Changing Sales: Social Selling as an Opportunity

Changing Sales: Social Selling as an Opportunity

Maybritt Peters

Tags: Success on Social

Cold calling? For many Gen Z sales newcomers, this is a foreign term. That's because they are social media natives. They don't use hotkeys - they post, like, and tweet. Why learn cold calling when you've grown up with Instagram? When your youth was defined by TikTok rather than landlines?

Try telling a 25-year-old to make 100 calls a day. Most would laugh at you because they know that social media is more effective. Yet many companies are still stuck in the old ways. "Social media is done on the side. It's just the trend at the moment." 🤡 But this "trend" is here to stay. And it won't just influence sales. It will dominate them. For companies that react too late, it will become a ticking time bomb.

To prevent that bomb from exploding, in this blog post, we will take you on a journey to discover how you can effectively use social media for your business sales activities.

What is social selling?

Social selling is a modern strategy where companies or individuals use social media to build relationships with potential customers, gain trust, and ultimately sell products or services. Instead of traditional cold calling, social selling is a way for companies and salespeople to leverage the reach of social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. The focus is on building relationships and delivering value through relevant content and interactions to acquire and retain customers. Social selling uses social networks as a platform to engage, inform, and persuade potential customers.

But what isn't social selling? Social selling is not bombarding strangers with unsolicited posts and tweets. That's spam. And it's something to avoid at all costs.

Top 5 Reasons for Social Selling

Social selling offers several benefits.

  1. It works: Not just because we say it does. LinkedIn's internal data proves it:

    • Leading social selling companies generate 45% more sales opportunities than companies with low LinkedIn SSI.
    • Companies prioritizing social selling are 51% more likely to meet their sales goals.
    • 78% of companies that use social selling generate more revenue than companies that do not use social media.

  2. It builds genuine relationships: Many events have been canceled recently due to the pandemic and fear of disease. This has shifted networking and relationship creation to the digital space, making social selling even more essential. By sharing knowledge and expertise, salespeople can position themselves as trusted sources - so-called thought leaders.

  3. Increased reach and visibility: Social media increases companies' reach exponentially. By sharing relevant content and interacting with customers and prospects, companies can increase their visibility in the online world. Have you ever heard of employee advocacy? That's the technical term for it. It means that companies use the reach of their employees as brand ambassadors. Influencers for free.

  4. Personalized communication: Social media allows companies to tailor their communication to the needs and interests of their target audience. This will enable them to communicate more personally with potential customers, increasing the chances of a successful sale.

  5. Direct checkout: If you thought that social selling was only relevant to B2B companies, think again. Social selling and social commerce are closely related: Social selling is often the first step in engaging and persuading prospects on social media.

What is the Social Selling Index?

If you've ever wondered how to measure your social selling success, LinkedIn's Social Selling Index (SSI) is the answer. That's because the Social Selling Index is the KPI that measures the success of companies' social selling efforts. Launched in 2014, the LinkedIn SSI has four main components:

  1. Professional Brand: This is about how well you have optimized your LinkedIn profile to position yourself as an expert.
  2. Building Relationships: This section evaluates your ability to build relationships with potential clients and partners.
  3. Content Sharing: This measures how regularly you share valuable content, whether in posts, articles, or comments.
  4. Outlook: This section discusses using LinkedIn to identify, pursue, and successfully close business opportunities.

The LinkedIn SSI is scored on a scale of 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better implementation of social selling strategies. This index serves as a benchmark and provides users and companies with insight into their performance on LinkedIn and can help them improve their social selling efforts.

Which networks are best for social selling?

Very clear? It depends.

1. LinkedIn:

We've already touched on this, and the very existence of the LinkedIn SSI shows that LinkedIn is undoubtedly one of the most important platforms for social selling.

2. Xing:

If you are active in German-speaking countries, Xing is an important platform for social selling. It is similar to LinkedIn and offers similar opportunities for networking and positioning as an expert.

3. X (former Twitter):

X (Twitter) focuses on real-time communication and interaction. It is an excellent way to draw attention to current issues and trends in your industry.

4. Facebook:

Facebook has a vast user base and is ideal for adding a personal touch to your social selling strategy.

5. Instagram:

Instagram is a visual platform that works well for industries that rely on images and visual content.

6. Pinterest:

Pinterest is ideal if visual content and inspiration play a role in your industry.

7. YouTube:

If you can produce high-quality videos, YouTube can be a valuable platform for your social selling strategy.

Conclusion

Social selling is a highly effective strategy for building relationships, gaining trust, and increasing sales success. Many are calling it the sales of tomorrow. Are they right? Only time will tell. In any case, there is no reason to ignore this low-hanging fruit in marketing.

But social selling isn't just about connecting with customers; it's also a valuable employer branding tool. Our free employer branding guide provides helpful information and strategies for strengthening your employer brand.