Social Media for Business: 3 Reasons Salespeople Need an Online Presence

Sales is evolving. The buyer has more control than ever and it’s important for salespeople to respond to that shifting dynamic. You’ve got to engage with the prospect throughout their consideration stage -- and to do that, you have to be where your prospects are: Social media.

仍然认为社交媒体是为了被动地扫描Facebook或阅读令人发指的推文吗？再想一想。

A 2016Mediakix survey发现普通人每天在Facebook上花费35分钟，在Snapchat上25分钟，在Instagram上15分钟，在YouTube上花费了40分钟。每天将近两个小时。

Why Should I Have Social Media for Business?

Still not convinced it’s time to use your social media powers for good? Here are a few more arguments.

1) It raises awareness of what you do

When you tweet educational articles, share a company award announcement on LinkedIn, or answer a common client question on Instagram Stories, you’re building a personal and professional brand.

Arecent studyfound 40% of salespeople have closed between two and five deals directly related to or because of social media.

If a prospect Googles you while in the awareness or consideration stages of the buyer’s journey and finds you’ve shared a blog post directly speaking to their pain points -- you’ve already begun to educate them.

Don’t miss out on early engagement by not having a professional social media presence.

2) It’s great for networking

This is a no-brainer. If you haven’t updated your LinkedIn profile in a few years, take a few minutes to include a recent photo, awards or certifications, and any promotions or new jobs you’ve received.

然后，跟随前景，行业重量级和同行，并在其帖子和推文上分享或发表评论。这不仅是在您的行业中脱颖而出的好方法 - 这也是进行热情宣传的完美方式。

By commenting on or liking prospect posts, you’re engaging in their daily work without being pushy or aggressive.

But remember to respond in kind. If a prospect “likes” a tweet, don’t immediately send a DM asking for a demo. Instead, reply by mentioning them and saying thanks for the interaction.

3) It builds your personal brand

ACareerBuilder surveyfound 70% of employers snoop on candidates’ social media accounts during hiring.

如果你定期分享你写的博客,就像nt on industry news, and interact with peers and prospects, you’re letting potential employers know you’re actively engaged in advancing your career, your company, and your skills.

拥有一个强大的个人品牌也将吸引prospects. If you brand yourself as an expert in sourcing and selling quality widgets, prospects looking for quality widgets will likely find your social media accounts or content.

到达那里后，您认为他们会选择哪个销售员？一位对小部件或有关《权力的游戏》第三季有几条推文的明显知识的人？

建立专业在线形象的社交媒体技巧

Building a professional social media presence can be intimidating. Do you scrub old photos of you having a little too much fun at the bar? Do you start spamming everyone you know with content about widget creation?

这真的要花多少时间？以下是Dan Tire社交媒体学校的一些提示：

1) Open and optimize your accounts

Start with the basics: Make sure you have a LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram account -- and throw in Snapchat if you’ve got the time.

来源：Dan Tyre's LinkedIn

Once you’ve opened these accounts, follow each channel’s directions for optimizing your profile. Blank or inactive accounts are almost as bad as not having one at all. Add photos, fill out the bio and interests sections, and join or follow groups when applicable.

If you already have these accounts set up, make sure they’re updated with your most current information and a professional photo, and remove any information that might be too polarizing.

You don’t want to look like a robot, but think twice about overly political posts, unprofessional photos, or disparaging comments. Wondering how to tell when to remove something from your accounts? Ask two questions:

1. 这篇文章/照片/文章会让某人不舒服吗？
2. Would it be inappropriate for me to share this post/photo/article at work?

If you need a channel to express yourself in an unfiltered way, set those accounts to private and keep that content between yourself and close friends or family.

2) Create content

This scares folks, but it’s one of the easiest things to do. Just start talking! Record yourself answering a common client question and turn that recording into a blog post. Ask your marketing department if you can write a guest post for their blog (I guarantee they won’t say no).

And always write about what you know. To find topics, consider what you’re good at or what coworkers ask for your help on. Once you’ve identified those areas -- start writing.

来源：Dan Tyre's Twitter

3) Automate posts

The life of a salesperson is busy. Thankfully, sites likeHootsuite和Buffermake it easy to schedule tweets, Facebook posts, and more ahead of time.

Block off 15 minutes every Friday afternoon and schedule content for the following week. That way, your posts are published automatically.

4) Stay human

Don’t mistake professionalism for roboticism. Keep post language conversational and jargon-free. When responding to someone who’s shared or commented on your content, match their tone and level of formality.

After all, this is your personal brand, so it should sound like you.

来源：Dan Tyre's Instagram

5) Post your intent

Don’t passively share articles. Personalize the text accompanying each post, and let your audience know you welcome questions and feedback.

The more open you are about helping, teaching, and learning from your followers, the better your online relationships will be.

6) Hold office hours

Take that intent one step further by hosting office hours. Pick a topic and let your followers know when you’ll be available to answer their questions. A sample post might look like:

“I get a lot of questions about the proper cadence of phone calls and emails for prospects. Since it seems like something a lot of people struggle with, I’ll be answering questions and sharing my favorite tips on Twitter tomorrow night from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm EST. Use #CadenceChat to chime in.”

Facebook and Instagram Live are also great ways to communicate with your followers. Share a post like the one above, and customize it with the time you’ll be going live.

广播后，鼓励人们评论他们的问题，以便您可以实时回答。

LinkedIn是与同行和潜在客户沟通的越来越流行的方式。与其链接到帖子，不如在评论部分中与问题或常见的痛点共享状态，并要求反馈。

Followers can share their thoughts on a subject like, “What’s your cadence for calling and emailing your prospects?” And make sure to respond to comments your followers leave stoking a lively debate everyone can learn from.

Social media is more than cat memes and food pics. Use it to advance your career, make valuable connections, and … OK, share the occasional cat meme. Find me on social media to let me know what you think about these steps.