Why Social Media is Essential for Growing Businesses in 2020

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Since 2006 there has been a meteoric rise in social media and the expansion of digital channels. With the economic crisis, brand loyalty and trust are at an all-time low. Attention spans are shortening, and traditional sales techniques are less effective. There is an abundance of information available online with an increase in conflicting information; there is still a shortage of insight. Almost all your customers are online researching solutions, and this means you must get social!

The analysis from Forrester’s’ Mary Shea and Matthew Camuso calls out four common mistakes that prevent sellers from leveraging social media to its full potential:

  • Treating social networks like promotional channels
  • Asking for something before establishing trust
  • Under researching a contact
  • Engaging in random acts of sharing

Let’s delve deeper into the three drivers behind the need for sellers to leverage social media:

  1. Mobile Use is a Driver
  • 80% of users used a mobile device to search the internet in 2019.
  • 50% of users read reviews of all purchases on their mobile phones.
  • Average smartphone users used their phones for more than 4 hours a day.
  • 62% Global of users accessed the internet using their mobile phones
  1. Millennials and Gen Z are Drivers

In 2020, millennials will make up 35% of the global workforce with Gen Z, making up 24%.

This equates to more than half the entire workforce population of buyers, influencers and decision-makers. Digital and near digital natives have the same expectations and mindset when in their work mode as the in their work mode. Digital natives know how to utilise social communication, and many prefer it as a communication tool.

  1. Communication Methods are Driving Change

There are many more ways you can communicate your message than there was 14 years ago. Short message service or SMS open rates are 98% compared to email at 22%. Popular direct messaging on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and WhatsApp, are short and conversational. Today, your communication methods must be as varied as the individuals you want to reach.

Why Social Selling is the Solution for the Modern Sellers

Your sales methods must be relevant to your audience of buyers and customers to accelerate your sales success rate. You must go where your customers are, use their tools, have their mindset and speak their language.

Traditional sales methods no longer work because buyers have become desensitised to the endless sales emails and cold calls and even warmer sales calls.

Forrester’s report that “savvy sellers who effectively engage on social networks are seeing meaningful results.” According to LinkedIn data “the modern sellers create 45% more opportunities and are 51% more likely to achieve quota than those who do not embrace social.”

What social Selling is Not!

Let’s be clear: Social selling not as selling directly!

Think of it as “finding relevant people to create opportunities to have relevant conversations.” Janice B Gordon definition of Social Selling

The better you are at targeting what is relevant to your customers and Buyers, the higher your success rate, revenues and profits.  

Inbound Social Selling this often sits with Marketing; it is sharing content, SEO, profile or website attracts leads into you.

Outbound Social Selling is sharing your article on for example LinkedIn, you actively review and engage those that interacted with the article noticing where they work and asking follow-up questions to create opportunities to develop conversations with relevant people.

This technique allows you to “sell more efficiently by finding relevant people and having a relevant conversation so you can serve more efficiently.”

You must earn the right a conversation, a demo or meeting.

“Never connect and sell; this just erodes your reputation.”

Here is a Tip:

Use social media to research your target key customers, not just their demographic name, position and company, but their psychographics motivations, attitude and perspective.

“Social media is an amazing listening tool to proactively keep abreast of what going on in your target and existing customers world.”

You can no longer afford to take the long route; your customers are on the short course, some of you may feel you are on the wrong path and in need of a short cut to increasing revenue by 20%.

My next article talks about the six ways to supercharge your social engagement and stand out to your customer. Next week I will talk about these six strategies:

  • 80/20 your Most Valued Customers
  • Get Found by key customers
  • Build your Personal Profile
  • Connect and Engage
  • Educate to Add Value
  • Create Customer Strategic Growth Plan

Do you agree or disagree that the three drivers are diving change or that social selling is the answer for the modern seller?

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About Us

We help you grow key customers and accelerate your results through the rough, via online and offline consulting and masterclasses, based on modern thinking, process change, and social and customer-focused techniques

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Scale Your Sales Janice B Gordon

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