Social selling is one of those snappy marketing terms that has been bandied about over the past few years, but it’s far from a flash-in-the-pan approach. In fact, 69% of sales professionals are already using it as their primary method of interacting with customers.
As a close cousin of social advertising and social marketing, social selling is naturally a valuable tool for anyone with a product or service to push. Understanding how it works can also be surprisingly useful for anyone not directly involved in sales, but who is interested in understanding how it affects marketing processes and relationships.
Either way, there’s no doubt that social selling has become a force to be reckoned with. Indeed, 84% of B2B buyers are looking for trusted partners, and rely on recommendations as a starting point for their sales journeys.
So let’s take a look at what social selling is, why it works and how it can help to cut through crowded marketplaces.
What is social selling?
Put simply, social selling is all about building relationships with your customers through the consistent use of social networking tools such as Facebook or LinkedIn.
“Marketing is no longer about writing brochures and chasing down leads,” says author and corporate educator Marie Wiese. “The new sales funnel is about sharing valuable content that your buyer cares about and creating meaningful connections with them. At its most basic level, social selling is about selling the way you, as an individual, buy.”
It’s a slow-burning process that can take time to develop but, once established, it is far more robust and therefore more effective than other quick-hitting methods such as social advertising or cold calling.
Of course, this method requires a deft touch, as there’s a distinct line between social selling and spamming your customers, and the key to staying on the right side of this distinction is quality.
Contacting or interacting with your customers when you have something genuinely interesting to say is absolutely fine, but pestering them with posts lacking clear purpose or filled with dull content is a definite no-no.
And it’s not just about the content. Every time you log on to social media to represent your business or brand, and interact with customers in any way (be it posting content, commenting on posts, responding to messages, hosting social media events or running targeted advertising), you are taking your relationship one step further, and hopefully closer to a sale.
Why bother to do it?
The simple answer: because it’s genuinely effective.
Any social media activity that is thoughtful, targeted, cleverly planned and well executed will hit the mark with its audience. If your ultimate goal is sales, then you are much more likely to achieve this off the back of authentic and strategic content. Over 80% of B2B buyers said that good social media content has influenced their buying decisions.
Secondly, social selling is an excellent way to connect with customers and capture their attention, if only for a moment. A whopping 90% of top decision-makers have admitted they usually ignore cold calls, yet many use social media as part of their decision-making process. The numbers speak for themselves, and it’s clear that well-planned social selling is the best way to truly cut through.
Also, it doesn’t take a lot of your time and resources, which is always a bonus in this fast-moving world. Most social media activity is free and can require as little as a 5-10% investment of your time to be successful, even if it takes a little while for that success to manifest.
Top tips for effective social selling
1. Show your best side. This might mean polishing up your LinkedIn profile, being careful about what you post about yourself on social media and becoming an active participant in industry-specific conversations online, by joining relevant LinkedIn groups and following useful hashtags on Twitter.
2. Keep your focus. Remember that every single thing you do on social media (from posting videos to liking a comment) counts towards the final goal of building strong, genuine relationships that will ultimately yield sales, so be professional and polite at all times.
3. Always provide value. Give people a reason to follow you by actively sharing your expertise, following key influencers and offering up thoughtful solutions.
4. Get involved. Be proactive. Think laterally, and use your contacts. Join new social media groups, share your success stories and actively grow your network.
5. Take your time. Social selling is a slower, more involved process. Some customers need to read up to five pieces of content before engaging with you and your product, so be consistent and give them a reason to commit.
6. Embrace one-to-one communication. Even if it is negative feedback, direct contact with your customer will allow you to build the relationship more quickly and effectively.
7. Finally, learn how to analyse statistics. This allows you to track your progress and use insights to plan your future strategies.
Ultimately, social selling is all about using social media platforms to find your customers and provide content they want. It’s a way to establish your credibility and expertise, while cementing a relationship with them. If you can do these things well, social selling can be a huge boon for your business.
Reference:
Stephen Walsh, ‘Social Selling in 2017: The Top 30 Articles We Read Last Year’ at: anderspink.com
Marie Wiese, ‘Death of a Salesman: The Rise of Social Selling’ at: forbes.com
Christina Newberry, ‘Social Selling: What It Is, Why You Should Care, and How to Do It Right’ at: hootsuite.com
Comments