Social selling involves using social media to build relationships with prospects. When you directly interact with prospects through social platforms like LinkedIn and X, you can have meaningful interactions and position yourself as a promo expert.

About 1 in 3 B2B professionals feel they have built stronger relationships with clients through social selling, and those who embrace this practice are 51% more likely to meet their quota.

Jay Fuchs, the managing editor of the HubSpot Sales Blog, believes that social media has become a crucial part of the sales world. He says that social selling skills aren’t just nice to have, but necessary to succeed in today’s sales landscape.

How can you ramp up your social selling? We share his top ideas in this issue of PromoPro Daily. 

Update your profiles. When prospects click on your profile, they should immediately see what you offer, how you can help them and how they can reach you.

Leverage information gleaned from social media. People often take to social media to post exciting news, from receiving a promotion to winning an award. Use what you learn on social media to build rapport with prospects. Fuchs recommends congratulating them on professional milestones and sending a personalized message occasionally.

Use various platforms. Fuchs points out research that shows that Facebook is the most effective for prospecting, followed by LinkedIn and Instagram. If you typically only use one platform, now’s the time to diversify.

Be an influencer. Show your promo expertise by sharing helpful content and publishing interesting posts. Buyers commonly research on their own before ever contacting a sales rep, Fuchs says, so becoming a trusted voice on social media can set you apart.

Interact with prospects’ content. In addition to sharing your own content, make sure you engage with prospects’ posts. When you interact with them on social channels, Fuchs says you learn more about their interests and pain points.

Be authentic. People can tell when you’re being real and when you’re not. When you want to build trust, you have to genuinely be yourself. 

Be consistent. It takes time to build relationships with prospects, Fuchs says, which is why consistency is crucial. Think about what cadence feels right and then stick to it. This might be posting weekly on LinkedIn and engaging with prospects’ posts three or four times a week.

Think about using social selling to attract your target audience rather than pushing a hard sale. Position yourself as a subject matter expert in all things promo, and then be consistent with your social media activities.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Jay Fuchs is the managing editor of the HubSpot Sales Blog.