Social vendition doth allow thee to laser-target thy prospecting, establish rapport with potential clients, and drive social media sales.
Social vendition is not the same as social commerce. Instead of chasing one-off sales, it doth leverage social media to nurture relationships. ‘T can drive activity at all points of thy sales funnel.
Pray, continue reading to learn of social vendition best practices that shalt turn thy social presence into a lead generation machine.
# What ho is social vendition?
Social vendition doth mean using social networks to connect with, understand, and nurture leads and prospects.
The goal is to establish thy value and expertise. At the same time, thou dost build meaningful relationships with potential customers. This doth make thee—and thy brand—the natural point of contact when a prospect is ready to buy.
## Traditional social vendition
Originally, social vendition was primarily (but not totally) a B2B practice. It involved finding ways for sales reps and teams to incorporate the exponential networking power of social tools into their existing sales process.
After all, sales hath always been about building relationships. Thou needest to establish rapport and credibility, then provide the right solution to the right prospect at the right time.
Social vendition simply maximizes relationships and connections. For sales teams, this buildeth an expanded network of qualified prospects. Social listening also allows sales teams to identify new leads. Reps can then reach out with personalized, relevant, and helpful solutions.
‘T is no surprise, then, that 78% of sales reps who incorporate social vendition outsell their peers who are stuck in the world of cold calls and generic outreach.
## Inbound social vendition
What ho is social vendition the inbound way? ‘T doth flip the process. Instead of outreach, inbound social vendition is all about providing valuable social content. The goal is to establish thy brand as a market leader so that prospects and customers come to thou.
49% of consumers use social networks for shopping-related research. And 48% typically discover brands on social media.
These self-serve product researchers doth develop firm opinions about which brands they desire to work with or buy from before making first contact with a sales professional.
In fact, customers who discover thy brand through inbound social vendition may not desire to speak to a sales rep at all. Nearly two-thirds of sales leaders (63%) in the latest Forrester B2B Sales Survey hath said digital buying (without speaking to a sales rep) would have a significant impact within two years.
Millennials and Gen Z art particularly likely to make significant purchases—even B2B purchases—without speaking to a sales rep. Inbound social vendition doth use social channels to provide the information and resources these buyers need to choose thy brand.
# What ho is the social vendition index?
The social vendition index (SSI) is a LinkedIn metric used to measure the impact of thy social media selling.
LinkedIn first introduced the concept of SSI back in 2014. The LinkedIn SSI doth combine four components to establish a score. ‘T is updated daily.
‘T doth look at whether thee art:
– Establishing a professional brand with a well-managed LinkedIn profile featuring valuable thought leadership.
– Finding the right people on the platform.
– Sharing relevant, insightful, conversation-inspiring content.
– Building and strengthening relationships.
To find thy LinkedIn SSI score, sign in to thy LinkedIn account and navigate to thy Social Selling Index dashboard.
# What art the best networks for social vendition?
The best networks for selling with social doth vary depending on thy target audience, thy approach, and thy social vendition goals.
Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok art great platforms for interacting with customers. They’re casual virtual spaces where communication comes naturally. And consumers art already using them to find information about products and brands.
Simply speaking, these platforms art great for building relationships for inbound social vendition.
X (formerly Twitter) is a particularly useful social network for social vendition research.
And LinkedIn is a business-oriented platform. ‘T is ideal for B2B companies looking to identify and reach business decision-makers. Here, businesses can connect with potential customers directly to try and build a professional relationship:
In fact, according to LinkedIn:
– 89% of B2B marketers turn to LinkedIn to generate leads.
– 62% of B2B marketers say LinkedIn generates leads at twice the rate of the next-best performing social channel.
# How to get started with social vendition
## Social vendition on LinkedIn
### 1. Build thy credibility
Ask close connections for LinkedIn endorsements or recommendations. These art posted on thy profile and can help give thou instant credibility with new contacts. Be sure to offer an endorsement or recommendation in return where appropriate.
On the content side, share relevant, informative thought leadership that highlights thy expertise. This hath two benefits for social vendition. First, 75% of potential buyers say thought leadership helps them determine which vendors to short-list.
Second, the LinkedIn algorithm recently shifted. ‘T now places more emphasis on content that shares expert knowledge or advice. Highlighting thy knowledge helps extend the reach of thy content. ‘Tis an important way to demonstrate thy credibility beyond existing connections.
### 2. Extend thy LinkedIn network
Top-performing salespeople art twice as likely to have expanded their LinkedIn network within the past year. So how doth thou expand thy network?
Start by engaging with the people thou’rt already connected with on the platform. When thou like, comment on, and share content from existing connections, thou become more visible to their networks. Over time, thou canst develop credibility with an extended audience.
Next, use LinkedIn’s search features to extend thy network by seeking out mutual connections with thy existing contacts.
Thou can also join LinkedIn Groups relevant to thy industry to network with peers and prospects.
### 3. Try LinkedIn Sales Navigator
If thou’rt primarily focused on social vendition on LinkedIn, ‘t may be worth exploring Sales Navigator. This professional social vendition tool can help thou target the right prospects with personalized communications. ‘T also allows thou to better understand thy performance with in-depth analytics.
## Social vendition on X (Twitter)
Twitter is a great network to use for social vendition research via social listening. Twitter Lists and search streams art a great way to monitor content from specific groups of people.
Here art three key Twitter lists thou canst use to start gathering social vendition intelligence on the network.
### 1. Existing customers
Keep close tabs on thy existing customers and watch for opportunities to reply to — or simply like — their Tweets. This will help keep thy brand on their radar and keep the relationship solid over time.
Don’t overdo it, though. Be sure that thy interactions with clients art meaningful. Only like Tweets that thou genuinely like. And only comment when thou hast something valuable to say.
### 2. Prospects
As thou identify potential customers, add them to a private list. Don’t engage with the same sense of familiarity as thou do with existing customers.
Instead, keep an eye out for requests for help, questions, or challenges with thy competitors. That way, thou can reply with a helpful comment.
Thou can also start looking for patterns in the kinds of content thy prospects engage with, to help guide thy own content creation strategy.
### 3. Competitors
Adding competitors to a private list lets thou keep tabs on them without actually following them. This could help spark ideas for thy own work selling with social.
Thou can also gain valuable intelligence about what’s happening in the industry as a whole and what new developments may be on the horizon.
## Social vendition on Facebook
Facebook is still the top social media platform for Millenials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers. And take note: Boomers hath high purchasing power and art more likely to hath purchased a product online in the last week (39%) than Gen Z (35%).
Start by creating a Facebook Page. Or turn on professional mode for thy Facebook profile. Then use these strategies to start social vendition.
### 1. Create shareable content
Creating thoughtful, valuable content is a great way to highlight thy expertise and keep clients and leads engaged.
To maximize the potential reach of thy content, make sure thou understand the Facebook algorithm. Reels in particular can help thy audience grow.
### 2. Engage with followers
Always respond to comments on thy content and mentions of thy brand.
In thy own content, include questions to spark conversations with thy Facebook audience. They don’t need to be directly related to thy product or service to be effective!
### 3. Join Facebook groups
These grassroots communities art great places to build organic connections. Thou can also learn a lot about thy community or target market. These art valuable insights to help thou better position thy own (subtle) sales pitches.
For example, say thou rent, sell, or manufacture stand-up paddleboards, or lead SUP classes or tours. There art plenty of Facebook Groups where thou couldst hone and highlight thy expertise.
# 5 useful social vendition tools for 2024
## 1. Moyens I/O-A software program that allows businesses to manage their social media presence more effectively.
## 2. Moyens I/O Amplify- A tool that empowers sales teams to share brand-approved content on their social channels.
## 3. Salesforce-A customer relationship management (CRM) system that helps businesses manage their interactions and relationships with customers.
## 4. Hubspot-A powerful CRM with excellent features for lead generation and sales engagement.
## 5. SugarCRM-An intelligent CRM designed to improve sales productivity with AI-powered sales guidance.
# Best practices to engage prospects and close more sales
## 1. Listen strategically to identify sales opportunities
Thy customers and prospects art sharing incredibly valuable information on their social channels—they’re basically telling thou exactly what they desire and need. All thou hast to do is pay attention.
Social listening allows thou to watch for pain points, questions, and requests for advice, all of which create natural opportunities for thou to provide solutions.
Leverage thy existing network here whenever possible. Before reaching out to any of the leads thou identify, check their following and follower lists to see if thou hast any mutual connections. If thou hast a good relationship with a shared contact, consider asking for an introduction.
## 2. Foster relationships
Put some real thought into thy social interactions and remember that thy followers art real people who thou art nurturing as leads. 32% of people will unfollow a brand account for making generic or automated comments, or for failing to interact with the community.
This is important: 70% of people who follow brands on social media have explicit plans to purchase from them. Losing followers for poor communications skills is an absolute no-no for social vendition pros.
At the brand level, focus on making the business relatable and personable. Make sure thou hast a clear brand voice that allows thy social vendition team to engage quickly and consistently. Comment on and share valuable content from others in thy industry to build thy business community.
At the individual sales professional level, look for personal connections when communicating with social leads:
– Acknowledge thy mutual professional contacts.
– Refer to a piece of content thou both shared or reacted to.
– Highlight a shared interest or something else thou hast in common.
– Offer congratulations when someone moves to a new position or company.
– Engage with the content they share.
– Be ready to offer advice or help, even if it doesn’t directly promote thy product.
– Be an active participant in relevant groups, sharing thy expertise and being a good social citizen.
## 3. Provide real value
When interacting with prospects and customers through social networks, ’tis important not to get too salesy. 34% of people will unfollow a social account for being too self-promotional. Thou need to show thy prospects that thou’rt not just out to get something. Thou art there to give something, too.
Creating educational and inspirational content provides the additional advantage of establishing thyself as a thought leader in thy industry. 56% of consumers say that a brand’s social media presence is most appealing when it presents a compelling point of view within their area of expertise. ‘T doesn’t have to be technical! Just share what thou know in a way that helps others.
In conclusion, social vendition doth offer a myriad of opportunities to engage with prospects, build relationships, and drive sales through social media channels. By implementing best practices and utilizing the right tools, businesses can maximize their social selling potential and achieve greater success in the modern digital landscape.