In my opinion, being successful in sales is largely based on trust and relationships. This is especially true when it comes to B2B sales on social media. Social media offers a whole new playing field for outreach that converts to sales; and because it is based highly on building relationships, the sales approach must be very relational for businesses.

Social media is a game-changer for lead generation. There is now an alternative to cold calling and sending out mass mailings in an attempt to acquire customers. With social media, you have the ability to make sales all over the world through posts on Twitter and Instagram and ads on LinkedIn and Facebook. In my world, it’s my go-to avenue for building credibility and driving awareness.

By using these avenues, it is much easier to deliver content that is engaging while also building relationships. Below are a few ways to successfully leverage social selling.

#1 Choosing the Right Platform

Choosing the platforms that are more closely associated with the client base you are seeking is important. For example, Facebook and YouTube are very popular with the younger generation, but Twitter and LinkedIn still rank high in success rates for the slightly older crowd. Statistics indicate that when B2B sales reps leverages social media as a selling tool, more than 70% of them not only reach their quota but also regularly exceed it on a ongoing basis.

Joining the platforms requires creating a profile as well as being active and engaging in conversations. It is important to note that each platform has its own unique style, whereas LinkedIn is much more professional vibe versus Facebook which encourages a much more casual style; thus you wouldn’t advertise the same way on the two platforms.

#2 Networking

The social networks can often optimize relationship building through profiling, which can range from current interests to educational backgrounds. As you grow your presence on social media and learn about your potential client via social media, you’re setting a foundation for future face to face connections.

#3 Listen to your Customers

As initially stated, relationship is at the center of everything social. Remaining active and responsive is a major factor in building trust and relationship, as many B2B customers can engage based on their preferences. While communication is overall informal on social media and may not be as easy to track as with email, it can provide you with very helpful insight on what customers want. With this information, you are able to refine your sales pitch based on what you’ve learned while also building trust in your product.

Social engagement offers the opportunity to be creative and diverse in sales tactics and the popularity of social media is only expanding. It is a great tool to utilize and over the course of time, will help prove quite lucrative when used appropriately. Share your social media usage and story with us.