Every day, we spend several minutes and even hours consuming social media content. In this article, you will learn how Social Selling creates great business opportunities by interacting with the users of these networks.
Prospecting customers is one of the fundamental points for the success and survival of a business . After all, it's no use having good products and services without having someone to consume them.
In the age of technology, companies such as digital marketing agencies have increasingly explored social networks as sources of customer acquisition . This is because these networks have a huge number of users interacting with each other and sharing details and data about their behaviors, needs and consumption habits.
Being present on networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram facilitates the process of prospecting and creating relationships with potential customers because the campaigns and content produced can be integrated into user feeds and posts in a more natural and spontaneous way compared to to other more direct sales approaches.
This is precisely the concept of Social Selling : companies that are present on social networks to interact with the audience and understand their needs and propose solutions through relevant and informative content and, thus, create a relationship that can turn into future sales.
Want to know more about Social Selling? See the full article!
What you will read about Social Selling:
What is Social Selling?
The expression Social Selling can be translated as Social Selling and is based on creating and developing genuine and authentic relationships with social media users as part of the sales process.
Currently, with the great popularity of social networks , the Social Selling strategy has been widely applied in online environments such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, among other social media. It is quite common to see company profiles interacting with users on networks to, for example, ask questions.
In addition, the Social Selling method is widely used by companies operating in the B2B business model, that is, Business to Business , in which a company provides products and services to other companies .
Unlike the idea of hard sell, in which the commercial contact is direct and incisive, the Social Selling strategy focuses on a more moderate and subtle approach through, for example, interactions, likes and comments on posts from users of a certain network. and creating and publishing informative content such as texts, photos and videos published in the feed.
What is the difference between Social Selling and Social Media Marketing?
The concepts of Social Selling and Social Media Marketing are often confused, but these two strategies have different goals .
In general, Social Selling works as a technique to leverage sales using social networks to generate engagement and interact with potential customers. The Social Media Marketing strategy , in turn, aims to achieve marketing and branding objectives , or brand awareness , through content sharing.
In summary, the result sought with Social Selling is to sell more through the creation of trusting relationships with users of social networks , while the Social Media Marketing method aims to present and create a reputation for the company and its brands, services and products through content production.
How to implement the Social Selling strategy?
To build a relationship of trust with leads, also called potential customers , it is important to think of an efficient strategy. Here are 3 tips to put Social Selling into practice and boost your e-commerce sales :
Focus on Relationship
It is quite easy to identify a company that is just trying to sell a product or service and a company that is concerned with understanding needs and providing solutions through a more casual and subtle interaction.
This focus given to building a relationship of trust with a potential customer, before worrying about closing sales, is the great differential of the Social Selling method .
Useful Content
Establishing a relationship of trust with leads involves implementing a content marketing strategy that solves problems and meets the needs of this target audience before making any offer or attempt to sell.
Creating content for social networks that adds value also contributes to generating more qualified and informed leads about the characteristics of the company 's products or services, which can accelerate the purchase journey and the sales funnel .
CRM Application and Metrics
Make use of CRM (Customer Relationship Management, or, in Portuguese, Customer Relationship Management) tools to manage customer purchase history and data on potential customer interaction that can help convert these leads on social media.
It is also important to analyze social media metrics to verify the results achieved and to be able to make adjustments and improvements in the Social Selling strategy.
Among the existing metrics, some of the main ones are the LTV (Lifetime Value, or, in Portuguese, Customer Lifetime Value) , which evaluates how much and for how long customers spend in your business , and the CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost). , or, in Portuguese, Customer Acquisition Cost) , which shows the average investment to acquire a customer .
Social Selling to Prospect B2B Clients on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the perfect social network to prospect B2B customers because it has a large number of corporate users and people who hold positions with decision-making power over company purchases.
Through the creation of a Company Page and tools such as Sales Navigator, it is possible to access and segment the target audience based on data such as the user's job title and department in the company where he works.
This is extremely efficient to reach the organizations decision makers and enhance the B2B customer prospecting strategy .
In addition, it is also possible to use the LinkedIn Pulse tool to create and publish articles on the social network with news, market news and other relevant content to generate value and qualify leads.
Another valuable tip for Social Selling B2B strategy on LinkedIn is to participate in groups and interact in posts and discussions with solutions to solve problems and meet the needs of potential customers.
What is the Social Selling Index?
The Social Selling Index is an index created by LinkedIn to measure the efficiency of the application of the Social Selling strategy on the network. This tool assigns a score from 0 to 100 based on the activities carried out by the company on LinkedIn.
To obtain a good index, it is important to apply the 4 pillars of Social Selling according to LinkedIn:
- Create a professional brand;
- Focus on potential customers;
- Interact through relevant content;
- Build trusting relationships.
According to LinkedIn's own studies, a high Social Selling rate is strongly related to meeting sales goals . The index is updated daily and can be viewed free of charge .
What are the benefits of Social Selling?
Interacting with leads and informing them with valuable and relevant content about solutions to difficulties has a positive impact on the company's image . See 3 benefits of Social Selling:
Get to know your target audience better
Before starting the production of texts, videos and other content, the company must research and map what are the desires and questions of the target audience in relation to its area of operation. This allows the company to identify opportunities to demonstrate how its products or services can solve problems faced by potential customers.
Lasting Relationship
By preparing posts focused on the needs of leads and answering demands and doubts with solutions, the company establishes and deepens the bond with users of social networks and is now considered a reliable option for future purchases.
Accelerate the Sales Funnel
Constant participation in social networks means that the company is present throughout the leads' purchase journey. Thus, educating and informing the audience with content produced for each stage of the sales funnel qualifies leads, who feel more confident to make a purchase decision based on the content consumed.
Apply Social Selling to boost your sales!
In this article, you learned that Social Selling is an efficient strategy for e-commerces to be present on social networks and to be seen by users as companies concerned with creating relationships of trust before a more direct commercial approach.
To implement Social Selling with excellence, the focus must be on interacting with users of these social networks and sharing relevant content that answers questions and solves difficulties for the target audience.
Thus, it is possible to create a relationship of trust with the leads and pave the way for more solid and informed commercial offers.
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