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PROFESSIONAL SERVICES BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING INSIGHTS

| 1 minute read

It does not have to take a long time to build social influence

If your job is to influence other people - it could be to sell a product, service or idea - and if you are pretty good at it then you will know how to do this face to face and on the phone. Online its a little more tricky. We can all look the same when someone checks us out online. It is difficult not to end up describing ourselves in a series of generic cliches if we're not careful.

What makes us different is what we know. Showing that online is crucial when it comes to social selling/influencing.

We know that 'social sales' is something we need to be doing - like picking up the phone - but it can seem difficult.  This article from Harvard Business Review is useful in reminding us all it does not need to take long at all.  The upsides are considerable.

'Social selling makes sense for achieving quota and revenue objectives for multiple reasons. First, three out of four B2B buyers rely on social media to engage with peers about buying decisions. In a recent B2B buyers survey, 53% of the respondents reported that social media plays a role in assessing tools and technologies, and when making a final selection.'

As always I have found it is crucial to make a plan, prioritise and target my content.   Also it took me a little while to feel confident just to be myself.  To help me do this I picture those most likely to read and share my posts - the people I know (and like).  This makes content creation far easier.

Social sales content also gets salespeople involved earlier in the sales cycle, which means they’re more likely to define the criteria for an ideal solution or the “buying vision,” and thus, more likely to win the sale. It doesn’t take a significant amount of time to get started in social selling. B2B salespeople only need to invest 5% to 10% of their time to be successful with social. Salespeople should begin carving out a small percentage of their daily time for social media. Regular interaction with a prospect may not lead to a direct sale this week or quarter, but could result in a significant win within the year.

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Tags

content marketing, b2b marketing, social selling, b2b sales, content strategy, influence