How to Sell on Social Media

Posted on by Sandy Adams in Business Strategy, LinkedIn, Social Media

With all the changes this year has brought, more and more businesses (and people in sales positions) are turning to social media to drive sales.   However, selling in person and selling on social media have completely different paths to success.  

>>Meaning what works in person does not work on social media.   Aka – cold sales calls or now cold sales emails.<<

Some stats:

  • ➡️ 78% of salespeople engaged in social selling are outselling their peers who aren’t.
  • ➡️ 31% of B2B professionals say that social selling has allowed them to build deeper relationships with clients.
  • ➡️ 53% of customer loyalty is driven by a salesperson’s ability to deliver unique insight, easily done through social media.

FIRST, if you don’t know already, LinkedIn IS a social media platform… for business.  However, the techniques you employ in person will not bring you success online.  

SECOND, LinkedIn is about conversations just as is Facebook and Instagram and heck, even Twitter.

Here are my 3 tips for successfully selling on social media

✴️ Don’t ever make it about you!  A cold sales email is still about you.   A request to introduce yourself and tell the person about your product IS still about you.

✴️ Educate first – meaning what questions would your ideal client potentially want to ask you.  Write a post answering that question. Write lots of posts.   Don’t simply share a link and tell folks to read.  Educate, highlight and show [Argument – but, Sandy that is why I need to introduce myself so I can sell them on the product/service first] No, that is still ALL about you.   The prospective client does not know you or trust you yet.  A cold sales email or a cold awkward phone call/zoom chat will not get you the results.   That is plain solicitation.  People do not want to be “sold” too.

✴️ Build relationships, have conversations, learn about people, give value first.  Don’t be afraid of giving too much information and people don’t want to buy from you.  If you become their go to expert then that builds trust and trust leads to sales.

Yes, this is the long approach, but I am here to tell you from experience, the long approach builds friendships, partnerships, people who want to refer you or recommend you.  

  • 👉🏻 The long approach lets people get to know you.
  • 👉🏻 The long approach builds trust.
  • 👉🏻 Where there is trust, then there is sales.

In the long run, it builds a tribe of your greatest supporters.