{"id":15605,"date":"2017-10-02T09:10:29","date_gmt":"2017-10-02T14:10:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rocksdigital.com\/?p=15605"},"modified":"2025-06-24T10:21:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T15:21:09","slug":"social-selling-must-dos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocksdigital.com\/social-selling-must-dos\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Selling Can Be Scary \u2013 Break Through with these Must-Do\u2019s"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Social<\/a>
thodonal88\/shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here\u2019s a story for you\u2026<\/em> The conference speaker started talking about how great social selling<\/a> could be. And when I saw the excited grins on the faces of my company\u2019s sales team, I was scared, scared stiff.<\/p>\n

As a longtime professional communicator, I was extremely worried about having our sales folks posting all kinds of unauthorized, unwanted, and sometimes unintelligible things on the major social channels. And in my role as Director of Content Marketing for the company, I was afraid of all of the above.<\/p>\n

To be clear \u2013 it\u2019s not that they were incapable of doing it. It was more about the fact that there might be little-to-no oversight… and plenty of room for error and off-brand messaging.<\/p>\n

What is Social Selling?<\/h2>\n

Briefly, it\u2019s using social media channels to sell a specific product or service. People do it every day \u00ad\u00ad\u2013 some well, some not so well.<\/p>\n

Today, I\u2019m not going to talk about paid advertising on social media, which is a whole other topic. Here, we\u2019ll focus on the good and bad of social posts<\/a> published with the purpose of selling products and\/or services.<\/p>\n

How Can You Use Social Selling?<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019ve read any of my previous Rocks Digital blog posts<\/a>, you know that I\u2019m partial to the Big Three social channels: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. (Not that I\u2019m not on Snaproulette and Pintagram and all the other cool, hip networks!)<\/em><\/p>\n

In fact, I\u2019ve already shared my ideas on social media \u201cmusts\u201d for your new business<\/a>, growing your business social media network<\/a>, and things business owners should never post on social media<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Here are my thoughts on social selling on the big three. Keep reading to get started.<\/p>\n

1. Facebook<\/span><\/p>\n

It might seem natural that people would use Facebook as a sales channel, since so many people are already \u201cselling\u201d stuff to their friends and family. Many Facebookers post product\/service recommendations, photos of their meals, and \u201ccheck in\u201d from various stores, restaurants, etc.<\/p>\n

But in my mind, Facebook is best used when connecting with family and friends \u2013 and more often than not, you don\u2019t want to be selling to them. After all, they very likely know who you work for, what you sell, and have already decided whether they\u2019re interested or not.<\/p>\n

Most of us use Facebook as an escape from work and business, so a sales message might be considered unwelcome or even rude.<\/p>\n

So definitely tread carefully if you want to try selling on Facebook. Make sure you\u2019re talking to the right people, and be both friendly and professional. The last thing you want to do is annoy your family and friends with irrelevant or inappropriate sales messages \u2013 especially with that poop emoji just a click away!<\/p>\n

Pro Tip:<\/em><\/strong> Consider setting up a separate, professional Facebook account.<\/em><\/p>\n

2. Twitter<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard enough to write a hilarious Tweet in 140 characters or less, much less craft an impactful sales message within those limitations. (At press time, rumors are spreading about a possible increase to 280 characters, but we\u2019re talking about the here and now.)<\/p>\n

Unless you\u2019ve carefully curated your Twitter followers and the people\/accounts that you follow, Twitter can be a very hit-or-miss proposition when it comes to getting your Tweets read. You really need to find your target audience(s) and develop specific sales messages for them.<\/p>\n

And again, most Tweeters seem to be on the channel to connect with friends and follow their favorite news sources, companies, etc., in an informal manner. I would bet that most people on Twitter aren\u2019t fond of being sold to there.<\/p>\n

Pro Tip:<\/em><\/strong> Consider setting up a separate, professional Twitter account. (And yes, I\u2019m repeating the same tip as above on purpose. This separation can be quite important when implementing social selling.) <\/em><\/p>\n

3. LinkedIn<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally \u2013 a social media channel where social selling is not only acceptable, it\u2019s de rigueur!<\/em> (I took Spanish, but I\u2019m told that\u2019s a cool French term to use.)
\n<\/em>
\nBecause it\u2019s a professional site, users understand that they\u2019ll be seeing a lot of sales-y posts in their timeline. So they\u2019re already primed for you to hit them with a targeted sales message \u2013 don\u2019t waste the opportunity!<\/p>\n

Whether they\u2019re on LinkedIn that day to connect with their peers, look for jobs, or get some industry insights, the odds are really good that users are thinking about work and business. And if your product\/service is right for them \u2013 especially if it\u2019s work-related \u2013 then they should be receptive prospects.<\/p>\n

Pro Tip:<\/em><\/strong> Include a clutter-busting (but relevant) image with your post to stand out.<\/em><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Be Scared of Social Selling \u2013 But Do it Right!<\/h2>\n

I\u2019m not a huge fan of social selling, unless it\u2019s done right. And that means you need to:<\/p>\n