Social media has transformed the way we sell online, becoming an essential tool for any business. And this change has given rise to a strategy that is dominating the game, Social Selling.
But what is Social Selling? It is a marketing strategy that involves a set of actions to boost your sales. This means knowing your target audience and managing relationships effectively.
Think of Social Selling as a way to create genuine connections, where trust and relationships are prioritized. But how do you put all this into practice? Stay with me and discover how Social Selling techniques can take your sales to a new level!
An overview of sales on social networks
When it comes to social media, there’s no denying it: Facebook, Instagram and X, formerly Twitter, are giants that attract the attention of any entrepreneur. Recently, a DataReportal survey revealed that, in January 2024, there were 144 million social media users in Brazil.
And if you think this is impressive, know that Brazil is the second-largest country in the world in terms of usage time, spending, on average, 9h13 on the platforms!
Social media has revolutionized the way consumers and brands interact, quickly becoming one of the most promising channels for sales. Social Selling leverages these networks to create authentic relationships with potential customers before they are ready to make a purchase.
Platforms have evolved from spaces for sharing photos and status updates to powerhouses of interaction and commerce. They are increasingly configured to integrate e-commerce elements such as in-platform stores, direct links to products, and specific ad functionality.
With greater access to information and influenced by instant content on social media, today’s consumers have high expectations. They seek fast and relevant interactions and expect brands to be attentive to their needs and interests.
In addition, there is an increase in the preference for personalized shopping experiences, where service is more consultative, direct and humanized. In other words, sales on social networks go beyond immediate conversion; they help to expand the digital presence and increase brand visibility.
At this point, I would say that Social Selling is like a dance: it works when you understand the rhythm of your audience and nurture leads based on that connection.
Social Selling: what it is and how to go beyond the basics
When it comes to Social Selling, selling online goes far beyond a simple “Hi! How are you?” chat. If you really want to make a difference, I’ll help you go beyond the basics. And that starts with the question: where is your persona?
Before you start shooting in all directions, you need to understand where your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) is. Is it on LinkedIn, exchanging ideas about the market? On Instagram, scrolling through the feed looking for news? Or maybe on YouTube, where they seek to learn and consume content?
Each network has a function, such as YouTube and TikTok, which are more “media-oriented” and people are more interested in consuming than interacting, while networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram are better for building relationships and engagement.
Therefore, the first step is to create a true “mine map” of where your audience is. To do this, go beyond the numbers, get to know their preferences and how they change on each channel.
This mapping is your essential tool for personalizing approaches and generating real engagement!
Now, when personalizing your interactions, you must understand that Social Selling is not a race. Build relationships based on trust and constant dialogue, and use data to understand your customer’s behavior. After all, no one wants to talk to a robot, right?
Understand your audience
To better understand the audience that interacts with you on social media, it is essential to do more than just know their demographic profile: observe their purchasing behavior.
Several tools, including those from the networks themselves, offer insights into age range, gender, location and even the devices your audience uses. But that’s just the beginning! With these insights, you can delve deeper into, for example:
- The most common preferences and needs, based on the pages they like and what they share;
- The type of content that attracts the most attention and generates action, such as comments, likes and clicks;
- The time of greatest activity, which helps you understand the browsing routine and the moments when your audience is most likely to make decisions.
This way, you go beyond superficial data and begin to capture the purchase triggers and real preferences of those who follow your publications. This knowledge provides the map for more accurate approaches, creating content that generates impact and conversion, rather than mere views.
Powerful Social Selling Tools
How about exploring some powerful tools that will give your Social Selling strategy a boost? These are practical options, ready to make your approach on social media more accurate and efficient.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator is for those who want to find the right customer in a crowd. This tool offers advanced lead filtering, helping you focus on the contacts with the best chance of becoming a business.
Hootsuite and Buffer are essential for those who want to manage multiple networks more easily and still ensure that their presence on the networks is always engaged and active.
Those looking for more intelligence and strategy should rely on a CRM integrated with Social Selling (such as HubSpot). Social Selling becomes much more efficient when you connect your sales strategy to social networks.
Platforms like HubSpot help transform social engagement into valuable data for your CRM, facilitating the relationship with each customer and making everything more aligned.
Measuring Social Selling Results
To know if your Social Selling strategy is bringing the expected results, it is essential to monitor it closely, using reports that not only show numbers, but also quality insights. Don’t just focus on the number of followers and connections, after all, it is important to measure the numbers that impact business results.
Evaluate the engagement rate in interactions throughout the sales funnel that take place on social media. Are the leads that come from these conversations truly qualified for your business? Is Social Selling speeding up or slowing down the process?
And what is the retention rate of customers generated by Social Selling? Is the brand being remembered and valued on social media?
The idea is to monitor closely and use this data to guide the next steps of the strategy. After all, insights can arise from a valuable tip from a customer or even from a new market trend that is gaining momentum.
Social Selling and changes in consumer behavior
Today’s consumer doesn’t just want any old interaction — they expect a touch of authenticity and personalization that shows the conversation is about them, not just the sale.
With the increased demand for more genuine interactions on social media, we have also adjusted the way we do Social Selling so that communication is more direct and focused on the real needs of those on the other side of the screen.
Based on this new dynamic, a practical tip is to use messages that go beyond the basics, personalizing the content to reflect the specific profile of the lead. It is also worth investing in quick responses and active engagement so that the potential customer feels that the conversation is unique and genuine.
And with the constant evolution of platforms, new behaviors and expectations emerge. Today, Social Selling is more than a culture within companies — it is a strategy to generate results.
From team assembly and training to monitoring results with clear criteria, the focus is on building a process aligned with the ICP.
These changes in social networks, in short, directly impact the way Social Selling should be done: more structured, focused on well-defined personas and always seeking to be more relevant and engaging in the way it communicates.
Social Selling can transform your sales!
Adopting Social Selling is much more than having a presence on social media, it is cultivating real connections, identifying opportunities and transforming contacts into customers with an approach that puts the consumer at the center.
We’ve seen how adapting this strategy to meet modern expectations, using personalized and agile interactions. All of this can bring powerful benefits, such as increased generation of qualified leads.
Want to take your strategies to the next level? Take advantage of Enjoy Minder’s free diagnosis and find out how a Digital Marketing agency can help you implement Social Selling strategically to transform your sales!
