Five Tips on Effective Social Selling

Social selling has become a widely used term, but few know what the term means.  Even fewer understand its effectiveness or how to do it properly.  This blog will bring some light to social selling and dive deeper into how to do it effectively.  It’ll also discuss why we should do it, and offer a few tips for effectively leveraging it in your business.

What is Social Selling?

Social selling is simply the method of developing relationships as part of the sales process. When referring to social selling today, many think the term is exclusively related to social media platforms. But in all reality, social selling can be either online or offline.  In fact, it is more effective when combined with real-world interactions.  In basic terms, social selling is relationship-building – with social media interactions included in the process.

Why Should You Care?

Social selling leaders are 51% more likely to reach their quota.  Further, 78% of social sellers outsell peers who don’t use social media ⁽¹⁾.

But if you’re still wondering if using social selling techniques are worth the time and effort, LinkedIn shared several interesting findings.   According to LinkedIn more than half (62%) of top salespeople strongly attribute closing more deals to their having incorporated social networks into their sales strategy ⁽²⁾.

Beyond the statistics, however, we should also take into account buyer habits in today’s business environment.  When a buyer wants information about a product or service, they take to the internet to look for information that is valuable, useful, and most importantly, not salesy. By using social networks strategically, sellers can build a relationship and create trust.  Mixing this online experience with the offline allows sellers to establish themselves as trusted advisors.  That combination bridges the buyer-seller gap much more effectively.

Five Tips to Get Started

1. Complete Your User Profiles: Ensure that you have a compelling and complete profile. Potential connections will pass over profiles that don’t provide them with the basic information they need. Make sure your presence is consistent across all platforms, and use a headshot that is both professional and personable.
2. Client-Focused: Know who your ideal client is, and customize your profile to resonate with them. Use language that is based on your industry, and a tone that reflects the way you would interact with your clients. Use appropriate images that would appeal to your target market, not just to your close friends.
3. Create Content Focused on Your Ideal Client/Market: Knowing who your clients are allows you to create and curate content that adds value to their lives and businesses. Post content that engages users; share others’ content that resonates with you and your target client, and provide solutions to your ideal client’s challenges. Use content that gets your client asking questions and providing feedback. Start the conversation with your content.
4. Review Notifications: If you are unsure of where to start, platform ‘notifications’ are a great place. Each day browse your notifications for opportunities to connect, engage, and inspire. Make a daily effort to engage in conversation with those who have liked or commented on your content.
5. Connect: Reach out to your connections and start building rapport through personalized messages and with a genuine interest in learning more about them. Remember: don’t include a sales pitch in those first messages. You only want to offer your product or service if it is truly what the prospect needs.  Take the time to build that relationship.

Social selling is really no different than selling in the real world. You must build the relationship and show your value before engaging in sales talk. You don’t need to fear social media. Instead, look at including social media as just another way to connect with your potential customers.

About the author: 

Michele Shanklin is a senior project manager for BCI who also happens to have a passion for all things social media. As part of the BCI team Michele is responsible for assisting her teammates in their social media journey. She believes in the power that social media platforms have for connecting in ways formerly not imagined.

 

 

Sources

1. https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/social-selling/the-social-selling-index-ssi
2. https://business.linkedin.com/content/dam/me/business/en-us/sales-solutions/resources/pdfs/linkedin-state-of-sales-us-v2.pdf