Article • 14 min read
Social selling: Definition, benefits, strategies, and best practices
Strengthen brand credibility and customer relationships online through social selling.
Da Donny Kelwig, Contributing Writer
Ultimo aggiornamento March 23, 2024
Instead of cold calling prospects, give social selling a try. Social selling is the process of finding and connecting with interested customers through social media rather than bothering those who may not even know your company exists.
Consumers are increasingly influenced by what they see on social media and are more likely to make a purchase when someone they follow and trust promotes your product or service. This influence will continue to grow if your company regularly interacts with followers in a down-to-earth way. That’s why businesses that prioritize social selling are 45 percent more likely to reach their sales quotas.
Below, we’ll discuss what social selling is, why it’s important, and best practices on mainstream social media sites:
What is social selling?
Social selling is a sales methodology that uses company social media channels to interact with potential customers and generate leads.
Most brand-based social selling occurs through messaging on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, LINE, and WeChat. But it can also occur through chat features on a company website or via influencer partnerships.
This type of selling is not about closing deals fast—it’s about playing the long game. By commenting, liking, and sharing customer posts, companies can build natural social credibility and generate “free” advertising to influence buyers down the line.
It’s ethical selling sans cold calls.
Social selling examples
Check out the following examples to see how brands use social selling to connect with social media users IRL.
Example #1: Justice for Moose
An Australian Shepherd named Moose got his back-to-school-themed BarkBox with the words “Moose smells” scrawled across the illustrated locker. Followers jokingly shared their outrage, and BarkBox replied with an equally humorous duet showing the package designer in detention.
https://www.tiktok.com/@barkbox/video/7145527088915844398
Example #2: Sometimes, it’s better to celebrate than sell
Take the time to celebrate with your fans when they share their excitement about your products or a life event—this is the perfect opportunity to connect with no strings attached.
Example #3: Empathize with the public over the loss of beloved fictional characters
Emotions boiled over when This Is Us fans learned that their favorite fictional dad Jack died after a faulty Crockpot caused a house fire. Of course, it wasn’t a real fire, but fans were upset nonetheless. That’s why it was an excellent move for the Crockpot social media team to take to the internet and sympathize with fans while educating the public about the safety of the kitchen appliance.
What is the Social Selling Index (SSI)?
If you want to know how your company is doing in terms of social selling impact, you’ll want to consult the Social Selling Index (SSI). LinkedIn first developed the SSI in 2014 to measure a company’s social selling strategy.
The scoring system is based on four elements, which LinkedIn measures every day:
- Establish a professional brand: Optimize your online profile and publish meaningful content while keeping the needs and interests of your ideal customers in mind.
- Find the right people: Connect with people who may realistically buy from you in the future by leveraging the research tools available on your preferred social media channels.
- Engage with insights: Share your thoughts on industry trends and current events to establish yourself as a thought leader and build credibility.
- Build relationships: Strengthen your relationships with people in your network through ongoing positive interactions.
LinkedIn typically utilizes the following factors to determine your score in each category:
Profile completeness
Endorsements
Published articles
Connection request acceptance rates
Post shares, likes, and reshares
Message response rates
Profile views
The individual scores from each area are combined to create the total SSI score. The average score varies widely based on your industry and network, as it’s ultimately a comparison that visualizes how well you’re social selling compared to your peers. Regardless, strive to reach an SSI score of 75 or above.
Humanize your online interactions
Check out our State of Sales report to learn how to use conversational sales to keep customers engaged.
Benefits of social selling
There are several sales psychology tactics businesses can use to increase revenue and grow their customer base. Social selling, however, could be the most influential of them all.
That may sound like a grand statement. But research over the past few years suggests that social media has a 100 percent higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing.
Let’s take a look at the specifics of how social selling can benefit you.
Social selling statistics
We’ve already covered many benefits and social selling statistics, but here are some additional key stats from our 2022 State of Sales report:
- 71 percent of companies agree that sales teams must be data-driven and capable of personalizing sales conversations across digital channels.
- 25 percent of sales leaders believe adding conversational sales capabilities to their teams would be beneficial.
- 78 percent of respondents say that conversational sales will be crucial to their companies in the coming year.
72 percent of sales leaders have noticed that reps who are tech and social-savvy tend to outperform those who aren’t.
Strategy: 6 best practices for social selling success
Social selling best practices
Create social listening alerts
Connect with prospects
Share content
Reply to followers
Track engagement
Get your message across
The specific platforms and strategies that connect you with consumers will vary based on your offerings, values, and ideal customer. But there are a few best practices that apply across the board when social selling.
1. Figure out where your customers are
You can use surveys to determine which social media platforms your customers traffic the most. Or, if you know your key demographics, you can likely figure it out on your own.
Here are some of the most popular social media platforms and the demographics that use them most often:
- Facebook: 25- to 34-year-old men are the largest demographic of Facebook users, and the platform remains the second most popular social media platform for people over age 30. It is also the most popular social media platform among people over age 65.
- Instagram: Men between the ages of 13 and 34 tend to use Instagram more than women, with men ages 25 to 34 accounting for the largest share of users. This platform is also one of the best advertising channels.
- Twitter: People between the ages of 25 and 34 are the largest demographic on Twitter. However, younger users tend to have a firmer grasp of how to use all the platform’s features.
- LinkedIn: More than 60 percent of people between the ages of 25 and 34 use LinkedIn. People between the ages of 18 and 24 make up over 20 percent of users, and those over age 55 make up less than 3 percent of users.
2. Practice social listening
Social listening is a crucial part of social selling. Whether people are expressing their frustrations with your company online or showing off their newest purchase, you need to know about it.
This enables you to address issues early and engage with your customers, solidifying your relationship with them. Here are great ways to monitor your brand through social listening:
Create an alert on any topic to receive email updates anytime it’s mentioned in the news or on a blog.
Search operators
Search operator example
Search operator: related:website.com “brand name”
Example: related:smb.com “smb”
Google your company name using [related:website.com “brand name”] to see when your business is mentioned online while excluding results from your own site.
Use Twitter’s advanced search feature to find any mentions of your company’s name or related hashtags.
Instagram hashtags
Type in any branded or unbranded Insta hashtags and click “follow” on any you want to monitor.
3. Connect with prospects
Reach out to potential customers and start building rapport. You can do this by:
Commenting on a topical Twitter thread
Sharing an Instagram story
Initiating a conversation with promising connections on LinkedIn
The initial non-sales-related contact helps you form an authentic relationship with potential customers. You’re simply starting a friendly conversation with them, so they’re less likely to be on guard.
4. Share content
The best way to get your brand in front of consumers is to share content on your social media profiles. Get ahead of industry trends, share your thoughts on industry reports and news, or highlight some of your customers and their successes. The key here is to be relatable and avoid bombarding your followers with constant over-branded posts.
Some examples of content that’s currently popular on social media include:
Short videos with trending sound on Instagram and TikTok
Lengthy and informative videos on YouTube
User-generated content from everyday people rather than just influencers
Humorous comments and tweets
Kind and inclusive images and messaging
5. Get your message across
Strike the right tone with your target audience and vary your interactions. Show that you’re there to support your customers, hype them up, and provide support if they need it.
You don’t have to reply to every comment on your posts, but try to say something of value whenever possible and read what your customers are saying. Worst case scenario: you’ll better understand your customers’ opinions. Best case scenario: you’ll get the opportunity to make a meaningful connection or resolve an issue.
Just be sure to tread carefully when trying out viral challenges. Make sure the topic aligns with your brand, relates to readers, and has a unique spin. Always keep your messaging on brand and ensure you have preset tactics for dealing with angry customers or a publicity crisis.
6. Track engagement
Give the people what they want! Every social media platform offers some form of analytics for business profiles, and you can use this data to find out what your customers do and don’t like.
Businesses can track social media engagement by visiting the analytics dashboard on all of their active profiles, regardless of the platform. Make an effort to review this data regularly and plan out content that will grab the attention of your followers.
When you find something that works, lean into it.
What are the best networks for social selling?
The best network for social selling is the platform your customers use the most. That being said, the most popular platforms tend to be LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Learn more about how you can capture your audience’s attention on social media and begin to strengthen relationships.
Optimize your social selling toolset
Go the extra mile to perfect the customer experience, boost brand loyalty, and build a strong public image. Integrate your social media channels with Zendesk Sell to capitalize on social selling opportunities and deliver better experiences. By playing the long game and focusing on social selling, you can cultivate lasting relationships and make sales when it makes sense for the customer.