Undeniably, social media has become an indispensable sales catalyst in today’s digital era. A recent study revealed that a staggering 44% of marketers rely on social media as their primary marketing channel. Furthermore, 89% of B2B marketers utilize platforms like LinkedIn for lead generation as part of their integrated marketing approach. 

To fully leverage the potential of social media and fuel your business growth, it’s crucial to master its use as a sales tool. Here are five powerful strategies to optimize your approach and unlock extraordinary outcomes: 

1. Know Where Your Prospects Are 

The first step in mastering social media for your sales process is understanding which platforms are most popular with your core audience and then focusing your efforts on those platforms.  

However, it may take some market research and good old-fashioned brainstorming to determine where your customers will most likely be. For example, if your audience comprises Baby Boomers and Gen X-ers, you’re likely to find them on Facebook. In contrast, a younger demographic like Gen Z may have a more substantial presence on TikTok or Instagram.  

It’s tempting to try to establish a strong presence on every major social platform. However, engaging with your prospects solely on the platform they’re most likely to use is often better. Put the other networks on the back burner (at least for now). 

2. Build Relationships First 

Social media has many unique sales and marketing uses: generating brand awareness, boosting engagement, etc. Regarding building client relationships, social media is best used as a supporting tool, instead of a primary medium for conducting discovery calls and initiating contact with interested prospects. After all, social media tends to lack the “personal touch” that a phone call, video chat, or thoughtful email can have. 

Once a relationship has been established, social media can be used to maintain and deepen your partnership over time. It’s also a powerful inbound marketing channel for funneling traffic to your website. 

3. Offer Insights and Expertise 

At a time when trust between customers and business organizations is at an all-time low, positioning your brand as trustworthy and reliable is essential to sustainable growth. Social media can assist you in reaching this goal.  

For instance, regularly adding accurate, informative, and valuable posts to your social media accounts will help you to establish your subject matter expertise. It will also foster prospects’ trust in you as an experienced advisor. As consumers see how your content has proven helpful repeatedly, they’ll be more likely to turn to your company first when they need the product or service you offer. 

4. Engage in Social Listening 

Social listening is one of the best ways to understand where your customers are coming from. Social platforms have numerous tools that allow you to keep track of your customers’ interests, needs, and concerns. You also can directly ask on your social accounts for customer feedback. 

As you compile social listening data, you’ll be able to modify your sales pitch according to what you hear from your audience. You’ll also be better positioned to overcome objections from prospects early in the sales process and answer their pressing questions. You may even use what you learn from your social listening initiative as the backbone of your website’s FAQ page.  

5. Nurture Leads Through Social Media 

Only a relatively small percentage of prospects are ready to buy immediately. The rest must be nurtured as they gradually progress through the sales funnel. Again, social media can be a valuable tool. 

Some prospects may prefer to be contacted via social media. Others may use it to research as they contemplate a purchase. In this case, well-designed content can nudge them to buy from your brand.  

Using Social Media to Become a Trusted Advisor 

In summary, social media is a powerful tool to supplement your sales efforts. It can enhance your online presence, boost your credibility, and help build closer customer relationships. 

If you’d like to learn more about how to use social media to reach your business goals, reach out to our team at Navaquest today. We offer exceptional sales training courses that will help your team reach its goals. When it’s all said and done, we’ll help your brand stand out on social media as a trusted advisor — and an entity that customers will want to do business with.