Social Selling in Manufacturing: How to promote sales activities using SNS

Social selling has become an important marketing strategy for many B2B manufacturers in recent years. With more business professionals using social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook in their personal and professional lives, leveraging social platforms can help manufacturers promote their products and services to a wider audience. This article will explore how manufacturers can effectively use social media to boost sales through social selling activities.

What is Social Selling?

Social selling refers to using social networks as part of the sales process. Unlike traditional digital marketing approaches like pay-per-click advertising or content marketing, social selling involves direct engagement and interaction between salespeople and potential customers through social platforms. The goal is to develop connections and relationships that can help uncover new opportunities and close more deals over time.

Some key elements of social selling include:

– Engaging with potential customers by commenting on their posts, answering questions, and sharing relevant industry insights and content on Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. This helps salespeople position themselves as thought leaders and build credibility.

– Networking by connecting with new contacts, interacting with groups, and following hashtags to stay on top of discussions in a target industry. A larger network means more opportunities to discover inbound leads.

– Sharing customized stories, images, videos and other compelling content specific to a manufacturer’s products/services. Creative assets make it easier to start conversations and generate click-throughs to the company website.

– Nurturing leads uncovered through networking and outreach by providing helpful information, answering questions, and gradually progressing qualified contacts towards a sales conversation or demo.

– Tracking engagement metrics and follow-up response times to continuously optimize social selling activities and refine outreach strategies.

Benefits of Social Selling for Manufacturers

There are several advantages manufacturers can gain by adopting social selling:

Wider Reach – Social networks allow sales teams to promote to a much larger potential customer base instantly compared to traditional B2B channels. Manufacturers have an opportunity to engage with decision makers they may not otherwise reach.

Always-On Marketing – Social content remains visible 24/7 with the ability to generate leads anytime. This increases a manufacturer’s perceived availability and keeps their brand top-of-mind compared to occasional print or email campaigns.

Lower Costs – Once initial social profiles and engagement strategies are put in place, social selling has relatively minimal ongoing costs. There is no per-lead spending like paid ads, so manufacturers can expand their prospects cost-effectively.

Qualified Leads – Social connections have already demonstrated interest by opting in; these contacts are generally further along the sales funnel than cold calls. Fewer tire-kickers mean more qualifying discussions.

Personal Touch – Authentic social interactions allow sales reps to build one-on-one rapport with prospects prior to formal demo situations. This personalized approach helps boost conversion rates.

Industry Intelligence – Manufacturers gain insights into customer pain points, competitive trends, and new product ideas by actively listening on social platforms. They can use this to better address customer needs.

How to Implement an Effective Social Selling Strategy

To make the most of social selling, manufacturers must take a strategic, metrics-driven approach. Here are some best practices:

Assign Owners – Designate social media managers and give sales reps social media quotas or incentives to participate. Ownership ensures consistency.

Audit Current Profiles – Evaluate branding, design, content cadence and audience on LinkedIn, Facebook etc. Make required updates before launching selling initiatives.

Establish Goals – Set targets for follower growth, engagement rates, new connections, meetings booked etc. Track KPIs to ensure activities are working.

Craft Compelling Content – Prepare educational blogs, eBooks, videos, infographics and other assets aligned to target customer interests and pain points discovered in the audit.

Engage Consistently – Post at optimal times, share others’ updates, leverage hashtags and groups, run contests to continually build awareness. Respect customers’ time by keeping messages concise and relevant.

Qualify Leads Actively – Nurture inbound leads with useful information and move discussions towards value discovery, POCs or meetings as quickly as appropriate without overwhelming contacts.

Measure Performance – Analyze metrics regularly and refine efforts based on what resonates best. Continually test new ideas and approaches. Thank contacts for their time.

With dedicated social selling, manufacturers can gain improved access to customer insights, a larger pool of qualified prospects and ultimately more sales opportunities by intelligently engaging stakeholders where they interact online every day. Developing authentic relationships requires commitment, but paying attention to customer conversations on social media delivers a competitive sales advantage.