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A Complete Guide To Social Selling

Posted: August 30, 2021 | Updated: August 30, 2021

These days, everyone is selling online, from teenagers with toilet paper earrings to grandmas who crochet and want to make extra money to spend at the casino to giant corporations selling CBD gummies

But with so many people selling all kinds of things, how are you supposed to remain competitive? After all, with how vast the internet is, no matter how niche you may think your products or services are, there’s a high chance someone else is doing it better and more effectively than you. So, what can you do to stand out? Here is where social selling comes in. 

If you have no idea what that means and want to learn more, you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to learn everything about social selling and how you can implement it to boost your online business!

What Is Social Selling?

This is a great place to start. In a nutshell, social selling is boosting your brand through social media platforms and using these to build a relationship with your customers so that they keep coming back to your online store. You can do this in many ways; for example, you can set up a profile for your brand and offer your customers a place to ask questions and get insight and exclusive deals!

If you’re the skeptic type, you may be thinking this is a waste of time, but the numbers back it up. Studies show that 90% of buyers are more likely to engage with an industry leader or vendor to offer industry insights. 

Social selling is also a much better alternative to cold calling. Do you know when you get phone calls in the middle of the afternoon from some random guy trying to sell you toner? Yeah, that’s cold calling, and it’s just not adequate, simply because people hate getting calls from strangers trying to get them to buy random things they don’t need. 

Social media, however, changes the game entirely. Social media gives the illusion of authenticity. Customers feel closer to you and your brand if you have an Instagram account that they can follow. This way, they can watch your Instagram stories with videos of you packing up products carefully and smiling all around, rather than getting a ring in the middle of the afternoon that they’re probably not even going to answer. 

Gen Z kids don’t know what a landline is, and they’re not going to interact with one anytime soon, so you might as well meet them where they’re at. 

Why is Social Selling Important? 

If you’re a member of the older generations, then chances are you’re not comfortable with social media, and you don’t know how to use it, nor are you excited to learn. Learning how to use social media can feel like trying to get acquainted with a city you’ve never been in. 

You don’t understand the road signs because they’re in a different language, you don’t know where people are coming from or where they’re going, and you always somehow find yourself at a dead end. 

However, social selling is very much worth the painstaking task of learning how to manage a social media account. For one, social selling is one of the only ways to keep you competitive in the vast online marketplace. 

Studies show that up to 78% of businesses use social selling to outsell their competitors. So, if you don’t want to get left behind eating dust, then you’re going to have to look up that YouTube tutorial on how to film stories on Instagram and get acquainted with it fast. 

Let’s say that you’re a member of the younger generations, and you already have a social media account, but it’s not growing as fast as you want it to. This can be frustrating, but the truth is that nothing worth having comes easy. That’s why social selling is a slow-burning strategy that takes a while but ultimately pays off well because you’ll have grown a large audience that can boost you up, even during hard times. 

Social Selling Tips and Tricks

Alright, now that you know what social selling is and why it’s such an essential step to growing your online business, it’s about time we showed you some tips and tricks of the trade so that you can stay on top of your game.

Anyway, here are some of the most important strategies for online selling so you can crush your competitors and remain on top!

  • Understand How Social Selling Works Across Various Platforms

While social media may at times blend into one big blur, the truth is that not all platforms are built the same or used by people for the same purposes. Let’s take you through some of them so that you can get the gist:

  • LinkedIn

This platform is best suited for people selling informational content like courses and programs since this platform is most used by business people trying to network. On LinkedIn, everyone is trying to find the quickest way up the ladder, and if you put your course on there, chances are people will be interested and sign up!

  • Instagram

This platform is perfect for brands that want a youthful clientele and sell things that are very visually appealing like clothes, jewelry, stationery, etc. This platform relies heavily on visual appeal, so your account needs to be full of things that pop!

  • Become a Thought Leader

A great way to grow your brand is attaching it to a charismatic person who can sell it well. Nowadays, people don’t just want to buy products; they want to be a part of something. And by turning your brand into a think tank, you’ll be able to do just that!

  • Connect with prospects

Another great advantage of social media is how quickly and directly it connects people. Customers can leave a comment on one of your posts, and you’ll see it a few seconds later, almost like it’s a message to you. Be sure to engage with your comment section and answer people’s questions; that way, you can build trust with your customers and get them to keep coming back!

Conclusion

Social Media it’s an essential aspect when we talk about digital marketing. So, building a solid strategy around social media, it’s the best you can do to make your business grow faster!

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