Everything You Should Know About Social Selling in 2024

Gone are the days when sales reps' job was to make cold calls all day; the world sales professionals live in today has moved on, and potential customers now more than ever want authentic relationships based in trust and credibility. Where better to achieve that than on social media platforms?

Over five billion people worldwide now use social media. This makes social media platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn ideal places to do everything from researching your target audience and joining relevant groups to establishing your personal brand and building relationships that convert.

That's right - today, we're giving you the complete lowdown on social selling. At Leadium, we're all about streamlining your sales pipeline and boosting your revenue; that's why we're letting you in on our top tips for social selling strategy and techniques, social selling effectively on different platforms, improving your social selling index, and much more. And if you're wondering what social selling even is, don't worry, we have that covered, too.

So stick around to see how you can generate leads and see sustained sales success with top-tier social selling efforts.

What do we mean by 'social selling efforts'?

Social selling is all about leveraging social media to enhance your sales strategy. Rather than simply cold calling or sending a cold email (almost 80% of which never even get opened), social sellers use their social media presence to reach potential customers on 'neutral territory'. And if you think about it, the strategy totally makes sense, right?

Social media networks like Facebook, X, and LinkedIn are already designed to build relationships, share relevant content, and find mutual connections - why not leverage that for sales?

Of course, that doesn't mean spamming as many random people as possible with your sales pitch. That's a surefire way to turn potential customers off and maybe even get yourself blocked. Rather, professional social selling means using a range of refined social selling tools and social selling techniques to nurture relationships wherein both parties benefit (the sales reps from a sale and the customer from your product or service).

And it works, too: sales reps proficient in social selling close around 50% more deals than those who aren't. If you extrapolate that across your whole sales team, imagine what kind of revenue you could drive.

Which social media platforms are best for social selling?

Choosing which social media platform on which to pursue your social selling strategy depends on a few factors. There isn't one which is necessarily 'better' than the others, but there are some which are better than others for specific things. For instance, you'll need to consider where your target audience likes to hang out, whether you're B2C or B2B, and the range of tools each platform offers.

So, let's break it down.

LinkedIn

We guess it's no surprise that LinkedIn is first on our list. Put simply: it's the perfect platform for B2B social selling. That's why 89% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn to generate leads. Not only is that because it's a platform dedicated to business professionals actively looking to build relationships, but also because of its specialized social selling tools.

Advanced search filters, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, LinkedIn Groups, and more, mean that it's practically a ready-made social selling platform.

X (formerly Twitter)

While not as popular as LinkedIn for businesses and sales professionals, X is still one of the best social platforms for interacting with existing customers, sharing success stories, and growing your professional brand.

X Lists is a particularly useful tool for keeping an eye on specific accounts - a great way to practice 'social listening,' which could result in sales opportunities.

Other platforms

Facebook and Instagram are the two big platforms left to mention, though neither is as effective in the social selling space. That's because both of these networks focus more on social conversations between family and friends and don't tend to prioritize social selling.

Having said that, Facebook and Instagram have huge userbases - over 5 billion between them - which makes them perfect places for traditional advertising.

Social selling tools and techniques

There are a range of social selling techniques your sales team can use to reach potential customers and streamline your sales strategy. Remember, though, that no single one of these is enough; it takes careful and consistent effort across all of them to achieve results.

1. Optimize your profile
   This doesn't just mean using a good profile picture and a nice banner. It means making sure that every aspect of your social media account, from your 'About' to your Showcase Page, displays attractive, up-to-date information that'll give potential customers the thumbs-up.
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2. Share relevant content
   This is one of the best ways to establish your professional brand as an industry thought leader and one of the crucial social selling practices. Attract potential buyers with authoritative, accurate content that demonstrates your credibility.
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3. Engage everywhere.
   This sounds simple, but social media interactions with existing customers, potential buyers, and other sales reps through likes and comments is a fundamental social selling tool. After all, 90% of people 'buy from brands they follow on social media,' and the best way to build that following is by being active.
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4. Practice social listening.
   This means keeping tabs on (or 'listening' to) what the online community is saying, either about a brand, a product, or industry trends. By keeping up with what your social network is discussing, you can more accurately identify pain points and solutions.
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5. Nurture relationships.
   Remember, social selling is about sending links to random people; it's about nurturing genuine relationships. To this end, don't underestimate the importance of personalized messaging and thoughtful follow-ups.

Enhance your social selling strategy with metric-analysis

You've learnt the social selling best practices and gone through all this effort to level up your sales strategy, but what you need to know now is if it's working.

Let's take a look at some of the metrics you can monitor to see just how effective your social selling program has been (and how to improve).

1. Measure engagement across your social media channels.
   The number of like, comments, and shares your receive is one clear indicator of social selling success, but don't forget to keep an eye on click-through rates - these tell you how powerful your 'call to action' is.‍
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2. Lead generation metrics.
   How many of your leads are a direct result of your social selling messaging? Also, assess the quality of these leads. Are your social selling leads better than your other leads?‍
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3. Watch your sales metrics.
   If, for instance, your sales cycle is shorter for social sales than phone sales, it could be a sign that your strategy is working. Other factors like conversion rates and total revenue generated through social selling will also support this.

On LinkedIn, the handy Social Selling Index Dashboard does all of this for you, telling you exactly how and where your social selling performance is doing.

Up your social selling game with these expert tips

Social selling doesn't have to mean a whole new sales strategy. It just means leveraging your current social media presence to full effect and integrating it into your sales process. But don't think of social selling as an opportunity to spew out sales pitches; social platforms lend themselves to a style of selling that's more focused on building meaningful connections and attracting customers through high-quality content.

Profile optimization, social listening, content marketing, and lead nurturing are all essential social selling skills, which, when combined, have to power to give you a seriously competitive edge in your industry. And don't forget to keep an eye on your metrics, too; they'll not only tell you how your brand's social media channels are doing, but, crucially, how you can improve your social selling program for better results.

There's never been a better time for social selling tools and techniques, but mastering them can take time. If you're interested in streamlining your sales process and building relationships that convert through social selling, why not check out an industry-leading B2B lead generation and sales development service like Leadium? Our decade of experience, founder-led approach, and social selling expertise mean that we're ready to hit the ground running and start filling your sales funnel with qualified leads today. See what we can do for you here!

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