What You Need to Know About Social Selling – 6 Things

What You Need to Know About Social Selling – 6 Things

written by Houston Golden
Founder & CEO, BAMF Media
April 15th, 2022
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Social selling is a strategy that will differentiate you from the rest of your competitors.

We’re not joking.

You will not only have saved time and effort, but the audience you find is in your favor as they may also refer you down their pipeline.

If you are not using this strategy…

You’ve got to start reconsidering things.

This is a far leap from doing the traditional way of sales or doing cold calls. 

In this guide, we’ll show what social selling is, why you should know this stuff, and five tips for implementing social selling.

What is Social Selling?

In short, social selling is a tactic that allows you to connect with potential customers in a non-threatening way online.

Your presence online will allow you to build a rapport and eventually a relationship with them. 

Through engagement online, you will be able to share the value that you add and even hear their concerns. This will allow you to help guide them in the process for them to make their decisions. 

The best part of social selling?

It is not sales-driven. In this way, there is less chance that the customer would write you off since your stance would be like a friend coming alongside them in their journey, instead of a business looking to take all you can.

Why should you know this stuff?

“Time is gold” is frequently said enough.

In B2B lead generation, to achieve maximum potential and profit, you need to be sensitive to your resources. 

With social selling, you will be able to target the people that already have an interest in what you are offering.

Imagine targeting a particular demographic or geographical area that your business can cater to. Imagine having the ability to filter through billions of people online and find a niche that you can be the industry authority on.

You will be able to generate additional leads just by connecting to your specific target group.

Not only that, but consider the thousands of people who are surfing online to find feedback and advice about particular products. 

We don’t want to state the scary obvious, but here it is.

Your competitors are already using social selling.

But it is not too late for you. You have a chance to get out there and show your colors, which are uniquely you, and the value you provide through your touch is what your brand is all about.

You have an offer; you have a product. You know that you are targeting a specific client base. Now, how do you find them? 

Platforms that you can explore to engage in social selling?

  • LinkedIn
  • Tiktok
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest 

As you look into these platforms and others, zone in on understanding where your target audience frequents to seek advice. 

6 Tips to Implement Social Selling

While you are engaging with your customers, here are five tips to be aware of and implement:

1. Think of it like dating your partner

Let us not forget that your regular online presence is essential. You have to set time aside for them to feel valued. If it means that you have to schedule specific times within the week to make sure you engage, it is well worth it.

You are in the relationship to build trust and become a reliable person that they can lean on. And even if you were to later “marry,” it still takes an equal amount of effort and time to make sure that the relationship is strong.

So whether you are a start-up or on your way to scaling your business, keep that open line with your customers active. 

2. Produce valuable content

People online are searching for value.

They want to know how this product could add value to their lives. They are looking for expert advice to help them make wise decisions. Mistakes could be costly, and they want to make sure they hear from the right source.

That right source could you be. You can set yourself as the expert in the room. Through your content and engagement, they will learn to seek your brand out. 

To achieve this, make sure that you are clear and concise. Not everyone has time to listen to fluff. Give careful thought to the captions and titles that you create. 

Make it interesting to pique their interest and encourage a response. Ask a question. Provide a tip. Tell a catchy story. 

Use storytelling.

What were your takeaways from the product or research? Speak about how information has changed your life.

Communication is receiving and giving. After you have sent your message, take a look at the response. Pay close attention to the reactions or comments to your post. 

It’s not enough to be satisfied with a thumbs up or other emojis. Respond to follow-up questions, ask customers to give further insight on their comments, and mention that you will create an event or come out with content to go deeper into the topic that baffles them.

There are studies that highlight that many respond higher to videos than they do to texts or even social lives. Explore and find which one you are skilled at and which your target audience responds well to.

How to create multichannel campaigns like a boss!

3. Build your brand’s authenticity

What does your business and brand speak of?

Think of how you will communicate your company’s vision, mission, and goals. At the heart of decision-making, many people make decisions also based on what they value. 

Speaking the language of your customers and highlighting values is a way for them to give you thoughtful consideration. Consumers want to know that they are also valued and will be taken care of. It is a two-way street. 

What would make you stand out from the rest of your competitors? What kind of values or principles that you have that make you different?

What are some ways that you can catch their attention to avoid making posts dull? Try spicing your posts with videos, infographics, pictures, and others. It isn’t enough that content is out, but that it was delivered strategically and well thought out.

Okay, no pressure, but the truth is, people will either love or hate you online.

That is just how it is.

And this is the reason why it is all the more important to be authentic. When they see someone who has fallen with the imposter syndrome and doesn’t know anything, people will know.

Be real. Be genuine. Be interested.

Be authentic to yourself. It is the reason why social selling is so effective because you come into a space or platform with your own identity—your values, your principles, and your special offer. And you can look for those who resonate with all that and need your guiding hand.

Business tends to make you think that it is a bloody competition online. However, it is easier to start that relationship with them when you can be strategic to find your target audience and narrow it down to be real specific.

4. Be conscious of the time you post or engage

The internet does not sleep. However, your client base probably does. You have to consider when they are awake or have time to look through posts and engage.

According to Hubspot, consider the following:

On Instagram, the best time to post is during lunch break up to 5 PM, with Friday being the best day to share a post.

On Linkedin, the best time to post is from 10 AM to 12 N. Wednesday is the best day during the week to post.

On Pinterest, which many users are female, posting time is best during the evening or early morning.

Keep in mind that as you build your brand and voice, perhaps you could also make a dent to influence when customers are online.

You have to be sensitive to the trend and when you can easily access your target audience. There are tools like social media calendars that could help you keep an organized schedule so you won’t forget or fall asleep.

5. Make use of others’ platforms

No, this is not to steal customers and play dirty.

But this is an opportunity for you to establish rapport with other leading businesses in the industry. There will be a unique value or feature that differentiates you and that people will see.

So being on their platform to engage with some of your role models and build a relationship that later down the road could perhaps bear fruit.

You could co-host events together. You could also create a network and refer customers to each other. 

Doesn’t this strategy speak confidence in knowing who you are in someone else’s space!

social selling, What You Need to Know About Social Selling – 6 Things

6. Train Your Team

Maybe you hired people who have been doing social selling for a long time. Perhaps you also hired people who had to pivot in their careers when the pandemic hit and are learning new skills. 

It is essential to train your team with the skills to make you efficient in this strategy. No one is perfect, and everyone can make room for improvement.

More importantly, training your team will also allow you to nurture in them what the brand is really about. They will be able to embody the company’s values, and when they engage with others, they can get that message across.

In addition, training your team ensures that you are moving together and everyone is on the same page. Set goals for the company that everyone is aware of. 

Bonus: Set goals per department or even individually

For example, metrics or indicators need to be studied to see what kind of impact you have. How many are engaging, what content attracts customers, and so much more…

Studying these and sharing how one aspect may affect the other will allow team members to learn from mistakes and make corrections. In this way, potential leads and content will not suffer later on. 

Takeaways from Social Selling

This kind of strategy is for the long haul.

Social selling is about investing time into a relationship which could later go towards lead generation.  

This will impact the numbers down your pipeline, customer loyalty, and sales in the future. 

Remember, the prospects you’re selling to are people, too

That’s why it works.

About the Author

The name's Houston Golden. I'm the Founder & CEO of BAMF — a company I've grown from $0 (yes, really) to well over $5M+ in revenue over a span of 5 years.

How did I do it? Well, it's quite simple, really. I've helped hundreds of business owners and executives get major traction (because when they win, we win), I tell all on this blog.

Growth hacking is a state of mind. Follow along as I explore and expose the unknown growth strategies and tactics that will change the way you think about marketing.
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