B2B social selling is not the same as social media marketing

Sales professionals confuse B2B social selling with social media marketing, and it’s easy to see why. Contextual engagement practically avoids direct product sales, which is a good thing. Nobody (in their right mind) wants to be bombarded with unwanted communication on Facebook and Twitter, especially the business-focused niche platform LinkedIn.

Social Media Marketing vs. Social Media Selling

Thus, teams adapted and accepted the fact that they couldn’t just make a sale – they needed to produce relevant, informative content that touches every step along the sales cycle. This creates an ongoing problem…

This is…development halted.

Content creation is just one tool in the transition, and B2B companies are stuck in that gear. How do you respond in ways that lead to revenue without appearing as spam, desperate, or untrustworthy? The answer to this question explains the changing difference between social selling and social media marketing. One creates brand awareness, and the other is about taking the lead towards selling.

If you want to grab the attention of decision makers and gatekeepers, and close deals with a time-tested marketing strategy, stay tuned to learn more.

5 Statistics That Prove Why B2B Social Selling Is Effective

Build your buyer persona and you’ll find that because of the reduced time you meet face to face and the complexities of digital access, the biggest challenge for your potential customer is making the right decision at the right time. They rely heavily on their trusted network, and social media is speeding up this vital process.

The three most sought-after results for B2B communication, particularly on social media platforms, look like this:

1. building relationships
2. Referrals
3. Recommendations

Your interests overlap where B2B social selling exists, and here are 5 reasons why.

1) 75% of B2B buyers (and nearly 90% of C-level executives) use social media to make purchasing decisions

An immediate benefit emerges immediately; The most senior and influential decision maker is, probably, very active on social media. This one is worth repeating, but in another way: High-profile buyers gather via LinkedIn to gain buying support through relative value assessments and peer consultation.

But how can high-level executives have time to peruse the profiles of sales teams and small businesses? An eye-opening study of social buying reveals that the ability to cross-reference with industry professionals from many backgrounds with confidence is the most preferred method of associating information.

Active buyers respond to the network’s recommendations. Those who aren’t on social networks would quickly join in if they knew more of their peers were already there. The process of communicating with the cold is practically dead.

2) 92% of B2B buyers want to engage with thought leaders who are also sales professionals

Regular posting and sharing with content enrichment features helps positioning tactics. There are many ways to become a thought leader:

• Optimize your profiles with keywords
• Join specific niche groups
• Leading thought team meetings
• Pay prizes and decorations
• Become a Blogger, Video, Podcast Guest

Roughly half of these buyers will analyze 3 to 5 pieces of your content before arriving.

LinkedIn Publishing’s analytics highlights the attraction and affinity for long posts, usually over 1,000 words. Also, neutral posts invite more shares, likes, and comments versus posts with polarizing messages.

3) 31% of B2B professionals claim that social selling improves the quality of relationships

You can build on solid trust and familiarity by displaying deep knowledge about the business at hand. Take a top-down approach, going from discussing generalities at the beginning to outlining details.

A financial firm looking to model risk in new ways and adopt new fintech methodologies needs help in integrating its workflow. As a software provider, for example, expecting returns from implementation is indicative of experience. This is just one of the many customized solution strategies offered to B2B social buyers when they partner with knowledgeable sellers.

4) Half of your B2B social media traffic comes directly from LinkedIn

Any discussion of B2B selling is bound to return to LinkedIn, and it’s been mentioned several times in this article for fairly obvious reasons. The popular site focuses on B2B ecosystems; In essence, it is the largest professional online and cross-device business network.

Due to economies of scale, growth rate, and functionality, LinkedIn is of increasing importance within the company’s digital marketing toolkit. Compare lead generation analytics on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest, and LinkedIn is almost 300% more effective.

Premium marketing solutions are offered to take advantage of advanced targeting mechanisms so that sellers can identify potential customers based on seniority, job, salary, education and more. Original and organic impressions tend to be more liberal than other apps as well.

5) Social sellers are 50% more likely to fulfill quotas

The bottom line is the bottom line in this case. Gross profit is not the only sales metric, but it is the important metric.

why?

Because accessing stakes means higher commissions and increased rewards. The data indicate that social sellers dominate the sales structure.

Digital marketing thought leader Hubspot conducted the research and found that social prospectors tend to have more deals in the pipeline at any one time. They spend less time researching and reduce employee turnover.

Engagement etiquette

Try to accommodate the following framework in your B2B social selling system:

• Reverse Engineering Your Profiles (Based on Successful Profiles)
• Follow meaningful interactions with warm threads
• Follow the target features closely, and study them
• Be liberal with the achievements of others
• Enjoy the process

conclusion

Business-to-business social selling works well on a contextual platform like LinkedIn because it efficiently and intelligently emulates the basic principles of marketing. The sales challenges that entrepreneurs face on the back of long-term social selling can be resolved.

Anyone interested in the depth of B2B social selling statistics can do their own research to focus more on the overall point. Social Selling Tactics Designed for Marketing Companies is a specialty at E-Marketing Associates.