What role will social selling play in 2020?

As 3.2 billion people are now fully-fledged social media users – a figure that’s growing – there’s never been a more critical time for forward-thinking brands to be present online.

And, with a constant stream of posts delivered into cyber space at a rate of knots, the challenges organisations face when attempting to stand out and cut through the digital noise are exponential.

So, how can enterprises create lead generation from their digital activity when they must compete alongside billions of posts and millions of other firms on a global scale?

That’s where effective social selling can truly help. Firstly, it’s important to look at the incredible powers it presents. For example, companies that utilise their digital presence to its fullest can often generate 45% more leads and opportunities than non-social peers.

According to another recent study, 78% of social selling salespeople are outselling peers – with 31% of B2B professionals believing they build deeper relationships with customers thanks to this activity. So, it’s time to delve into its powers a little deeper…

1. Enabling enterprises to keep the conversation alive

Talking directly to customers 24/7 is not only a necessity, it’s expected. People want to feel loved by the enterprises they’re buying from, so those marketing and sales departments that are able to build up a strong reputation for being responsive, helpful – and above all else, human – should see some positive results throughout 2020.

Brand loyalty should remain at a premium for firms to enable them to both stay ahead of the curve and positively impact their bottom-line.

Over the coming 12 months, we’re expecting customer expectations to further increase, so organisations will have to be savvy with their social media marketing if they are to create long-lasting relationships online.

2. Greater sharing of content from employees

Many enterprises talk about producing ‘valuable’ copy, but it’s still proving difficult for brands to be able to feel like a trusted source for several customers.

That’s because many digital users feel organisations are only looking to sell, rather than create content they want to consume. People want helpful insight in order to build trust, and know that when they have a question, it’ll be answered effectively.

Content will be king in 2020, so can brands really afford to ignore the research which highlights how only 4 percent of consumers believe advertisers and marketers nowadays?

Where social selling can play a pivotal role to change these perceptions is through Employee Advocacy Programmes. These initiatives have proven to produce a lead generating success rate – with brands enjoying 79% more visibility as a result.

Companies placing value on how much their staff can get the right messages across – at the right time and to the right audience – can typically find themselves in a much stronger position to be heard and trusted by consumers who matter.

People ultimately buy from people, so it’s important for organisations to run with this and empower employees to both buy into its messaging and let their networks know too.

3. Utilising data to understand customers

Relevant insight is becoming more critical than ever before. Why? Because without analysing online behaviours and buying habits – which are evolving every single second – a digital strategy that never develops too, is pretty pointless.

Lead generation via social media should be a key consideration for businesses throughout the next 12 months to not only boost brand recognition, but increase engagement levels too.

Understanding the best ways of how to measure social selling – such as setting KPIs and objectives, tweaking online content to reflect changing customer needs – are all vital for businesses to ensure their online game is a total knockout.

If there’s still a question mark over how to measure the metrics that matter, our blog article should help.

Social selling will have a pivotal role to play in the success – and failure – of an organisation’s online activity throughout 2020. It’s now up to its workforces to roll out content that reflects evolving customer attitudes and empower colleagues to share crucial posts that generate critical leads.

If you’re interested in empowering your teams to work together, and generate leads via social media, email: info@soampli.com or call 0845 2725990. Make sure you also connect with us via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

SoAmpli turns sales teams into social selling stars, increasing sales and powering brands. Sounds interesting? Let’s have a chat: https://soampli.com/contact/demo