What Social Selling is Not?

Are you curious to know why Social Selling is not Social Media Marketing or Social Media Advertising? Well, here’s the answer!

• It’s not social media marketing because that would be like promoting or marketing your products and brand through social media posts,
• It’s definitely not social media advertising because that’s like running ads on social media to promote your products (like Facebook ads, Instagram ads, and more)
• It’s not bombarding a stranger with unsolicited messages on different social networks. It’s spamming, so don’t do it unless you want to get blocked.

It’s not about adding new contacts to your contact list now and then.

So What is Social Selling?

Simply put, Social Selling is about using your social network to attract potential leads for your business. This also helps you to build strong and trusted bonds with your customers. You basically build a rapport with your customers and get good potential leads for your business. If done right, you do not need to enter the cycle of cold calling. You can easily excuse your business from doing so and start selling your business globally from your social ecommerce store.

By any chance, if you have not incorporated social selling into your sales funnel, then you are losing out on business and some of the loyal customers that you can easily target. So if you don’t want to lose your business to some of the most social-savvy competitors, then start social selling now!

Wondering How? With Social Selling, you are not pushing a specific product or deal in the market to buy your products. But you are giving critical messages to your network that will ultimately encourage them to purchase your products.

For example

• “I’m ready to help you.”
• “You can trust me.”
• “I can help you with your concern.”
• “I know what I am talking about.”

All these words will help you build trust among your customers and help you establish better relationships with them. So do you think your eCommerce store is already employing social selling? We will get the answer to this question in our next section.

Is My Social Commerce Store Already Employing Social Selling?

The probability of you already having social selling in your eCommerce store is high. You probably do not know what it means or how you incorporate it into your strategy. Whether you have a Facebook Business Page, an Instagram Business account, a LinkedIn Page, a Twitter profile, or are actively engaged in any other social platform, you are at least involved in the basis of social selling. Now let’s look at why eCommerce brands care about social selling?

But, Will social selling actually work for my online store?

Yes! Social selling actually works for a social eCommerce store. Do not believe us! Well, you will, in a while. Here’s a list of social selling trends that justifies that social selling is the future of your eCommerce stores and brands. Have a look!

• LinkedIn reports that 78% of social sellers outperform competitors who do not sell on social media. Social sellers have 45% more opportunities than sellers who sell only on their eCommerce store’s marketplaces.
• As per a report, 72% of B2B buyers were not interested in talking to a buyer until they researched products and services.
• 31% of B2B professionals agree that they could have better relationships with their customers.
• 90% of decision-makers never answer cold calls, but 75% of B2B buyers make purchasing decisions based on social media.
• 40% of companies with consistent social selling processes hit revenue goals

The most important catch of social selling is that it is cheap and affordable compared to other marketing strategies. Most of your social activity is free and it costs 75% less to generate ideal leads for your business on social media.

Okay, Now How Do I Start Doing Social Selling?

We know how to start social selling for your social eCommerce business using different digital platforms like Instagram and Facebook. You just need to pick a social media platform that suits your business needs.

Choose a social media platform that fits your needs.

How will you choose which social platform will be a good fit for your eCommerce business? Knowing that you must consider the age group to attract a younger crowd for your online store.

Let’s take a deeper look at Facebook, Instagram, and other social platforms!

a. Sell on Facebook

You need to create a free business page for social selling on Facebook for your online store. This will help you to make a bond with customers with relevant content. Once you have created a business page, you can give attention to your customers and engage with them through comments and ads. 

How can a Facebook business page benefit you? 

• Publish engaging content: New posts and updates with fresh content will keep your page worth following by your customers. By boosting your posts on Facebook, you can expand your reach and connect with more customers.
• Message: Open doors to communication with your customers by allowing people to send you private messages to your business page. Through this, your customer can ask you questions privately, get in touch with you, give suggestions, and provide reviews to improve your products.

Make use of unique features: Optimize your Facebook business page with eye-catching and informative content. The products and services you offer can also be listed in your shop section to make them personalized.

b. Sell on Instagram

Connect with young blood with high definition images and visually appealing products on Instagram. Just set up your Instagram business account, and you are open to communicating with people interested in your products, business, and brands.

How can you be benefitted from your Instagram Business Account?

• Publish content: Instagram is all about creating user-generated content for a vast set of audience. So be quirky, original, and fun while posting on Instagram. Make sure that your photo pixels are high in quality. Share the content of your followers, users, and fans with their unique hashtags and give them credits
• Message: Strengthening relationships with your customers and creating loyal followership are the two cores of social selling. With Instagram, your customers can directly slip into your inbox and give you feedback or suggestions.

Use Instagram Insights: Learn what is trendy among your followers and how your content is performing through Instagram insights. View insights of everything you post on the platform, like posts, reels, stories, and live videos.

The audience is only on Instagram and FB. So, should I do it for other platforms too?

While the most suitable platform for social selling is Facebook and Instagram, you can consider other digital media. Here’s a quick sneak peek at their essential characteristics and how you can use them for social selling.

1. Sell On Pinterest

Pinterest is all about visuals from where you can find inspiration for your products, projects, and looks. The solid visual imagery of Pinterest makes it a complete winner to attract customers to your brand. Connect your eCommerce store to your Pinterest business account to export your product catalog and showcase all your products to a global audience in just a few clicks.

2. Sell on Twitter

Most brands and online stores use Twitter as a news platform to announce their new products or thoughts. Eavesdrop a conversation about your or your competitor’s brand,  share your blog posts and website content with customers on Twitter.  Use Twitter Lists to group prospects for your business in a way that helps your sales strategy and generates revenue for your business.

3. Sell on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional network where the corporate world meets and communicates together. Thus, the content shared on this platform reflects informative, industry-related, and professional content. The platform has produced its one-of-a-kind social selling measurement index, commonly called The Social Selling Index (SSI). So don’t forget to keep a check on Social Selling Index Metric, as it will help you in:

• Building a professional brand through a well-managed LinkedIn profile.
• Connecting with the right people via LinkedIn.
• Posting content that inspires engagement.
• Nurturing relationships.

You can know how efficiently you use the platform for your business through these four metrics. These pointers will help you use social selling to your advantage.

4. Sell On Google

Make your free business profile on Google and connect with thousands of customers through Google search and maps.

With Google Maps and Google directories, you give several ways for your customers to connect with you – through calls, messages, and reviews. You can also display your business on all these Google properties and reach more customers in a limited time. Additionally, you can connect your online store with Google Merchant Account and Google Console to sync your product catalog directly with Google. 

In the next section, we will know about 5 pro tips that can help you do successful social selling for your business

5 Proven Tips for successful social selling

If you are an amateur and new to the business world and don’t know how to do successful social selling, do not worry! We have got you covered. Here are a few proven tips and tricks to make your business successful in social selling. Have a look!

Tip 1: Make a complete, sleek profile on social media

A fundamental but very crucial piece of advice. You must complete your social media profile with all your basic and business information. Keep your best foot forward to attract eyeballs to your social media profile and for social selling to work for you.

Your profile will make your first impression, so make sure it’s a good one! Look, maintain and fill your profile from the consumer’s point of view. You should look like a knowledgeable and credible seller to them.

Make sure you mention all your details like if someone clicks on your page, they know:

• What do you sell?
• How do your products add value to their lives?
• Link to your website
• Contact information so that they can quickly get in touch with you!

Tip 2: Be personal

Authenticity will help you in developing personal relationships with your customers. So make sure to be authentic to build your credibility in front of your customers. Be honest with your customers about your approach and how you want to do things.

Followers want to be led by a leader, not by a robot, so make sure you are human and give them insights into your and your brand’s personality. Social selling is powerful because your customers meet you – the face behind the product. Make sure to share your personal plans and photos every once in a while.

In fact, by being personal with your audience, you can:

• Build their trust in you
• Make you a more likable brand
• Help them understand who you are
• Give them a glimpse of yourself outside of your work

Tip 3: Follow relevant brands and people

Fill your feed with relevant content, hashtags and people. How? By following relevant brands, influencers, social groups, communities and people related to your industry. This will help you be part of your brand and content discussions.

Do not forget to follow local companies for all the trendiest topics and content that will help you establish long-term partnerships with people who follow you or vice-versa. Following relevant brands and people is like the first unsaid thing you do after creating your social profile.

By following people and relevant brands, you can:

• Keep up with the latest industry developments
• Give you content to comment on
• Share relevant content on your own page
• Establish valuable relationships

Tip 4: Define your social media tone of voice

Finding your tone of voice is vital for your brand as it will show you in a particular light in front of your customers. So choose what kind of brand you are – thoughtful or witty, funny or serious.

Your customers will connect with you by using a consistent tone of voice. They will click on your brand only if they find common ground and a point of relevance. Remember your tone of voice and words will set the stage for you.

Next time, when you decide the tone of your voice, consider these factors:

• What would you like to see your brand sound like on social eCommerce platforms?
• What is your buyer’s persona and what kind of vocabulary do they use?
• What will your audience like to hear from you?

Tip 5: Get noticed by using hashtags

Your hashtags link your content to your potential customers. Thus, you need to carefully think about the hashtags you want to use in your content and think beyond your selling product- like themes that make your customers come to you. 

Spend your time on research, find the best hashtags out there for your niche, a mix of famous, medium and niche words to maximize your reach to potential customers. Your hashtags need to be the power words – they can be related to a specific occasion, subject, and event.

In your next research for hashtags, choose your tags based on:

• Customer’s taste and preferences
• Upcoming occasions, festivities and events
• Best hashtags that suit your brand

Key Take-Aways

Throughout the blog, you have seen how social selling is an effective and affordable way of marketing your products to your customers and increasing sales for your eCommerce store.

You must remember that social selling involves engaging and interacting with people, not spamming them with your messages. The interactions you hold with your customers should be relevant, personalized and thoughtful. 

Here’s a quick reminder of how to interact and engage your audience using social selling:

• Share: Post content that matches the interest of your customers. It’s essential to utilize your time on leads that are valuable for your business. Captivate your audience with your experiences, bits of advice, and expert knowledge to draw their attention to your content.
  
• Comment: Never ignore a comment from your customer. Always respond to them when they mention your product or service. Also, do not go for a sales pitch while commenting. Instead, write something thoughtful that piques their interest in your brand.
• Likes: When you have no time to interact with your customer or write a comment, go for liking the post. Just a click on that thumbs-up or heart will let your customers know that you listen to them. It is also a way to show your gratitude to your customers.

Let’s do a quick sneak-peek at everything we have learned through this blog:

• What is social selling? & What is not social selling?
• How does social selling affect brands and how is your eCommerce store using social selling to optimize sales?
• How does social media help with social selling and engage your customers?
• How do different digital platforms like Google, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter help you with social selling?