The impact and ROI “Social Selling” will have on your business.

You may have seen the buzz term “Social Selling” pop up over the past year or so.

There are plenty of statistics that substantiate the need to integrate your online presence into your sales process including one that says buyers are already 57% through the purchase process before sales professionals even speak to them. (CEB)

You know your own process when you’re looking for a solution to your problem. You either:

a) go directly to the person you think may have the answer for you and/or

b) Google your question to see if you can educate yourself better about the solution.

We are living in an information-based age, where data is abundant. Your clients are far more educated, and more skeptical than ever before.

Ultimately, what your clients are buying from you is trust. They want to trust that you are competent enough to solve the problem they have, and that you can save them time from having to do it themselves.

So, how can you leverage “Social Selling” to get inbound leads, convert higher paying clients and build thought leadership?

Step #1: Craft a strong LinkedIn profile that resonates with your target audience. A profile that is well-written and highlights all your accomplishments (without bragging) will help you build inbound leads. When prospects are vetting you, and Google your name, LinkedIn is one of the highest ranked sites. What’s the first impression they see?

Step #2: Understand not just the demographics, but the psychographics of your ideal target. Demographics help you to narrow down WHO you want to connect with, and psychographics take a deeper look at WHERE they are hanging out (online and offline), WHAT interests them and WHY they might find your solution a perfect fit for their needs. With Social Media, you can research your target audience’s digital footprint and get insights about what’s interesting to them.

Step #3: Build thought leadership by publishing quality content that resonates with your audience. Creating and publishing content can seem very overwhelming, but publishing content to your audience at the RIGHT time, using the RIGHT message will help you be top-of-mind and subconsciously build yourself up as the “go-to” expert in your niche.

(Here’s a quick “hack” that will help you to build more engagement when you publish posts.)

Step #4: Add new quality connections to your sales funnel, and engage in two-way dialogue. The word SOCIAL is embedded into both Social Media and Social Selling. You don’t talk AT your clients, you talk WITH them. Find ways to connect with them online through:

• mutual connections
• mutual interests
• conversations they are already having online

Step #5: Personalize and nurture relationships before they need you. Being “of service” and giving value BEFORE your prospects need you builds a ton of trust. Clients will see that you’re there to help them. Send prospects personalized messages that invite them to connect with you offline (phone calls/meetings), and send them articles you think they’d find interesting. Everyone wants to feel important, and Social Selling allows you to do reach more people each day.

Now the question I’ve been asked since the very first day I began working in the world of digital marketing is…what’s the ROI (return-on-investment)?

I want you to ask yourself the following questions:

• What is the return I will receive by converting at least ONE client?
• What is the cost of having an outdated profile that screams “I don’t care enough to update my profile, therefore I won’t care enough to take care of your details either”.
• Where will social media be next year (or even in the next 6 months)? Will I have spent enough time laying a strong foundation so that I’ve built my thought leadership?
• Will using these tools to customize and personalize my communication with my clients and prospects help me to service them better (and leave my competition in the dust)?

According to Sales for Life, 61% of organizations engaged in Social Selling report a positive impact on revenue growth.

Investing in your presence by creating a strong presence, connecting with quality people, and cultivating relationships through relevant, compelling content will undoubtedly pay off in the long run.

The longer you put it off, the farther behind you’ll be and the more opportunities you’ll be missing. Instead, the person who is actively using Social Selling as a part of their toolkit will become the natural “go-to” leader in your niche.

Get clear on your strategy, set attainable goals, use the right etiquette to engage at the right time, and you’ll find Social Selling to be one of the most essential elements for building business.

There’s no time like the present!

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I’d love to hear from YOU! Do you find Social Selling to be useful for you in your business? What’s at least ONE key tip you can share to help someone who hasn’t integrated Social Selling into their prospecting? Please answer in the fields below.

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Leslie Hughes is a LinkedIn Optimization Specialist, Professor of Social Media, Corporate Trainer, Principal of PUNCH!media and author of the book “CREATE. CONNECT. CONVERT.”

Leslie was called a “Social Media Guru” by CBC Radio and was featured on CTV’s “The Social” discussing how to manage your digital identity. Leslie has been working in digital marketing since 1997 and founded PUNCH!media in 2009.

PUNCH!media clients include Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, Investment Planning Counsel, and RBC.

Whether it’s through LinkedIn training or profile optimization, PUNCH!media’s goal is to empower executives with a powerful online presence so they can brand their business properly and convert higher-paying clients.

www.punchmedia.ca leslie@punchmedia.ca

Get your free LinkedIn Time Management tip sheet at www.punchmedia.ca