Why You Should Be Using Social Selling in Your Sales Strategy

Darren Westall November 20, 2020 Recruitment

We’ve all heard the term ‘inbound marketing’, but sometimes this term can feel a little broad. There are a number of ways that you can ensure potential customers that are ready to buy in your space come to you first.

Whilst there’s a range of tips out there, one of the oldest rules in the marketing book is that word of mouth is the best reputational tool there is.

Enter Social Selling. Unlike the sometimes costly tactics of paid marketing or advertising, social selling makes use of your best asset: your employees. Getting them involved in the promotion of your products or services allows you to reach an entirely new audience, especially through the likes of LinkedIn, with your teams’ networks.

Enabling sales representatives to make use of their network means that leads can be engaged through the power of social media, and with great effect; in fact, those who engage with social selling outsell their peers by an outstanding 78% percent. The problem can lie in getting started.

Long accustomed to picking up the phone, cold calling, and email blasting, sales representatives can sometimes be a little tentative to share relevant company content and put their established networks to better use. So, here we share our top tips on implementing social selling into your strategies.

1. Engage Your Audience

The key to social selling is to add value for your audience. Think about what they want to talk about – what information are they lacking and how can you help? If you’re not sure, then ask! Engaging your audience with questions and interesting commentary can not only build up your authority and credibility, but also encourage others to like, share and comment back, which only works to further your reach.

2. Build Relationships

Another driving factor of social media and social selling is that they are reciprocal. Engage with content from those in your network, just as you want them to do on your profile, to build meaningful relationships with those who are ready to buy in your space.

3. Make Use of Saved Searches

A great tool which many aren’t making use of on LinkedIn is saved searches. You can set a quick criteria to help build your ideal consumer base, and even get notifications when new people who fit the target audience join LinkedIn, allowing you to add to their network and begin creating that all-important relationship.

4. Share Wider Relevant Content

It’s no secret that LinkedIn users don’t pay kindly to those who only post about their own company. So, consider sharing wider content from others in your space for not only variety, but also to enhance your own knowledge and that of your followers and connections.