| Social selling might’ve once looked like a fad, but it can’t be ignored anymore, especially since high-performing salespeople are 12% more likely to use social media when selling. How are these salespeople managing to be so effective, you ask? For one, they’re meeting audiences where they already are — and, more often than not, they’re on social media. Here are FIVE of the Top Social Selling Trends in 2024…and why. 1. Salespeople building their influence on social media. – A top sales trend coming into 2024 is the shift in the role of a salesperson. Buyers are researching a product or service they’re interested in rather than getting initial knowledge from a sales rep. Instead, they expect the salesperson to be more consultative and take their knowledge further by showing them exactly how said product meets their needs.This shift makes social media a great place for salespeople to be “influencers” and share the helpful content buyers look for when conducting their research. 2. Choosing social media channels that support community building. – Being able to build and actively engage with a community is one of the most important features social sellers look for in social platforms, and this makes sense.When you interact with your audience, you learn about their interests and pain points, which tells you exactly how your product or service can help them. This can inform the type of content you share, so you align with their needs. 3. Building trust and credibility online is increasingly crucial. -Consumers can sometimes be skeptical of brands and their motives, and recommendations from influencers, friends and family, and people like themselves (other consumers) are the most trusted and impactful. As a result, sales reps are taking on the growing importance of building trust and credibility with prospects, especially on social media. One of the best ways to build trust is with social proof, and user-generated content (UGC) is a great popular type. It goes a long way in building trust because it’s consumers sharing their personal experience, and their experience is a stamp of approval and trust. 4. Approaching social media as a lead-finding channel. – Social media has historically been a networking tool for salespeople. It still is, but it’s also a powerful search engine to identify and research leads with a few clicks on a device that fits inside your pocket. 45% of salespeople tell us they use social media this way and say it offers the second-highest quality leads of any other channel. 5. Optimizing social media profiles. – Your social media profile is somewhat useless to potential customers if it doesn’t feature the helpful information they need to learn more about you and your business. So, salespeople are optimizing their profiles to ensure they’re helpful and up-to-date with all relevant information. Ideally, you’d also want your profile to be visually appealing and reflect the cohesive brand identity you’ve worked to develop. If it looks good, you leave a good first impression. |
