In today’s technology driven world, social media has become huge. Because of this, selling on social media, AKA Social Selling has become a vital part of the sales field. No longer are consumers looking at catalogs or going to an ECommerce website, instead, they are looking for an integrated buying experience within their social media accounts. No longer are they content to browse social media and then search themselves for the company or product, they expect the instant gratification of being able to buy right within the app, for example. After doing some research, here are some tips to getting started Social Selling.
- Relationships- That’s what it’s all about! Social media allows salespeople to create meaningful relationships through social listening. They are able to gauge what’s trending, what are people talking about? Then this info can be used to create an effective and relevant conversation with a potential customer. On that note, on to #2.
- Fit- Make sure that social media you are using fits with your target audience. For instance, if Grandmother’s are your target audience, I would not suggest Snapchat or Instagram but perhaps Facebook or Pinterest? On the other hand, if young millennial are your target audience, Instagram would be a good bet. Bottom line, make sure it suits your audience!
- Competition- Oooh what a scary word. If you or your company thinks selling on social media is good for your business, chances are so do your competition. What makes you different? What sets your apart and differentiates your company? Is it the quality of your products? Your aesthetic and the way it appeals to your target audience? Whatever it is, make sure to announce and reinforce that to your audience! Give them a reason to want you over your competition! Provide value for them.
- Networks- In order to make those key relationships, you are going to have to have a network to do it with. Unfortunately, the only way to do this is through sweat, blood, and tears. Reach out to fellow business people and companies, use the connections that you didn’t think you’d ever use, follow up on those conversations.
Social selling is extremely important and is vital to conquer the new frontier of sales. I hope this reinforce some good policies for you as sales person or brought some new perspective. Obviously, there is so much more in depth information and strategies available to those who are interested to read more. This simply skims the surface. Cheers!
Resources I used
Hootsuite: https://blog.hootsuite.com/what-is-social-selling/
Entrepreneur: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/252733
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