Social selling is an effective sales tactic that allows businesses to target potential leads on social media, build relationships, and create a network of prospects. It’s a process of nurturing relationships as a part of the sales funnel, involving less pitching and more conversations.

Social selling is not the same as social media advertising or marketing. It’s a modern way of building connections and relationships to boost sales significantly. 

In this post, we will cover 

• What is social selling
• Evolution social selling
• Why Should Businesses Consider Social Selling 
• List Of Social Media Platforms For Social Selling 
• Practises To Consider For Social Selling 
• Practical Guidance To Social Selling 

What Is Social Selling 

Social selling involves using social media channels to connect with potential customers, develop relationships, and engage with potential leads. It is a powerful tactic for helping businesses achieve their sales goals. If your brand has a social media presence, you are already engaged in the fundamentals of social selling.

Social selling suits any business and can help nurture relationships with prospects. It prioritizes engagement, trust-building, and providing value to customers through meaningful interactions on social networks.

Why Should Businesses Consider Social Selling 

Social Selling Yields Results 

For starters, social selling works. According to LinkedInDon’ts Solutions internal data

• Businesses with a high selling index promote 45% more sales opportunities than brands with a low social selling index.
• Businesses prioritizing social selling are 51% more likely to reach their sales quotas.
• 78% of the companies that use social selling outsell businesses that don’t use social media.

Social Selling Helps Your Marketing Team 

According to Forbes, salespeople who use social media have a competitive advantage. 78% of them outsell those who don’t. Social selling is critical in understanding the audience’s needs, and with the marketing team getting this information on the ground level, they can share valuable and relevant content to foster meaningful relationships and build trust. 

Target Audience Is Already Engaging In Social Buying 

The potential for brands to make social selling is huge. 

•  As of 2023, there are over 4.5 billion active social media users worldwide, representing approximately 57% of the global population.
• 54% of social browsers use social media to research products, indicating the significant role these platforms play in the purchasing journey.
• 52% of the marketers believed that social selling influenced their brand positively. 
• 27% of internet users use social media platforms to find inspiration for things to do and buy, while 26.2% seek products.

Evolution Of Social Selling 

The positive impact of social selling is closely linked to the growth of social media platforms and the expanding digitalization of commerce. As social media usage continues to rise, businesses recognize these platforms’ incredible potential as powerful channels for reaching and engaging with their target audiences.

What was once a means for individuals to connect and share personal updates, social media has now evolved to become an essential tool for businesses to connect with prospective customers, promote their expertise, and guide leads through the sales funnel. Leveraging platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram allows sales professionals to listen in on conversations, identify opportunities, and engage with prospects in real-time.

This transformation has made social media a critical component of modern sales strategies, offering businesses a means to establish and maintain meaningful relationships with potential customers and drive sales. By capitalizing on social media, businesses can positively connect with their target audience, ultimately leading to sustained growth and success. 

List Of Social Media Platforms For Social Selling 

LinkedIn:

• LinkedIn has over 1 billion members worldwide.
• 94% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn as a content distribution channel.
• LinkedIn generates 80% of B2B leads from social media.

Reasons for Social Selling On LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the ultimate platform for professional networking and B2B social selling. It boasts unparalleled search and targeting capabilities, making it a breeze for sales professionals to find and connect with decision-makers. With LinkedIn’s publishing platform, sales professionals can establish their thought leadership and share high-quality content with their network, cementing their authority in their field. 

Twitter:

• There are approximately 330 million active users on Twitter monthly.
•  85% of small and medium-sized businesses use Twitter for customer service.

Reasons for Social Selling On Twitter

Twitter is a real-time platform for sales professionals to engage in timely discussions and monitor industry trends. Its search function helps identify relevant conversations, while direct messaging allows one-on-one communication with prospects and customers. 

Facebook:

• As of 2023, Facebook had over 3.03 billion monthly active users.
• 74% of Facebook users visit the platform daily.

Reasons for Social Selling On FB

Facebook is an excellent platform for social selling efforts, providing a wide reach and diverse user demographics suitable for both B2B and B2C. Make the most of Facebook groups to network, build communities, and share valuable content. With Facebook’s advertising platform, businesses can target specific audience segments based on demographics, interests, and behaviors, giving them the edge they need to succeed.

Instagram:

• Instagram has over 2  billion monthly active users.
• 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business account.

Reasons for Social Selling:

Instagram is ideal for showcasing products, lifestyle content, and behind-the-scenes visuals. Its features like Stories, IGTV, and Reels offer creative opportunities, while shoppable posts and in-app checkout simplify the buying process. 

YouTube

• YouTube has over 2.7 billion logged-in monthly users.
• 70% of YouTube viewers use the platform to help solve a problem related to their job, studies, or hobbies.
• YouTube is the second most-visited website globally after Google.

Reasons for Social Selling

With YouTube’s advertising options, such as TrueView ads and YouTube Shopping ads, businesses can get their messages across and effectively reach and engage with their target audience.  

Practises To Consider For Social Selling 

Optimize Your Social Media Profiles

If you want your social selling to be successful, optimizing your social media profiles first is crucial. Your prospects are unlikely to respond if your profile is outdated or incomplete. So, update it with all the essential information before you begin.

Set Up Social Listening Alerts

To track potential sales opportunities, use social listening alerts. These notifications can be set up through tools like Google alerts. Be quick to respond to trigger events, such as a mention of a problem you can address to engage with prospects and increase your conversion chances. Don’t miss out on valuable sales opportunities – use social listening alerts to stay ahead of the competition.

Share Content To Build Your Credibility

In today’s digital age, having a strong and reliable reputation on social media is crucial for any business looking to succeed. To achieve this, creating and sharing original content tailored to your industry is imperative. By doing so, you can offer value to your audience and establish yourself as an authority in your field. Share relevant articles and research that align with your audience’s interests, and spark meaningful conversations that inspire engagement.

Recent research shows that social media content is incredibly effective for sales professionals and B2B businesses. A staggering 31% of sales professionals believe that social media content resonates with potential clients, while 32% are confident that social media content provides the highest return on investment for B2B businesses.

 

Share Success Stories

Testimonials are a powerful tool for businesses, with research showing that 92% of B2B buyers are more likely to make a purchasing decision after reading a trustworthy review. By sharing success stories from satisfied customers, businesses can demonstrate their products’ or services’ value and benefits and build trust with potential buyers. Testimonials are a vital factor in driving sales and building a strong reputation, making them an essential tool for businesses seeking to confidently establish their credibility.

Be Mindful Of Customer Support Opportunities

Monitoring social media and messaging platforms for customer feedback, especially negative comments is vital. Your customer support team can quickly respond to potential issues and communicate with prospective customers who may have seen negative feedback. Ensure their language is appropriate when addressing the issue. This approach will help maintain a positive image of your brand.

Know When To Move Your Conversations Off Social Media

To effectively secure a sale, social media connections must be taken offline. Once a prospective client has been successfully engaged on social media, a proposal to continue the conversation via a call should be offered. This approach provides the opportunity to thoroughly understand the client’s pain points or unique situation, thereby providing the clarity necessary to secure the sale. Notably, Tyre asserts that the contact details of potential customers fitting his ideal client profile should be sought after when interactions have been positively established to facilitate further engagements outside of social media.

Importance Of Social Selling 

The importance of social selling in the modern business landscape cannot be overstated. With consumers increasingly turning to social media for product recommendations, reviews, and insights, businesses that embrace social selling gain a competitive edge by meeting customers where they already are.

One of the key benefits of social selling is its ability to humanize the sales process. By establishing genuine connections with prospects and providing valuable insights and assistance, sales professionals can build trust and credibility, laying the foundation for long-term relationships and repeat business.

Practical Guidance To Social Selling 

Build Credibility

Social selling should never be perceived as cold outreach. It would help to establish trust with potential clients before making any sales pitch. To achieve this, leverage word-of-mouth marketing by requesting existing clients to provide an endorsement or recommendation.  

Ensuring that the skills being endorsed are relevant to potential customers is crucial. This helps to establish confidence in prospective clients and understand how your skills and expertise can benefit them.

Discover Connections

To effectively connect with potential buyers, use the platform’s search capabilities to align with your buyer demographics. Furthermore, utilize your established relationships and shared connections to aid in initiating conversations with potential clients.

Another effective tactic is to monitor the interactions of your competitors and their sales representatives. By observing their engagement with individuals, you can identify promising leads for your product. This proactive approach lets you stay ahead of the competition and take advantage of valuable opportunities.

Join Groups or communities that match your industry to expand your network. As it allows you to participate in industry-related conversations and showcase your expertise, enabling you to stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends and expand your professional network.

Monitor Competitors Activities

Monitoring your competitors’ activities is a key element of a successful social selling strategy. It’s not just about keeping an eye on their moves, such as sharing informative content or targeting specific prospects. It’s about using these insights to implement similar tactics and stay ahead of the game. This proactive approach ensures that your strategy is innovative, effective, and competitive.

Adapting quickly to the latest trends is a must in social selling. It’s about delivering a unique and compelling selling experience that sets you apart from your rivals. Don’t hesitate to analyze your competitors’ strategies and adjust your own accordingly. Remember, to succeed in social selling, you need to be assertive and confident in your approach.

Social Selling Tools To Use in 2024

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Sales Navigator, the most renowned and highly recommended social selling tool, is a game-changer for sales teams. Its robust features empower teams to identify companies that are most likely to benefit from their product and establish connections with key contacts within those organizations. With a single click, Sales Navigator seamlessly adds target accounts and leads directly into the CRM system, boosting efficiency and productivity. If you’re aiming to supercharge your social selling efforts, Sales Navigator is the tool you should opt for.

Hootsuite

The practice of social selling involves the development and cultivation of relationships with potential customers across various social media platforms. However, the task of managing multiple platforms at once can be complex and inefficient. Hootsuite, a social media management tool, offers a solution.

Hootsuite provides a centralized platform that enables users to manage all their social media accounts in one location. Users can readily post or schedule content, as well as track performance metrics to assess the effectiveness of their social media campaigns.

By leveraging Hootsuite, businesses can streamline their social media marketing efforts, allowing them to focus on building relationships with their prospects by engaging with their audience, identifying successful tactics, and adapting their approach accordingly.

Nimble

Nimble, a sophisticated yet user-friendly tool, is a master at consolidating data from more than 160 apps and CRMs onto a single platform. This comprehensive data includes your contacts, social connections, communications, and calendar appointments. With Nimble, keeping track of your interactions with each individual is a breeze, instilling confidence in your ability to effectively nurture and cultivate your relationships as they evolve.

Conclusion 

Social selling is a powerful marketing strategy for businesses to connect with potential clients, develop relationships, and drive sales in the digital era. By leveraging social media platforms to establish deeper connections with potential clients and customers, businesses can build trust and loyalty, target and engage with their ideal audience more effectively, amplify their marketing efforts, align sales and marketing teams around common objectives, and remain agile and adaptable in response to changing market trends and customer preferences