When social media was born a decade or so ago social selling did not exist, it was all about personal connection and socialising – nothing more. Today, however, social media is an important marketing and sales channel. In fact, market research shows that almost 80 per cent of salespeople who invest in a strategy for selling on social media outperform those who opt not to do so.
Consumers today are all about transparency. They research options rather than closing a sale at the first vendor they encounter and they are more interested in knowing who you are as a business. By knowing who you are, they become more deeply connected and this solidifies buyer trust.
Why include social media in your selling strategy?
Social media is a veritable cornucopia of possibilities for showcasing your brand and your product. Thousands of other brands and businesses are taking advantage of the platform, so why not yours as well?
Social media selling is not a standalone strategy – it must be coupled with other more traditional marketing strategies, which may include SMS and email marketing, calling and other methods of advertising and marketing your products and services.
The biggest impact social media has on the sales process is in the realm of buyer awareness and engagement. It is a powerful tool for finding and capturing new leads and building trust as a brand. By using social networks for your business, you can boost your brand’s reach, create affable leads and facilitate direct engagement with potential customers. The best-case scenario is that these leads will share your posts, leverage awareness and click through to complete the purchase process.
A publication by QuotaDeck states more than 70 per cent of B2C companies today have acquired customers via social media selling on Facebook; more than 60 per cent of B2B marketers boost their lead generation using social media.
Put simply, social media is a prime channel for creating and triggering conversations between brands and consumers, providing value to potential customers, building trust and ideally funnelling the consumer towards an actual purchase. Selling on social media accelerates this process.
9 proven tips for successful selling on social media
As a business owner and brand, you should be making the most of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn at the very least to help build your public profile and extend your reach. You should have a blog that provides value to your audience and also positions you as an authority in your field.
The challenge for business owners is that many thousands of other business owners are doing the same thing: Sharing products and services online on social media. You need to stand out from the pack; consumers need to see that you have the best solution for them.
- Learn basic rules of etiquette for each platform you choose to use. Always post mindfully and never when you are tired, emotional, or affected by alcohol. Be courteous and polite – every single thing you post reflects directly on you and your brand.
- Develop a social media campaign strategy before you start posting on social media. Identify your target audience, the image you will present and the story you will tell. Have a goal for your presence on social media.
- Pay attention to what consumers are posting on social media. Pay attention to trends and reasons why people need what you are selling.
- Create appealing content that addresses a problem or challenge that your target audience may be experiencing. Demonstrate how your product or service is the answer to their issue and how they need to acquire it for themselves. Every single post you publish should have a reason behind it.
- Feature or acknowledge loyal customers and fans and, even better, reward them in some way.
- Look for cross-promotional opportunities; always lead with what you are willing to offer before requesting of others.
- Set a time limit on promotions so that consumers are more inclined to act upon them.
- Measure and analyse the success of your social selling campaign; review and tweak your strategy on an ongoing basis.
- Remember to follow up with customers who complete purchases with you. You might offer a discount code for their next purchase, send a thank you email, or invite them to submit a review or to share your product with their own followers.
On a more targeted level:
- Create an easy-to-remember and unique Twitter handle.
- Support thought leaders by retweeting and mentioning – some will do the same for you.
- Develop a content strategy and stick to it. No more than 40 per cent of your posts at most should be direct sales pitches.
- Preschedule posts using a tool such as Symphony or Hootsuite
- Follow between 50 and 100 new people per day. Regularly reassess and unfollow those who have not followed you back or who are inactive on the platform. Remember follows are not personal.
- Be present and engage on a daily basis.
- Facebook
- Incorporate a design that reflects your brand and who you are, what you represent, your expertise and your passion.
- Develop a content strategy and stick to it. No more than 40 per cent of your posts at most should be direct sales pitches.
- Listen and affect a two-way conversation to build relationships and trust.
- Have a strategy for converting fans and followers to customers.
- Set measurable goals for your page and analyse results.
- The premium channel for B2B connections.
- Ensure your profile is complete.
- Share content that is valuable to your own network.
- Join some groups that are likely to include some of your ideal target customers.
- Start conversations to demonstrate your experience and expertise and to in turn generate leads.
- Your blog
- Promote and link to all new blog posts via your social media profiles.
- Offer content that is of interest and value to your audience.
- Provide content that cements your position as an expert in your niche.
- Be inspired by comments and questions from your followers, as well as by industry news and trends.
Selling on social media: What you need to avoid
- Don’t make baseless assumptions about what your audience wants; you can’t assume that what you value in your product or service is what potential or existing customers want.
- While auto-scheduling posts is great and certainly very convenient, share some content in real time and always engage with comments, questions and other interactions on a real-time basis.
- Don’t tag potential or existing customers via social media, particularly if you are promoting your own products, unless you have previously discussed this with them offline.
- Avoid offering the same promotion ad infinitum; this becomes boring and your fan base will eventually scroll by.
- Don’t bombard your followers with too many posts, including offers, reviews and events. Likewise, don’t boast with self-congratulatory content relating to your accomplishments, your possessions and so on – it makes you appear to be insecure and even desperate for attention.
- Don’t expect immediate results. Achieving success on social media for business is a marathon, not a sprint.
Most importantly, remember that social media is not a platform for sales pitching. It is, rather, a channel to build awareness of your brand and what it offers. You can’t be asking for too much or you will drive your audience away.
Despite the unquestionable value of social media channels for selling, strategies for selling that incorporate social media and nothing else do not ultimately work. Selling is a multi-pronged undertaking and social media only assists with some of these factors. You can’t assume that conversion of prospects will take place on social media. Remember always that social media is primarily a place to build awareness of your brand, build trust in your brand, and connect with consumers. Your followers might not buy from you today or next week or even next month, but having awareness and a positive image of your brand, they may very well come to you when it counts for them.
The sale is in the story of your words
According to market research, online storytelling via social media platforms can directly impact the purchasing behaviour of consumers. Refinery29, an online women’s lifestyle site, tested adverts on Facebook that followed a story sequence. Those following this model demonstrated a conversion lift of almost 60 per cent and an almost 90 per cent rise in click-throughs. In-store and online purchases both increased significantly. READ MORE
Get the most out of your social media
If you’d like to get most out of your social selling, try our FREE LinkedIn course. This will form the basis of awareness and building a connection so you can start and maintain a solid relationship with your target market. When they know, like and trust you, they will eventually buy from you.
MUST READ: Have you read our blog on how to persuade and influence for success it comes to your social media marketing? If not, it’s worth the few minutes you’ll spend reading it.