Why does social selling matter?
Social selling has become an essential part of sales strategies for businesses across the world. If you’re not already using it as part of your sales plan, you may be wondering why so many people put so much time and effort into this type of marketing.
Go where the customers are
To sell, you need customers, and the best place to find them is online. For years, consumers and businesses have been increasing their online activity, and the pandemic and social distancing only exacerbated this pattern.
Before deciding to buy, people go online to research their potential purchases to compare the products and services offered. According to a recent Gartner study, 83% of a B2B purchasing decision happens before a buyer directly interacts with a provider. If you’re not participating in social selling, you will miss out on this process. You must have an online presence in order to compete for their business.
This behavior is not going to change anytime soon. 70% to 80% of B2B buyers prefer to identify and evaluate new suppliers, order and re-order products online, according to a McKinsey survey. If you’re not in the game, you need to enter the playing field.
Where to start
Use your company’s website to jumpstart your online presence. It all starts with creating quality content that adds value for your customer base. Having a website that contains stellar content shared on social media by you and your clients is the best advertising for your brand.
The next step is to aim high when creating blogs or newsletters. The amount of effort you invest in your content corresponds directly with the number of shares it will get. Offer solid advice about topics that are relevant for your clients. Superior writing and visuals help establish your content’s credibility.
There are so many resources for content creation at our fingertips today that you don’t need an in-house designer to create a polished look for your content pieces. If you’re not sure about the most important topics for your customers, do some research. You could even do a poll on your website or social media account to determine their areas of interest. If you need help with visuals, many online sources provide free photography.
What’s your social media destination?
The social media destination of choice for businesses is LinkedIn. Eight hundred million business professionals worldwide are a part of this network, and 40% of them are active every day.
No wonder LinkedIn is the place to use your individual account to network with others. Your profile is your personal professional brand, so make it great. Here are some tips:
Use a professional headshot for your profile photo.
Choose a background photo that is more personal and reflects your interests to help you stand out.
Use relevant keywords in your headline so that you show up in searches.
Explain who you are, what you do, what problems you solve, and for whom and what do you stand for? Make the first three sentences compelling so that viewers will want to click on “see more.”
From here, you need to create your network by adding connections. Connect with everyone you know! Doing so exposes your profile to that person’s contacts. Former co-workers, college roommates, friends—they’re all excellent choices. If there are influential people you’d like to know but don’t know yet, start out by following them until they get to know you better.
To earn follow-backs, be sure to interact with your connections on LinkedIn. Don’t forget to like, comment and share relevant posts. It’s also important to share engaging content from your website and other sources on your LinkedIn page to build traffic to your profile and company website. With each comment or share, you build your online reputation and set the foundation for social selling.
Hit the road
Now that you have some basic directions, it’s time for you to start your social selling journey. We will continue to help you on your path with our “Straight to Business” podcast, resources and weekly blog posts.
If you have any questions or comments about the information we’ve shared, please reply below. We’d love to hear from you!
Photos by Alexas_Fotos on Pixabay; Tama66 on Pixabay; stevepb on Pixabay; and D_Gabi; on Pixabay