The Ins and Outs of Social Selling: A Bufferchat Recap

Sales Prodigy joined #Bufferchat to share their experience in social selling. Why is community important for social selling? How would you get started in social selling?

Catch our weekly Twitter chat, #bufferchat, every week on Wednesdays, 9 am PT/Noon ET/4 pm GMT, for valuable industry insights and networking with nearly 400 other smart marketers and community managers.

How do you define social selling?

From Sales Prodigy:

• Social selling is building rewarding relationships with your customers on social media.
• Great social selling is an extension of a great sales person on social: authentic, personal and human.

From the community:

• “#SocialSelling is a branch of #Community management, IMO. It’s the desired “result” …dare I say ROI.” @MySoloBiz
• “Adding value and letting folks find you as the go to expert via a simple social search. Staying top of mind” @fionajuan
• “Social selling seems to be about “relationships”, “sharing” and “encouragement”. Trust is a big factor too” @wpstudio5

See all the great answers to question 1 here!

What role does building social media relationships play in your brand’s story?

From the community:

• “It’s about making relationships for future customers and building social infrastructure.” @RigginsConst
• “Social media plays a huge role for every brand, without listening and interacting your brand will not grow” @zenandpi
• “The customer experience is a major part of the brand story! And they share their experiences via social media.” @NathanLattanzi
• “Social selling is not really selling at all. It’s making people believe in your product.” @lafitara
• “Social media is where you live out your brand+ support the foundation you built via other mediums” @MsAleia

See all the great answers to question 2 here!

What’s a good first step to start exploring social selling?

From Sales Prodigy:

• Identify internal advocates! Some of your sales team are probably already killing their quota with social.
• Educate your team! Show the value of social media and give them the tools and training to win.
• Take your time… Relationships are not built overnight, so do not expect results in a couple of days!

From the community:

• “Get started with social selling by listening and replying. It’s a one on one game.” @joshmccormack
• “A great first step is to figure out how you need to tell your story as a brand & to what audience to resonate with.” @christhames29
• “Watch & Observe. There’s many bigger players in the game that you can take their strategies down to your level & audience” @troy_sandidge

See all the great answers to question 3 here!

What have been some unexpected opportunities for learning with social sales?

From Sales Prodigy:

• If sales leaders are not actively engaged, your social selling program is at risk.
• It will take time for the entire sales team to see value. So celebrate wins and share best practices!

From the community:

• “Making unexpected connections with people who, despite not becoming my customers, have become trusted allies.” @hartmanonline
• “Getting the community’s unfiltered feedback along the way can save a company from a lot of guessing & unnecessary mistakes.” @TheaWoods
• “We’ve found that our most trafficked pages are ones focused on contributing helpful info, not those geared toward sales. :)” @Rossparmly

See all the great answers to question 4 here!

How do you adapt social selling to be in line with your company/personal values?

From Sales Prodigy:

• Social selling can diverge from the ‘company line’, we are all individuals after all. Great sales people already do this!
• Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Strong company culture will reflect in all social selling.

From the community:

• “Stay true to your messaging and your company culture when communicating online. It’s no different than in-person convos.” @graphicsdsigns
• “Show people that you’re like them & they will feel connected to you. Share your thoughts, value, and culture and be yourself” @dsarora
• “People like authentic. No matter what the product or service is, if they believe you, they’ll consider buying from you.” @nicoleyoley159

See all the great answers to question 5 here!

Why is community important for social selling?

From Sales Prodigy:

• Social selling often happens where your brand’s community and your personal community intersect.
• #bufferchat is a great example! A great community gives you credibility and an audience you can use in social selling!

From the community:

• “Your community is your ‘Sandbox’. Build some castles, maybe they get knocked down, moved, or need seashells. Play. Learn.” @TheMissNicolina
• “Social proof and community is key to our buying habits. We tend to buy/like what our friends talk about or review” @Its_Wyatt
• “Community helps to spread the word and secure a loyal audience vital for a successful social selling program.” @KarolaKarlson

See all the great answers to question 6 here!

Favorite books or blogs on social selling:

From Sales Prodigy:

• Awesome social selling influencers: @rachelloumiller, @iSocialFanz & @Jill_Rowley
• Great sales inspiration: @keenan, @BryanKramer, @kimgarst & @CarlosGil83
• Not social specific, but we love @gitomer‘s Little Red Book of Selling: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Z1EXMQ
• For people looking for even more content, register for the Social Selling Summit on Sep 1 here: http://www.socialsellingevent.com/

From the community:

• Likable Social Media by Dave Kerpen
• The Thank You Economy by Gary Vee
• Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vee
• Crush It by Gary Vee
• To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink
• Start with Why by Simon Sinek
• Maximize Your Social by Neal Schaffer
• Optimize by Lee Odden
• Do It Marketing by David Newman
• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Cargnegie
• Seth Godin
• Jeff Goins
• Pat Flynn
• Derek Halpern
• Amy Porterfield
• Ramit Sethi
• Buffer Blog
• Hubspot Blog
• Salesforce Blog
• Kim Garst
• Tim Hughes
• Social Media 2Day
• GrowthHackers

See all the great answers to question 7 here!

Thank you so much for everyone who joined in on this great chat!

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