B2B selling is always evolving and with changes in the buyer’s journey driven by information, online presence, and digital engagement, social media selling is the logical next step.
Even though social media has been around for almost a decade, many businesses have not yet harnessed the power it brings to B2B. According to Sales Management Association, two-thirds of businesses do not have a social media strategy. Yet, Forbes states that 78% of sales professionals who use social media selling outperform peers who don’t.
As a Channel Vendor, your Partner community is one of your largest sales engines. How can you be sure they are effective at social media selling, especially with the proven success rates?
There are five key reasons your Partners should be using social media as a part of their sales strategy:
Social media is a tool for building a Partner’s brand. It is a way to showcase their voice and presence in front of customers consistently and in multi-faceted ways. Whether Partners use Twitter, LinkedIn, or other social platforms, it is important they show up where their customers spend time. That way when those prospects receive demand gen emails from your Partners, they’ll already be familiar with them.
Social media provides an easy and powerful platform to share thought leadership and set your Partners up as experts and thought leaders. By sharing market research, industry trends and addressing their buyers' needs, your Partners earn trust which is fundamental to demand generation.
It is possible to identify and target prospects with social media selling. First, get to know and understand how individuals engage with your Partners. Look at your Partners' social platforms, who is interacting, sharing and liking their content? Then, show Partners how to hone in on different verticals and encourage them to interact with individuals and prospects in those verticals. For example, if they're targeting healthcare, help them find the Linkedin Groups their prospects are involved in and show them how to interact and add value to those conversations.
Help Partners learn more about their buyers' behavior and gain insights on how those prospects engage with your Partners through social media metrics and analytics. Most platforms have a backend system that quantifies your Channel Partners' engagement. Use this information to adapt your Partners' approach so it aligns with what buyers need and want from them.
Effective and consistent use of social media improves SEO rankings and strengthens their online presence. This ultimately increases the visibility of their website where they showcase and sell your joint products and services.
The benefits from each of these five reasons will not only have a positive impact on demand generation but also drive awareness and customer loyalty for your Partners. Share this blog with your Partner community to help them understand the power of social media selling.
For more ways to help your Channel Partners get started with social media selling, check out these resources: