It was not very long ago when social media was considered to be a distraction and negative influence, let alone the idea of online digital selling or anything like that. However, this belief was broken when social media proved to be one of the biggest means of expanding a business and it was not very long until social media became one of the important aspects of business strategies.
Social selling is a term that many are familiar with but don’t know what it actually means. However, it is a simple concept which finds its basis on social media marketing platforms. In this article we will talk about what social selling means and how it can be done. So, let’s begin.
What Is Social Selling?
Social Selling is often mixed up with social media marketing but it is not. Although it is broadly a digital marketing method whose primary focus is to market products or services using social media marketing platforms.
It is nothing but online digital selling, a strategic method used to connect with potential clients or customers, build a strong relationship with them, and hence eventually make a sale. Social selling is a practice that takes time and needs a good amount of patience in order to see the results.
In simple words, social selling can be explained in the following steps:
- Identify potential prospects.
- Reach the prospect professionally.
- Ensure your brand comes out as trustworthy and authentic.
- Connect with the prospect.
- Follow up in a timely manner.
- Wait for the sale.
How Is Social Selling Done?
As you can see, the process of social selling or online digital selling is long and it definitely requires a lot of patience. However, even with this long process, this technique of marketing works out for the best when done rightly. So, now that we know what social selling is, let’s find out how it is done.
Optimize Your Profile
Your first step in social selling should begin with optimizing your social media profile. It is because when you connect with your prospects, the first thing they will look through is your profile and it is important that you leave an appealing first impression with your profile. So, your first aim should be building your profile such that it appears to be credible and authentic.
Build Your Brand Value
When you wish to engage with your prospects it is important to build a brand value for your business before trying to sell your products or services. If your business is new on social media you should first build trust among your audience by providing them valuable content and making them believe that your goal is to help them with what they need.
Identify Prospects
Once you have an appealing social media profile and that you have defined your brand credibility, it is time to start identifying potential prospects. You have to look out for people who are looking for what you are willing to offer.
One way to do so is using social selling tools that help you identify your prospects. Using these tools you can set out alerts for when any prospects are looking for products or services that your business offers. In this manner you can reach out to this audience in need in a professional way and increase the chances of them turning into paying customers.
Connect With Right Prospects
It is true that the more prospects you connect with the more are your chances of a number of them turning into paying customers. However, it is also true that investing your time in building genuine connections is more important than simply increasing connections. As we already know online digital selling is a long process, wasting time behind wrong prospects is best avoided.
Which social media platform you are using also plays an important role in connecting with the right prospects. So, choose the right social media marketing platform for your online digital selling. Apart from that, you can use social selling tools that will help you connect with the right people and eventually help generate good leads.
Maintain Relevance And Consistency
Just establishing connections is not the job, the main motive is to build a strong relationship with these established connections. Here, the catch is to ensure that your interactions with your connections are kept as relevant, valuable, and authentic as possible. The more concise yet convincing your information is, the more your prospect will consider you trustworthy.
It is important to remember that you don’t want to come out as creepy or forceful with your pitch. Try to listen to what your prospect needs and engage in genuine professional conversations. Investing your time wisely leads to effective online digital selling or social selling.
Furthermore, pay attention to how consistent you are with your interactions. Now, this does not mean you trouble your prospects with constant messages but ensure that you follow up with them in a timely manner. Follow up when done appropriately is something that will positively lead you towards making a sale.
Monitor Your Success
Now, after you have started executing the social selling process, it is time to monitor how well your online digital selling is performing. Measuring the performance of your efforts enables you to figure out where you need improvement and where you excel in your selling.
For instance, Social Selling Index (SSI) is something that LinkedIn has come up with to help its users monitor how well they are performing and track their development. LinkedIn users can find their SSI score and clearly understand where they need improvement. The SSI score on LinkedIn is said to be updated on a daily basis which is a great way to track improvement.
One more reason to monitor your social selling is to ensure you are ahead of your competitors. You can be ahead in competition only if you are aware where you are lagging behind and where there is room for improvement. And this can be done only by regularly monitoring your performance and trying to make it better.
Why Is Social Selling Or Online Digital Selling Important For A Business?
Well, we can all agree to the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic is highly responsible for the sudden expansion of the digital platform. The entire world just simply shifted to the digital platform making it one of the most efficient means of carrying out work.
As we know, the amount of engagement on social media has proven to be one of the biggest benefits for many businesses around the world. Social selling is said to be a digital marketing method that effectively helps a business increase sales and grow, and it has proven to be so.
Social selling or online digital selling helps a business to reach out to a much larger audience with the help of social media marketing platforms than it can otherwise do. People these days are highly influenced by social media and most businesses are already into social selling. So, in order to sustain in this digital world, social selling is one of the important aspects for a business.
Winding Up
Social Selling has been around for a quite a while now and is seen to be growing at a good pace as it has proven to be effective for growing a business. So, we hope that we were able to explain the concept of social selling and answer your queries. If you have any further questions or need an article on related topics, feel free to contact us. We are happy to help!
