Social media as a sales channel?

Social media is not just about being social, for businesses it’s about social selling. What is social selling? Social selling is the process of developing relationships as a part of the sales process via social networks. Selling via social media channels is not a trend, it’s here to stay. This crafted process of generating leads and making sales through social media platforms is growing. More than ever before, customers are being sold to and purchasing products online. Why? Prospects live online and technology has changed the way we buy. It’s time for your business to capitalize on the popularity of social media by using social selling as an optimal conversion tool.

Here are some steps you can take to leverage the power of social selling for your business:

• Create Quality Pages 

Before you start the social selling process, you first need to have a visually appealing page that will bring in prospects.

• Connect 

Before your “sales pitch”, you first need to build relationships with your prospects. If you just try to sell, few if any buyers will want to connect with your company. HARD SELLING DOES NOT WORK. In order to sell, you first need to build rapports with your prospects. Remember, selling online is still about building relationships to know how to influence your audience to take an action. While some companies use social media as a direct form of selling by posting deals and special offers, this strategy is more about brand awareness and customer engagement. Social sales will not always end via social media platforms, but a sale frequently starts here. Your end goal is to build a strong network of people who will partake in the digital conversation and ultimately buy your offerings.

• Provide Benefits  

After you build relationships and understand the needs of your prospects, you now need to provide them with valuable resources. The best way to give your prospects value is through podcasts, white papers, and blog posts with beneficial information customers will care about. Providing value will make prospects view you as the go-to resource for answers to their questions.

• Trust and Sales 

Giving value builds trust. Now that your customers trust your expertise in your industry, they are more likely to buy from you. By taking the time to listen and answer questions first, you will build a funnel by non-direct selling.

• Provide a Link

Now that your prospects know about your business and your offerings, link your social media pages to the place they can finalize their purchases. Social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram provide you bio sections, which is a great place to insert a link to your company’s website.  

Still on the fence? Here are five benefits of implementing social selling in your marketing efforts:

1. Shortens the Sales Cycle 

Research has shown that customers are spending more time online than offline for pre-purchase information gathering. Even if your products are not offered via the internet, online research drives offline sales. With social media, customers are engaging with an online community of their friends, peers and even strangers to provide them with feedback on products. Social selling allows your company to monitor these conversations and respond to them.

2. Lead Generation  

Building leads for new revenue opportunities is becoming harder. With social selling, salespeople can establish their social presence, engage in conversations, monitor and listen to their prospects. Offering help via social media can help build loyal, long-term clients.

3. Customer Retention 

Speaking of loyal customers, how do you get them to keep coming back? Social selling allows connecting with online clients in a non-invasive way. As discussed earlier, answering questions and providing valuable content will help you retain your customers.

4. Increased Productivity 

This one is easy! If your products are online, and your customers are online… shouldn’t you be online?

5. Sense of Connection  

When people have good online customer service experiences, they rave about them by telling their friends, family and peers. The sale adds a layer of familiarly and connection to each transaction!

Want to close more deals? Start leveraging social selling today!