Selling is an art, quite literally! You must have a knack for negotiation, promotion, and special convincing powers. Truth be told, it is also one of the oldest and most dynamic professions of all. From barter systems to door-to-door and now from business-to-phone, sales strategies have been created and modified A number of times. What’s the latest one? Social selling.
LinkedIn reports suggest that 78% of social sellers outsell peers who don’t use social media. Plus, social selling leaders are 51% more likely to reach quota. Plus, with the growing digitization and social media influence, you’d be a fool to not focus on social selling, especially if you are in the B2B space. Wondering why? Here’s your answer!
Social Selling: What It Means?
Social selling means using social platforms to connect and build relationships with your prospective buyers. It allows salespeople to:
- Build trust
- Show Credibility
- Reach their sales goals
Of course, it leaves behind the traditional way, which is cold calling and pushing sales scripts. In fact, it is focused on real connections and meaningful social interactions to present your brand as a solution to your target audience’s problem.
Here’s an important thing to consider: Social selling comes close to lead generation and nurturing those leads through the sales funnel. With this in mind, salespeople need to put in more intentional effort.
Also Read : All you Need to Know About Social Selling!
Why Is It Important in the B2B Space?
The consumer’s buying behaviour has changed, whether it is B2B, B2C, or D2C. There is an accelerated demand for virtual interactions. In fact, consumers today want to connect with businesses and brands at their own convenience. They expect quicker engagements and transactions. Gartner expects 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers to occur in digital channels by 2025. The bottom line? We are almost in a buyer-centric digital model.
It’s important for you to make friends with buyers to help them understand all the information they see online. Sellers who show themselves as subject-matter experts and focus on building relationships will gain buyers’ trust and get more sales. As online sales become more common in business-to-business (B2B) transactions, teams that use this approach will strengthen customer relationships, sell faster, and make more money.
Besides generating more revenue, social selling is a smart way to reduce operation and process costs. How? A unified customer-experience management platform. It uses AI-powered social listening, which reduces the time spent on research and analysis. As a result, your sales team has more time on hand, and you have more money in your pocket.
Also Read: 3 Reasons Why Your B2B Marketing Strategy Framework Is Not Generating Quality Leads
Using the SSI Index
The concept of a social selling index was first introduced by LinkedIn. It combines 4 factors to give you your SSI score. These 4 factors align with 4 goals of your social selling:
- Establishing a professional brand
- Finding the right people
- Engaging effectively
- Building relationships
It compares your SSI index with others in your industry and tells you where exactly you stand. Here’s what it looks like:
Which Platform Should You Use?
Ideally, LinkedIn is the best platform for B2B social selling since it is a professional platform that hosts all business decision-makers. LinkedIn says that:
- 89% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for lead generation
- 62% say it generates them leads, over two times more than the next-highest social channel
But you know what they say, meet your audience where they are!
Social Selling on LinkedIn
Build Authority
Assuming you already have a LinkedIn profile and all your details are mentioned, start by building your authority on the subject matter. Find relevant topics in your industry to share your insights on. You could also share personal experiences that have shaped your professional career or vice versa. In short, provide value to your existing audience.
Ask for Recommendations & Endorsements
If you already have a good number of connections on the platform, request that they give you recommendations or endorse you for certain skills. This will help you build credibility on the platform.
Extend Your Network
Start identifying who you want to connect with. List the possible decision-makers in your industry and their job titles. Then, connect with relevant individuals on the platforms. Based on your needs, think of CEOs, CXOs, Head of Purchase, Directors, etc.
Actively Engage
LinkedIn is a platform that pushes value content and insights. So actively engage on posts that resonate with you and leave a comment that:
- Offers an insight
- Takes the conversation ahead
- Starts a new conversation altogether
Leverage Sales Navigator
Lastly, there’s the LinkedIn Sales Navigator, a professional social selling tool. It offers you data and insights to prioritize the right accounts with the best chances. Additionally, it offers a relationship map, CRM integrations, and buyer intent capabilities, making your job easier.
Social Selling on Twitter and Facebook
These platforms have a comparatively simpler working process. They need you to keep an eye out on your existing audience and connect with new prospects. While you engage with your existing audience by liking and commenting on their posts, you wait for the prospects to share their grievances or their need for help related to your competitors. This is when you enter the picture with your helpful comment.
Wrapping Up
Social selling is the need of the hour, especially in the B2B market. Why? Your sales cycles are longer. It’s one of the easiest ways to shorten them and get off on the right foot with your prospects.
Think of it as a chance to show what you know, what you can do, and how you can help your prospects. If you hit all these three chords right, there’s no reason why social selling would not bring you revenue.
Yet, if you find it challenging, we are always ready to work with you! Our team is well-versed in social media and aware of every little action that you can take to grow your business. Reach out to us, and let’s discuss how we can socially sell your business!
