Is selling on social media a goal you’d like to tackle this new year? If not, it should be! Social media is used around the world by billions of people. Businesses are jumping on networks to engage with clients, spread awareness, make deals, prospect, and more. If you’re not actively using these networks, face it: you’re already behind. If you’re already using social networks, sharpen and improve your tactics this year. Amanda B, in an article for HubSpot, shares the many benefits of social selling and why reps should be trained in and use these sources. 

Selling on social media: What is it?

First, before you can begin or improve your social selling, you need to be clear about what it actually is. Amanda shares this definition:

“Social selling is the process of using social media platforms and their networks to add more prospects, opportunities, and information to your pipeline. It entails finding, connecting with, nurturing, and even converting prospects and members of your target audience through one of the many social media platforms (e.g. LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter).”

Amanda goes on to emphasize that social selling is selling, not social marketing. It’s important for reps to distinguish between the two in order to be successful. 

The benefits

In addition to understanding what selling on social media actually is, reps should also be aware of the many opportunities that are possible. Below are just some of the benefits of social selling:

• Drives organic traffic to your website and content.
• Increases engagement on the social platforms your target audience members are on.
• Boosts your visit-​to-​lead ratio.
• Builds deeper connections and relationships with prospects.
• Finds qualified leads where they are.
• Shows your target audience that you care about the same type of content that they do.
• Tailors your current content so it resonates with your target audience and gets more engagement.

As you can see, selling on social media can be very impactful; you just have to be thoughtful in order to do it effectively. 

The how-​to

Amanda spends the rest of her article sharing helpful tips for using social networks for selling. While she approaches it from a training standpoint, reps can still find her insights helpful when working on their own strategy.

Be active. This may seem like a no-​brainer, but reps need to consistently be active on networks. Selling on social media will only be successful if the salesperson seems credible. As Amanda points out, “Why would a potential customer trust a rep if there aren’t any recent posts or interactions on their profile? Posting, interacting, and engaging on social is how reps will remain relevant and top-​of-​mind among leads and social followers.” So, before engaging with prospects, take some time to establish yourself on social networks. Share valuable content, spark conversations, join groups–anything that helps build a credible presence. 

The three C's

Learn the three C’s. Selling on social media requires an understanding of these three elements, which are essential for success:

Context: Make sure you have established context around who you are and what your business is. As mentioned earlier, this helps build credibility and trust. This includes tasks as simple as keeping your profile and picture updated. 

Content: This is a biggie. Salespeople shouldn’t expect to just randomly post things and experience immediate success. “Reps should share valuable content for prospects and followers on social media,” Amanda explains. “This content may include images, videos, e‑books, blog articles, and infographics.” So, be thoughtful about your posts and engagements; the effort will definitely show.

Collaboration: Make sure you are working with other team members to create a cohesive brand image across all of your social networks. For example, consider scheduled check-​ins for discussion about future posts to ensure everyone is on the same (digital) page. 

These and the many other tips shared by Amanda will get you on a path toward successfully selling on social media. In conclusion, make 2021 the year you begin or improve this strategy. Your efforts won’t be wasted, as she points out, “These social connections can lead to long-​term business relationships, more conversions, a boost in brand awareness, greater customer loyalty, increased engagement, and more.”