3 Truths that Prove You Need to be Social in Your Selling

The new normal in business strategy is to be social in your selling and personal with your audience in your marketing. From small businesses to large corporations, people expect that companies incorporate social selling into their plans.

You know that our offers must be aimed at solving problems for customers. Answering the question of “what’s in it for me?” is a top priority. However, the money and satisfaction from helping others are in the relationship. And it’s social media that helps build that relationship.

As you incorporate the ‘know, like and trust’ factor in your marketing plans, you will become more social across the board.

However, don’t expect immediate results. Social selling is an investment in relationship building, sharing your story, displaying your personality, and proving your value to others before they buy from you. It takes time, but here are a few tips to help.

Truth #1: Your Audience Wants to Connect With YOU, Not Your Business

I’ve seen it with my own social media accounts as well as with big names in specific industries: the accounts using personal names often outweigh the business accounts in terms of engagement and popularity.

Is it because businesses engage less? Or is it because people want to connect with other PEOPLE versus a business? Interaction with a business feels far more ‘salesy’ than engaging in an online conversation with another specific, known human being.

Some will say that social marketing is not a popularity contest and that social media numbers are a vanity metric. I don’t disagree, but I don’t completely agree either.

Social media impacts your search engine juice as well as your influence on your community.  In many ways, you are judged by your social media metrics.

For example, social signals and search engine algorithms tally up your social scores. The more ‘popular’ and engaging you are, the better you’re rated—in search engines, by your audience, by your colleagues.

As a brand, you’re constantly graded and analyzed based on social metrics. You best accept that right now!  The better your social engagement, visibility, and reach, the better your score.

The result is more visibility, influence, and authority, which helps to sell.

Truth #2: You Get Fans—When You Really “Get” Your Fans

The minute your audience relates to you and becomes a fan is the moment when they see that you understand them—and once was in their shoes. And how do you do this? You share your story in a personable, relatable way via social media, your website, and your lead magnets.

If you continue sharing your journey, you’ll keep up the momentum of why people followed you in the first place. People want to feel as if they are right there along with you.

Creating loyal fans is your ultimate goal with social selling. Your most avid followers will stick around because they relate to you, your brand, and your products/services.

This is where social media can outperform marketing to a cold audience. Imagine having a faithful following to whom you continually offer value. When you launch new products or services, they’ll be there waiting since you’ve connected to them beyond what you sell. This is what some many business owners and entrepreneurs overlook when investing in social media.

True fans last a long time, so invest in them because they’re also your customer!

Truth #3: The Money May Be In the List, But It’s the Relationship that Succeeds

Building your email list is an important goal to ensure that you have direct access to your audience. However, there is no point in that list unless you have an ongoing, social relationship with your audience, including your subscribers.

The world is inundated with email offers and opt-in opportunities. How do you stand out? The difference could be in how you relate to others—and how they relate to you. Your consistent but well-timed emails create a connection between you and your subscribers.

You may not hear directly from your subscribers, but you’ll know if you’re resonating with them because they’ll stay on your list. Without the connection, your subscribers and fans won’t stay. There’s always someone else courting them, so you need to consistently share your stories, offer value, and maintain a relationship.

It Takes Practice to Be Social in Your Selling

There’s a fine line between social selling and overly promotional content. And sometimes it’s tough to know when to be social and when to promote your offer.

The important part is that your audience wants to know you before they buy. Being social before you sell helps to build the relationship and your brand. When it comes time to make the offer, your prospects and fans won’t mind.