.
You and your salespeople can close more deals if you build a strong network. You’re also creating many new chances for people to come to you.
It sets up the Ability to trust
If you share helpful information on social media, people will see you as an expert and follow you. People will learn about your goods through your content, bringing you leads and referrals over time.
That’s not all. Social media is full of scams, trolls, fake sellers, and sneaky businesses. The hurdle to entry is low because it’s free and easy to get to.
Because of this, almost half of buyers in the US and Canada look up sellers who contact them on LinkedIn first. People interested in buying from you will see that you’re honest and trustworthy if you’re busy online and show your face, not just a logo.
Get prospects to trust you.
Platforms like Sales Navigator help you divide prospects into groups and target your outreach. You can also use them to get leads’ phone numbers and email addresses.
You can use social media to network with cold prospects and build trust with them and your and your company’s authority.
As an example:
- Leave helpful comments on their posts without trying to sell them something.
- Find things you have in common, like hobbies or connections. But don’t just say, “I see we both breathe air.”
- Join groups where people who might be interested in buying can ask questions.
Once a possible buyer knows you and sees the value you bring to the call, getting them to join is easier. They get a lot of direct messages. They’ll likely only talk to someone they know, especially if it’s a big purchase like a B2B deal.
Fully customized
Online, people write about their lives. You and your sales team are now very well off because of this. You don’t have to call an executive without knowing anything about them anymore; you can look at their social media sites instead.
You’ll find out what they like. You’ll know how they look and what they do for the business. You might even find out they have kids, went to the same college as you, or share personal information on social media that helps you understand why they want to buy.
With all of this information, it’s 100 times easier to connect. You might not need to use a general pitch to get their attention. Instead, you could talk about a problem they’re having and go straight to selling an answer.
Widen Your Reach
Social media sites give sellers access to a vast number of possible customers that they couldn’t reach any other way. That’s why most best sellers use it to find new customers.
The same is true for B2B marketers who use social media to sell. Because these platforms have so many busy users, ads and content are much more likely to reach interested people.
It helps buyers and marketers be more targeted, which is more important. People on social media are much more likely to respond to sales pitches if they have a profile. Cold emails and calls don’t work often, but a targeted approach can help these platforms convert leads more often.
Gives information about customers
You can learn more about the people who buy from you and spot buying signals by listening to what your fans say. You can also read what they say about your competitors and figure out where you might be able to set yourself apart or sell more.
Analytics data helps you understand how buyers act and what they like and gives you ideas for improving your social selling strategy. You can see which posts or types of content do the best and then focus your future efforts on people who fit your ideal customer profile (ICP).
Getting Leads
Social media sites are a great way to find new customers. Businesses can find people interested in their goods or services by actively participating in social discussions, sharing helpful content, and showing that they know much about their field.
Companies can use advanced targeting tools on social platforms to find members of their ICP based on their demographics, hobbies, and behaviors. This targeted method can make it much more likely for a social media user to become a lead.
Social media lets buyers and sellers talk to each other in real-time, which cuts down on time it takes to respond to leads and helps businesses move leads through the sales process.
- The Best Ways to Do Social Selling
- Make your profile look good.
Use your social media pages as if they were home pages.
Make your social media pages more effective by adding a picture showing who you are (or how you want others to see you). Include an interesting title and a short, helpful bio as well.
Bring attention to your skills, knowledge, and accomplishments. Use terms related to your business in your bio to help people find you. Also, draw attention to customer reviews, key content, and a call to action (CTA) button or link to schedule a demo.
Give out helpful content.
Sharing helpful content makes you a thought leader and keeps you in the minds of people who might buy from you. Pay attention to making or collecting good content related to your business, product, or service. Such things might be blog posts, white papers, infographics, webinars, and customer success stories.
Know your audience and connect with them.
Figure out who your target group is and what they want. Find out what their problems, wants, and pain points are. Then, make sure your message hits home with them.
Then, instead of making sales immediately focus on building genuine connections. Before you ask for something in return, build trust and give something of value away for free.
Pick Out the Best Platforms
Pay attention to the social media sites where the people you want to reach are most busy. There are different platforms for different groups of people and businesses.
LinkedIn is the site most B2B sellers pick because that’s where their buyers spend most of their time. TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest are often better places to go direct-to-consumer.
Take part and listen.
Engage with your audience by leaving helpful comments on other people’s posts, joining talks, and answering comments on your posts. Pay attention to what your crowd says to determine what they care about and how you can help them.
Making things unique
Personalize how you talk and interact with people based on their wants and preferences. Don’t send random, one-size-fits-all texts.
These are some ideas:
- When you send or request a connection on LinkedIn, make it more personal by saying something specific from the person’s profile.
- Use information about the buyer to make personalized emails, presentations, or offers.
- Send prospects content that is useful to them and that they might be interested in.
Tailoring your message when you connect with and follow your prospects’ content is more accessible, but that probably won’t always be the case. If you use a search engine to find new prospects, it’s always a good idea to look at their social profiles first to see if they’ve posted anything valuable that you can use in your message.
Use tools for social selling.
Use tools for social listening to keep an eye on what people say about your brand, industry, and rivals. Keep up with the latest news and trends in your field.
To make your social selling more efficient, connect them to your CRM and sales engagement tools.
Stay the Same
Always share, interact with, and post information to maintain a visible presence. Do not go “dark” for long periods. People will remember you and keep you in their minds if you’re busy on social media. Plus, people will keep coming back for more information, keeping the algorithms on your side.
Work together with marketing.
Work with the marketing team to ensure that your social selling efforts align with your overall marketing goals. The information can help each team improve their message and communication with each other.
