How to create a B2B Social Selling Plan

If your business sells stuff in the B2B space, you need a social selling plan. It’s that simple.

Right now, some of you are thinking, “Great! All we need to do is start sharing blog posts and other content on social media, and the leads will come flooding in.”

Well, if that’s what you’re thinking, please slam your face into the nearest wall.

An effective social selling plan doesn’t mean randomly shoving content down your connections’ throats.

What is Social Selling?

Social selling is the art of utilising social media platforms to engage with relevant prospects and create sales conversations, with the ultimate goal of winning new business.

Basically, it’s using social media to sell stuff. Sounds simple enough, right?

Well, there’s a bit more to it than that. Take a look at our simplified ‘B2B Social Selling Strategy’ below.

Not convinced? Then here’s a few things for you to consider:

Traditional sales are getting harder

Cold calls and generic sales emails aren’t as effective as they once were, meaning lead generation is now harder than ever.

Once was a time when a salesperson could pick up the phone, scream “Buy my s**t!” at a random stranger and spend the commission on a new suit and a questionable haircut. Those were the days…

But now the most successful B2B businesses have switched to using social selling as part of their daily sales activity. In fact, recent figures show companies with a structured social selling plan are 40% more likely to hit their revenue goals.

Doing things like sharing relevant content on social media is essential if you hope to achieve the same high levels of success. This kind of strategic approach is a key component of social selling.

B2B buyers do most of their research online

The internet has transformed the standard sales process.

The average B2B buyer consumes four or five pieces of content before making any kind of purchase decision. Therefore, sharing the right type of content via social networks is one of the best ways to get relevant customers interested in your brand.

Because most online research starts with Google, it’s also important that your content is optimised for search engines. This means including SEO as part of your marketing strategy, and making sure you include keyword research in your content creation process.

Personalised interaction is the future of sales & marketing

Imagine you’re a water utility professional named Trevor. Which of these LinkedIn messages is more likely to get your attention?

• “Hello, here’s a blog I wrote about the water industry. Give it a read!”
• “Hey Trevor, I see you work in the water industry. Here’s a water utility insights report I thought you’d be interested in.”

The answer is obvious – personalised messages win every time.

By sharing relevant content that addresses prospects’ interests and pain points, you show them you care about their professional wants and needs. This creates the ideal starting point for a sales conversation.

According to Hubspot, social media has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate compared to standard outbound marketing. But this is only true when social selling is done right. So, stop carpet bombing your social media followers with random content and get a proper social selling plan together.

Want to know more about creating an effective social selling plan? Get in touch for a friendly, informative chat.