Selling Social

Social-media marketing: Everybody's doing it. Well, not everybody, but close—93 percent of marketers, according to The Website Marketing Group. Considering the number of social networks and the amount of time people spend using them, it's no wonder so many businesses have added social media to their marketing plans. It's less an option than it is a necessity—if you want to stay relevant and connect with customers, you'd better be on social media.

But how much does it actually help you sell? A lot, if you believe the numbers. A report by GO-Gulf.com found that 78 percent of buyers have made a purchase based on a company's social media posts, with 74 percent of customers researching social networks before making a purchase. That same report, however, found that just 43 percent of marketers use social media specifically to improve sales, a relatively small amount given the number of marketers using social media overall. In other words, social media can be a valuable sales tool, but only if businesses use it the right way.

Most businesses understand that they need to be on at least one social network, but not every business knows what to do once they're there. Having a Twitter or Facebook account and assigning an intern to occasionally tweet and post status updates is barely enough to establish even a basic connection with customers, let alone increase sales. To succeed on social media, businesses need to commit significant resources.

"Social media's strengths work best in consumer companies' campaigns that are well planned and implemented," said Tom Marin, principal of MarketCues Inc., a marketing strategy firm based in Heathrow, Fla. "Unfortunately, many B2B companies lack the necessary time and resources to execute an annualized social media program, so they tend to come in and out of social media outlets on a sporadic basis," he continued. "This creates a large weakness for their social media program, per se, because smaller B2B companies are not willing or able to invest their time and marketing dollars into an effective social media program."

Justin Zavadil, vice president of sales and vendor relations for American Solutions for Business, Glenwood, Minn., agreed. "In social media, if you aren't committed to taking the time necessary to make your interactions fun, relevant and engaging, your efforts may be better suited for an alternative method of marketing," he said.

And then there's the opposite extreme. Some businesses lean too hard on social media, buying into the buzz that retweets and likes are the future of marketing. They may be right, to an extent, but investing in social media at the expense of traditional marketing channels is a major risk. "We have found followers, likes, etc. fairly irrelevant to a B2B company's overall success in its marketplace," Marin noted. "In fact, in several cases we found social media getting in the way of a company spending adequate time in business development. One key to producing effective social media is to build the program as one element among many, not as a stand-alone activity."

American Solutions for Business has had noticeable success with this approach. "Social media has provided another line of communication to our customers and sales associates. It's proven to be a great addition to our marketing mix," said Zavadil. "We've seen both quantifiable results and successes that can't necessarily be measured. Having a strong social media presence and increasing interaction with our sites indirectly helps grow sales and create awareness for our company."

Still, a strong social media presence—even when used in conjunction with other marketing channels—isn't guaranteed to boost sales. If it's used too overtly as a sales tool, social media could actually have the opposite effect, driving potential customers away.

Asked to name the biggest mistake businesses make on social media, David Fiderer, director of marketing for Bridgeport, Connecticut-based promotional products supplier Prime Line, pointed to "too much hard selling, and not enough interesting content." By Fiderer's estimates, roughly two-thirds of Prime Line's social media posts are geared toward increasing or making sales, but not necessarily in obvious fashion. "We try to keep our followers engaged by posting a mix of content throughout each day," he explained. "The content ranges from a featured product of the day to exclusive promotions for social media, to informative articles on business and industry trends, surveys and fun or humorous posts."

"We're now focusing more on posting content that we believe has a greater chance of being shared," he added.

Zavadil also cautioned against hard selling. "Don't forget that social media was originally created to be social," he said. "Don't use it to oversell. Instead, find a balance that works for you and your followers. Find your voice and develop relationships."

One way to do that is to take advantage of social media's personal aspect, using it to build relationships that extend beyond the brand. Zavadil noted that American Solutions for Business encourages salespeople to develop and maintain an individual presence on Facebook, allowing them to interact directly with customers. Even then, though, the emphasis should remain on making connections—not strictly on selling.

"Balance is key," said Zavadil. "Sharing that special is great, but don't forget to make it personal. Try sharing a success story about what you've recently helped a customer accomplish. Do you volunteer? Post pictures of the event. People love getting to know more about you—creating trust and a solid base for a business relationship."

Despite all its ability to connect businesses and customers like never before, social media is similar to other sales tools. Namely, it's only as good as the salesperson using it. "Social media can be a very valuable marketing tool if used correctly," noted Zavadil. "However, it isn't for every sales associate or buyer. It's best to look at what you're comfortable with and what your current and potential buyers are using. Just like in sales, if you don't have confidence in yourself or the solutions that you provide, your sales will reflect it."