Are you still making cold calls in 2022 to generate new leads for your business? Maybe it’s time to change your tactics. In today’s digital reality, building business relationships is increasingly shifting online. And if you want to boost your lead generation strategy, social selling is what you need for business success. This article will tell you everything you need to know about social selling the inbound way and provide five actionable tips on how to implement it in your small business.
What is social selling the inbound way?
Social selling is about connecting with prospects on social media to create valuable leads that will convert them into actual buyers.
The more you network and communicate with your target customers online, the more interest you generate around your brand. As a result, when people or businesses are ready to make a purchase decision, your brand would be the first option they would want to explore.
Social selling 101
Social selling isn’t reaching as many prospects as you can by spamming them with content related to your product/service.
Instead, social selling is the process of building solid business-prospect relations that will ultimately grow into actual sales.
Sales professionals can leverage the following interactions in social selling:
- Start a conversation around your brand
- Answer potential customers’ questions
- Offer valuable information and content to social media users
- Promote your product/service in direct communication, etc
B2B vs. B2C social selling
While the core concept of social selling is universal for B2B and B2C marketing, there are some differences small business owners should keep in mind.
- If you want to ace B2B social selling, you need to focus on building and maintaining long-term relations with companies and providing value that serves their business needs
- As for B2C social selling, you should instead concentrate on directly communicating with consumers via social media to provide a personalized experience with your brand that will attract your potential customers
Both B2B and B2C social selling serve your small business effectively because you create meaningful ties with your prospects rather than just throwing ads and other promotional content at them, hoping to strike a sale.
Bonus: Social selling creates a pool of qualified leads more likely to purchase your products from the get-go. That way, you avoid the time and resources invested in cold calling.
Why is social selling the inbound way important?
Now that you know the basics of social selling, let’s see why it’s essential.
Selling on social media has multiple advantages for small businesses. Let’s review the data:
- It is effective. Yes, it’s that simple – and statistics confirm it. For example, marketing studies show that nearly 80% of skilled social sellers outperform their competitors who don’t engage in social selling
- It helps you boost your business ROI. Case studies indicate that every dollar you invest in a social selling strategy for your business will generate $5 ROI for your business within six months after implementing social selling
- Social selling allows for faster contact time with prospects. Social media allows you to connect with prospects instantly, unlike when calling or sending out emails. This allows for shorter sales cycles
- It helps businesses connect with potential customers organically. People spend much of their free time on their favorite social media platforms and apps. That’s why social selling feels more natural than traditional methods such as cold calls or sales demos. Since prospects don’t have to interact with your business directly, the method is also much less invasive. Statistics show that one new prospect takes about 18 cold calls, and less than 25% of outbound emails are read by recipients. Social selling is more natural, non-intrusive, and, thus, effective;
- It increases a company’s competitiveness. Your business will simply be left behind if you’re not hopping on the social selling trend. Leveraging this sales strategy is a way to stay competitive in the modern market.
Rise of Millennials and Gen Z as decision-makers/influencers
Millennials and Gen Z are in the prime of their lives. As all young groups of their time, they are now in the epicenter of things in B2B and B2C spaces.
Here’s what proves that statement:
Research shows that these generations can “push” businesses to change their communication and products according to the current social paradigm.
Any generation that can push significant corporations to change undoubtedly has a central role in business. By comparison, a more conservative Gen X doesn’t have the same influence on brands – even if they have significant purchasing power.
Therefore, Gen Z and Millennials are essential players in today’s marketplace.
That’s because they:
- Have a high purchasing power. These generations consist of young and mature professionals. Gen Z is heading towards its professional peak, whereas most Millennials are already there. Unlike older generations who are more focused on saving their wealth (or investing it in luxury products), Gen Z and Millennials are engaging in acquiring more wealth and more experiences.
- Millennials are shown to spend $65 billion per year, whereas Gen-Z go up to $100 billion.
- At the same time, studies show that Gen Z is more budget-conscious than Millennials.
- Are preoccupied with their environment (in the broad sense of the concept). Studies show that Gen Z and Millennials are globalists, “communaholics,” and dialoguers. Conversely, Gen X is more competitive and individualistic. It’s no wonder the younger generations can come together and fight for their opinions, changing the marketplace. With all its purchasing power, Gen X finds it harder to come together for the common good. That would go against their competitive, individualistic natures.
- Influence the evolution of social media. Today’s social media transcends its original purpose of connecting people with their friends, family, and acquaintances. Social media is a haven for advertising, which, in large part, is thanks to the new generations who:
- Distrust traditional advertising: Up to 99% skip ads, and 63% use ad blockers
- Crave connection and authenticity. 82% of young people trust a brand more when it features real people in its advertising messages
- Want proof that a product works: 70% of Gen Z and 78% of Millennials find photos and videos very convincing for their purchase decisions
Besides, these generations use social media heavily to communicate with their peers, read news, and find products. Generation Z was born with the Internet in their hands. Millennials have been attached to their devices (or vice-versa) since their teens.
Their social roles and roles as buyers are intertwined on social media to such a degree that it’s impossible to distinguish between them. That explains the advent of social media influencers and why more brands leverage word-of-mouth platforms like Reddit to promote their products.
So young people crave connection, personalized business interaction, and proof that your products work. Why not contact them directly?
Studies show both generations hate phone calls, deeming them too intrusive, time-consuming, anxiety-inducing, and even rude.
Your small business has more chances to target and convince these generations on their turf. That turf is social media.
That’s where social selling the inbound way, comes in.
How exactly does social selling work?
In a nutshell, social selling the inbound way is about building relationships. These relationships attract (or pull) potential customers to you, whereas outbound marketing means companies are proactively reaching out to their prospects.
Therefore, you have to:
- Determine what your potential customers need
- Determine how your product/service can meet that need
- Set specific goals (e.g., increasing website visits by 30% within two months or increasing sales from X market by 10% in three months) with measurable KPIs
- Understand the channels that your audience is using most
- Create appealing business profiles on these channels according to the insights you have on your customers
- Start creating valuable content and resources explaining your solutions (of course, you should show your unique selling proposition, expertise, and credibility. You should also follow all the rules on content creation on social media)
- Evaluate your endeavors continually, following the initial KPIs
- Adapt your strategy according to the new insights you’re getting along the way
That said, here are:
Top 5 practical tips for social selling the inbound way
It’s more than clear now – social selling using the inbound way is a must for your small business if you want to generate leads effectively and consistently. But how do you smartly approach this sales strategy?
Here are five tips for selling on social media and growing your small business.
1. Choose the right social media for your brand
If you want to connect with other businesses and brands, the best social media your salespeople can leverage are LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
Pro-tip: LinkedIn is essential if you’re aiming to ace B2B social selling because this social media platform is just as effective for finding prospects as it is for job search.
LinkedIn allows you to check your business’ social selling index to see how efficient your social selling efforts are. With a score above 80, you can rest assured you’re doing great. You might benefit from improving your strategy if your score is below this figure.
For B2C social selling, businesses usually work with a broader variety of social media to reach and engage individual customers. The most popular ones are Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. To understand which social media are the most suitable for your social selling effort, analyze your target audience demographic and see where your potential customers prefer to spend time online. This way, you’ll be able to connect with your prospects quickly and easily. Many social media analytics tools offer this type of information, so you just have to choose the right one for your company.
Warning: Even if you’re on the same channel your audience uses, your content may underperform
Factors leading to that outcome include posting at the wrong time or delivering unappealing content. That leads us to the next point:
2. Leverage social listening
If you want to be effective at social selling, you need to master social listening first!
Social listening is monitoring social media to spot and analyze relevant conversations around your brand. Social listening is necessary to improve your social selling tactics because it gives you valuable insights into the popularity of your product/service and customers’ experience with it.
How do you do that?
Firstly, you want to determine whether your audience is listening to you. Let’s say your analytics tools show that your audience is using TikTok. Therefore, you’ve started to produce TikTok clips yourself. At this point, you should use a TikTok engagement rate calculator to understand how your prospects engage with your content. The engagement rate and accompanying reports outline your audience’s trust in your company.
Secondly, use social listening to understand your potential customers’ needs and pain points. Besides, you should conduct brand sentiment analysis – people’s attitudes toward your business.
How can you take advantage of social listening? The best way to do this is to use social listening tools.
These tools help you:
- Track conversations, hashtags, and brand mentions
- Monitor your competitors
- Follow trends and heated topics on social media
- Filter data by keywords
You can discover problems and insights to tailor your communication and convince more prospects.
3. Build and project brand credibility
With the help of social media listening, you will have a better idea of the public perception of your brand. The next step of effective social selling is establishing and projecting brand credibility.
An excellent strategy here is to let people know that your existing customers have had positive experiences with your business. In other words, take advantage of social proof. It is especially effective in B2B social selling: nearly 85% of B2B customers will make a purchasing decision based on assessing the feedback of other buyers rather than on seeing ads or receiving cold calls.
To leverage social proof for social selling, you can do the following:
- Share customer testimonials and reviews on social media
- Share customer success stories with your brand on social media
- Show your results in numbers
- Show your product in action, possibly with before-and-after pictures or any other materials that prove it works
- Create relevant online surveys and share the results with your prospects
Of course, you will have to build authority first and make sure the skills/products you’re being endorsed for are relevant to new potential customers.
4. Leverage social media groups and communities
Social media communities like LinkedIn groups, Facebook groups, and Twitter chats are an excellent resource for social selling the inbound way because you can connect with an interested audience on their territory.
That means:
- You won’t have to sift through uninterested, unqualified leads that consume your time and resources
- Your audience uses communities and social groups for information on issues they’re interested in. Therefore, they’re more likely to read in-depth comments and posts regarding these matters. The good news is, while your audience is seeking information on these platforms, they’re also open to solutions
Here’s what you should do to keep up with your customers’ interests for social selling the inbound way:
- Find worthy partners: Every business owner or sales rep knows that having a network can make or break your company. Groups and online communities offer perfect opportunities to build those networks.
- First, make a plan of who you want to build business relationships with (find a few relevant members in your niche)
- Offer a unique perspective on those people’s posts and comments. Make sure these perspectives are helpful and on-point, highlighting your expertise
- Don’t harass these people with private messages and direct offers of your products/services
- Keep in touch with your new network on their preferred channels of communication
- Engage with prospects: Social media allows you to connect with your potential customers without feeling too intrusive. That means responding to their comments and queries with relevant (maybe polite, expert, or funny) information. Make sure you’re not pushing products toward them, though you could (and should) have links to your product pages and websites in your profile, bio, and Stories/Reels
- Post relevant content: Once you become a member of specific groups, don’t just write comments. Establish yourself as a lead thinker and post relevant information for that group. For example, if you own a car service company, you shouldn’t post click-bait links about the latest car accidents. Instead:
- Identify specific issues your customers are interested in (e.g., comparison between different products, causes and symptoms for specific car issues, how to choose a good mechanic)
- Post about these issues in a catchy, engaging way that elicits attention but also has people talking on the matter. For example, you can use questions, talk about your personal experience (or your other customers’ experiences), or even ask for input. You can also address controversial matters – don’t be afraid to stand up for your values
5. Provide value
Studies show that outbound selling is becoming increasingly complex. On the one hand, 90% of businesses are convinced by peer recommendations, whereas outbound marketing requires 18+ calls to close a deal, with below 1% callback rate. On the other hand, people have been losing faith in traditional advertising for at least two decades.
Currently, both businesses and people are more likely to trust their peers.
From a social selling the inbound way perspective; it means becoming a trustworthy peer. And that’s why you should provide value:
- Share educational content
- Answer questions
- Address problems
- Offer insights into your business
- Show customers how your products work
- Discuss your journey, showing your struggles and your solutions
Three examples of inbound social selling for SMBs
Until now, you’ve seen the theoretical side of social selling the inbound way. Now, it’s time to review some examples.
1. Using customer reviews
Healthcare executive Joel Gray leverages customer reviews uniquely: they’re used as an example in one of his articles entitled 3 Steps To PDF Your LinkedIn Testimonials.
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Joel Gray cherry-picked its reviews and used them as an example to reinforce his point (and the article’s credibility), thus creating a spiral of expertise.
2. Producing relevant content
Producing curated content is the easiest solution once you master different social media channels’ formats and style tips. Remember to deal with only one issue simultaneously, staying concise and exciting. You should raise people’s curiosity and not ask for anything in return – though you should add links to your product pages without being too intrusive.
You can add these links at the bottom of your post, your author bio, or Facebook/Instagram Stories.
Career Coach Rosie has her Instagram account filled with helpful information, from negotiating salary increases to rejecting job offers without burning bridges or answering difficult job interview questions.
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Notice how licensed therapist Jason VanRuler does the same thing on his Instagram account:
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The two business owners differ in terms of CTA:
While Jason asks viewers to follow him, Rosie asks them to comment a specific word on her post to get a free perk (a course on resumes, a how-to video, etc.). As such, she has access to a pool of interested prospects that have reached out to her. And that means reaching back won’t be perceived as intrusive but rather helpful.
But what does relevant content mean?
Rocsana Marcu is a sales rep in the UK. Her Facebook account is more prolific than the other two cited above, featuring sales listings, personal photos, and videos from different events, plus some jokes.
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However, she always posts her phone number and a clear CTA so that interested people call her back. Why use this strategy?
- Sales reps have to entertain, not just educate, because they’re showpeople
- Sales reps have to stay top-of-mind even after closing the deals because they thrive on peer recommendations
3. Personal experience
You can also reel in your customers using your personal experience.
Adrian, who runs his own coaching business at Mindgrasp, recently started an Instagram series on the past thresholds he passed in life and how he overcame those.
Adrian humanizes himself, creating a stronger connection with potential customers who’ve experienced the same difficulties. At the same time, he’s building his credibility and expertise while he presents his tools for overcoming those challenges. This is a great tactic for social selling the inbound way.
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How to do social selling in the inbound way
To sell on social media using the inbound way, you need just one thing: a trust-based connection. So, instead of focusing on how to sell more, focus on how to offer more.
That advice may seem counterintuitive, but it summarizes all the principles, tips, and examples discussed above.
Selling is like raising a teenager; you can’t make them do anything or listen to anything you have to say. Instead, you have to listen to them and provide them with value, so they make the right choice.
Even if your brand isn’t the right choice, this valuable content will help prospects remember you and recommend you to their peers. And that’s how you sell on social like a pro when people no longer trust ads.
