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13 tips to avoid the basic social selling mistakes
Social selling is among the most lucrative undertakings that marketers have been able to identify with and this is mainly owed to the expanding social platforms that offer varied options for digital marketing. With many options come the eventual dilemma of finding the best strategy that will capitalize on the available opportunities. This is where many individuals get to make the significant mistakes since they structure their social selling in a restrictive manner. 13 tips to avoid the basic social selling mistakes include:
Introduce before asking for connections
What most marketers fail in is trying to create connections even before they introduce themselves or their products. This is seen as a sales ploy which makes prospects stay away from a page or social account. The idea is to get introduced and create the connection later when the engagement has grown.
Highlight your experience
Social selling is a factor of how well the prospect is able to relate to you and what you bring to the table. In this respect, highlighting your experience is key since it is the only way to ensure you gain the trust of the target audience and that they do not see your proposal as a mere social pitch targeted at ensuring they get to spend their money.
Concentrate on industry knowledge
Prospects engage with the sales professionals that have insightful information in the select industry. This is to say you have to have a grasp of industry knowledge and present yourself as an authority within the niche which is what will give you the upper hand in social selling.
Highlight your value
The key to social selling is to highlight your value and the prospective customers will find you easily. The idea is to ensure that you concentrate more on the value you bring to the table instead of the sales you are trying to capture.
Research and customize introductory message
The social platform has plenty of players all of which are targeting the same customers and this calls for a distinguishing element that will set you apart from the rest. With this in mind, researching and customizing an introductory message is what will aid you in social selling since it will endear you to the target audience.
Target the profiles of prospects
You cannot work around a prospect without identifying what makes them tick and how they relate to what you are selling. Targeting the profiles of the prospects is a major way to avoid a basic selling mistake since it gives you an understanding of how you can create a conversation including bringing a personal touch to the whole experience.
Treat your network as an entity
Plenty of sales people have been identified as treating the prospects as simple numbers where more numbers translate to more sales. This is a major error in judgement since they are an entity that has to be nurtured to become the right sales channel that will in turn translate to active social selling.
Humanize your approach
Prospect are humans who wish to have a relatable experience and most especially when it comes to the online platform. When humanizing your approach, it is crucial that you focus on impactful relationships. You should take time to understand the prospects and what they need from sales professionals which will effectively eliminate the cases where prospect feel dehumanized by online sales approaches.
Make your social selling a daily commitment
Social selling should not be considered as an occasional undertaking since every moment is an opportunity to learn. The key is to participate instead of being an observer and this can only be done through staying updated on what the prospects are going for and the role you play in satisfying the same.
Identify with your target audience
Vague audience targeting is a big mistake in social selling since social media is a large and competitive space. Lacking a specific strategy may lead to failed sales opportunities and this is why identifying your target audience becomes key.
Connect social media to other channels
Treating social media as an island is a huge mistake since you are bound to miss out on plenty of opportunities which is a grave mistake when it comes to social selling. Connecting social media to other channels is a fundamental strategy which can ensure social selling takes a preferred step towards overall success. Linking to blogs, email marketing and structuring social media buttons are ways to take advantage of social connections.
Make your profile professional
An incomplete and unprofessional profile is a major impediment to overall development in social selling. Buyers always check the profile before making any buying decision and making your profile professional and complete is the only way to not miss out on social selling opportunities.
Avoid irrelevant and spam content
Pick and select the right content that your prospects will find valuable since spam and irrelevant content are both detrimental factors when it comes to social selling since prospects avoid the select content.