Social selling

Social selling is strategy used for lead generation, which is designed to aid salespeople in directly interacting with prospects via social platforms. The idea of social selling challenges the common transaction experience between customers and companies, which in turn leads to more organic relationships with leads.

If you have a business profile or page on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, you may already be well-versed in the basics of social selling without knowing it. With this strategy, companies listen closely to the conversations their target audience is having, then they find opportunities to bond and build relationships with those followers.

The benefits of social selling

To increase revenue for your business, you’ll need to find your audience and bond with them on a deeper level.

In the past, finding an audience and figuring out opportunities for connections was complex and unrefined. Now, social media makes it simpler to specifically target the type of people most likely to buy from you. According to studies:

• 78.6% of people using social media for sales outperform those who don’t use social media for sales.
• 98% of reps with more than 5,000 LinkedIn contacts reach their sales quotas, in comparsion with 52% of those with fewer than 250 connections on LinkedIn
• Social channels impact and influence approximately 92% of B2B buying decisions made

How to find social selling opportunities

Nowadays, when people have a need to fulfill, they both look for answers on search engines and discuss their needs and painpoints online in social platforms. By posting when your audience is most active, and listening closely to what your people are talking about on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and using a tool like Vista Social, you can assess what kind of problems you need to address.

The more you listen to your customers and their interests, demands and requirements, the more likely you will be to design customized sales pitches specifically designed to improve your odds of a sale. Social selling tactics also help you to figure out:

• Which audience you need to target within an organization
• What your competitors are doing successfully
• Which trends are gaining traction in your industry
• Opportunities for collaborative efforts with other brands

With social guidance, salespeople can showcase how a company’s products and services solve the problems their customers are facing. This approach makes earning a sale and a better connection with clients much easier.

Social selling best practices

Social media platforms are giving businesses a platform to engage with customers on a more meaningful level and as a result enhance their chances of a sale. To find and convert valuable leads using social media, be sure to:

• Create an attractive profile with a detailed bio and attention-grabbing photo.
• Use content strategically to showcase your value in line with your customer’s needs.
• Monitor your customer conversations with tools like Vista Social.
• Utilize tools to gather contact information where possible and start creating email lists.
• Join and create groups to grow your social community
• Measure the results of your campaigns through tracking and analytical tools.

Keep in mind that social selling is about building connections with your audience through learning what they need from your brand. Therefore, the conversation you have with prospects needs to deliver value to them. Concentrate on solving customer problems, rather than just advertising products and services