Loree O'sullivan

SELLING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA: CHARMING PROSPECTS WITH CONTEXT & CONFIDENCE

LOREE O’SULLIVAN 2 LOREE O’SULLIVAN DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIST

AT FABRICUT INC.

Digital Marketer dig·i·tal /ˈdijidl/ mar·ket·er /ˈmärkədər/ A marketer who does all the things on all the devices for all of the platforms to accomplish all the goals for all of the teams - and still somehow manages to achieve greatness (with the help of coffee). SELLING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

CHARMING PROSPECTS WITH CONTEXT & CONFIDENCE Social media is everywhere. It’s everything!

Whether consumers are researching reviews of a product, looking for customer support for an issue, sharing their satisfaction or disappointment from a purchase, or asking WHY ARE WE questions around best practices - social media has become LOOKING AT the place where consumers can engage in a way that is fast, SOCIAL MEDIA? reactive, and fits into their established dialogue. JUST HOW OBSESSED WITH SOCIAL MEDIA ARE WE? DOWN TO THE NUMBERS

54 74 78 22 60

BUSINESSES GENERATED USE FACEBOOK USAGE ACROSS WORLD POPULATION USE INSTAGRAM DAILY LEADS FROM SOCIAL DAILY AGE GROUPS 30-49 ON FACEBOOK

54% of B2B businesses 74% of Facebook users Use any form of social media: 22% of the world’s total 60% users indicate that they visit and marketers said say they visit the site daily 88% of 18 to 29 population uses these platforms on a daily basis. they’ve generated leads 78% of 30 to 49 Facebook. from social media 64% of 50 to 64

SOURCE http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/03/01/social-media-use-in-2018/ A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM LAUNCH DATES 2008 SPOTIFY LAUNCH 2012 TINDER LAUNCH NOW 2002 PING LAUNCH FRIENDSTER LAUNCH 2010 2006 ASK.FM LAUNCH TWITTER LAUNCH QUORA LAUNCH 1996 INSTAGRAM LAUNCH BOLT.COM LAUNCH GOOGLE BUZZ LAUNCH ICQ LAUNCH 2000 2004 PINTEREST LAUNCH LUNARSTORM LAUNCH FACEBOOK LAUNCH

LIVEJOURNAL LAUNCH FOURSQUARE LAUNCH YOUTUBE LAUNCH PERISCOPE LAUNCH YAHOO! MESSENGER LAUNCH REDDIT LAUNCH DISCORD LAUNCH MSN MESSENGER LAUNCH 2009 2005 GOOGLE+ LAUNCH 2015 1999 SNAPCHAT LAUNCH SKYPE LAUNCH TWITCH.TV LAUNCH MYSPACE LAUNCH TUMBLR LAUNCH LIVEJOURNAL LAUNCH PHOTOBUCKET LAUNCH FRIENDFEED LAUNCH YAHOO! MESSENGER LAUNCH 2011 WORDPRESS LAUNCH MSN MESSENGER LAUNCH FLIKR LAUNCH 2007 VINE LAUNCH SIX DEGREES LAUNCH GOOGLE HANGOUTS LAUNCH LINKEDIN LAUNCH 1997 2003 2013

SOURCE: https://interestingengineering.com/chronological-history-of-social-media A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY THE BIG PLAYERS 2008 SPOTIFY LAUNCH 2012 TINDER LAUNCH NOW 2002 PING LAUNCH FRIENDSTER LAUNCH 2010 2006 ASK.FM LAUNCH TWITTER LAUNCH QUORA LAUNCH 1996 INSTAGRAM LAUNCH BOLT.COM LAUNCH GOOGLE BUZZ LAUNCH ICQ LAUNCH 2000 2004 PINTEREST LAUNCH LUNARSTORM LAUNCH FACEBOOK LAUNCH

SOURCE: https://interestingengineering.com/chronological-history-of-social-media DOES SOCIAL Social Media is important to your prospects, your customers, your colleagues, your Great Aunt Mildred, and more. MEDIA MATTER People put their interests, hobbies, successes, losses, fears, opinions, IN SALES? milestones, and more out there for their network - why not use this information to help improve your sales efforts? STEP ONE: STEP TWO: STEP THREE: OPTIMIZE FIND YOUR TAKE CONTEXT YOUR ACCOUNTS PROSPECTS AND AND TURN IT ENGAGE INTO ACTION OPTIMIZE YOUR ACCOUNTS

SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL SOLUTION

Social media is a great tool, but it doesn’t mean that every platform is a perfect fit for your business. It’s important to do your research and find out which platform is going to resonate most with your audience. BENEFITS OF EACH PLATFORM

SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL SOLUTION

Great for starting conversations with current users of your product (set up social monitoring!), research on prospects (political affiliation, hobbies, etc.), thought-leadership, gaining industry knowledge, and company pulse-checks.

Great for sharing events and updates, posting job opportunities, networking to gain referrals, allowing organic business- related conversations to blossom, building rapport, and research on prospects.

Great for visually-based industries (fashion, food, lifestyle, home, travel, marketing, etc.), building thought-leadership, building rapport, gaining industry knowledge, and research on prospects.

Great for starting conversations with prospects, connecting with key decision-makers, networking, thought-leadership, building rapport, research on prospects, company pulse-checks, and building your online resume pitch. WHICH PLATFORM SHOULD I USE?

SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL SOLUTION

- Fully personal (privacy dependent on preference) - 50/50 mix of personal or business (privacy dependent on preference) - Two accounts: personal (private) & business (public)

Should generally be for personal use, not business. Keep everything clean and professional if you plan to use for business. When a business relationship ventures into personal, with caution it may be appropriate to add friends. Personal decision on whether or not to accept friend requests from business connections.

- Fully personal (privacy dependent on preference) - 50/50 mix of personal or business (privacy dependent on preference) - Two accounts: personal (private) & business (public)

Should exclusively be used for professional reasons. Feel free to connect with anyone in your industry. This is your online resume and company calling card and not a place to overshare. WHICH PLATFORM SHOULD I USE?

SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL SOLUTION

SOURCE: https://www.forrester.com/report/The+Social+Behaviors+Of+Your+B2B+Customers/-/E-RES99721 BUSINESS VS. PERSONAL

SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL SOLUTION

Using Social Media for business is tough because there is a thin line between what’s appropriate to share with your friends and family but what is NOT appropriate to share with your colleagues and customers. WHAT IS APPROPRIATE TO SHARE?

SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL SOLUTION

YES NO

Company news, event photos, press releases Political Affiliation / opinions Vacation photo update Personal information Awards / Achievements Questionable photos Networking requests Personal struggles & rants Featured presentations, podcasts, webinars, etc. Negative or disrespectful comments Articles that promote thought-leadership Vulgar language or derogatory remarks Customer success stories Poor grammar and typos ACCOUNT SETUP: BEST PRACTICES

SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL SOLUTION

For any social media account that you are planning on using for business, here are some best practices to follow:

USE YOUR REAL NAME

INCLUDE YOUR BUSINESS INFORMATION

KEEP YOUR PROFILE / BIO SIMPLE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD

KEEP UP A CONSISTENT POSTING FREQUENCY

USE A PROFESSIONAL PHOTO AS YOUR PROFILE PICTURE PRIVACY SETTINGS

SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL SOLUTION

Part of using social media for business is deciding who should see what, and which platforms are best for which types of updates.

If using any social media platform for business, keep your profile as public as you feel comfortable with. You want your prospects and customers to be able to find you.

If you’re only using a social media platform for personal use, or you have two accounts (one personal and one business) - keep the profiles private.

It’s also important to respect your prospects’ privacy. If they don’t want to use their social media accounts for business, that’s okay (more on that later). KNOW WHEN TO QUIT

SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL SOLUTION

Sometimes, social media is just not a good fit for certain companies, industries, or regions.

How will you know? Research your competitors to find out what platforms they are using, their strategies, their response rates, the types of content that resonates in your industry, etc. See if your prospects and customers are active on social media for their businesses. See if thought-leaders are engaged and active online, and have a community of followers.

Even if you aren’t using social media for yourself to do business, it’s so important to be plugged into your industry online through social media - even as a passive recipient. STEP ONE: STEP TWO: STEP THREE: OPTIMIZING FINDING YOUR TAKING CONTEXT YOUR ACCOUNT PROSPECTS AND AND TURNING IT ENGAGING INTO ACTION ENGAGEMENT

FINDING YOUR PROSPECTS AND ENGAGING

Whether using a current account or a brand new account, the name of the game in social media is ENGAGEMENT.

Engagement means that you are thoughtfully interacting with accounts you follow on a consistent basis. HOW TO ENGAGE

FINDING YOUR PROSPECTS AND ENGAGING

Engagement is based on a few things:

LIKING POSTS

COMMENTING ON POSTS / PHOTOS

SHARING POSTS / RETWEETING

FOLLOWING NEW ACCOUNTS / PROFILES ENGAGEMENT IS A TWO-WAY STREET

FINDING YOUR PROSPECTS AND ENGAGING

When using any social media account for business, engagement is a two-way street.

It’s not just how much you’re interacting with accounts online - it’s also how much you are publishing on your own account and how much your followers are engaging with your content.

Not only do social media platforms prioritize engaged accounts over non-engaged accounts - in some cases non-engaged accounts will be de-prioritized over engaged accounts. HEALTHY SOCIAL MEDIA POSTING HABITS

FINDING YOUR PROSPECTS AND ENGAGING

Maintain an active, engaging account:

POST NEW, ORIGINAL CONTENT

APPROPRIATELY TAG RELEVANT COMPANIES / ACCOUNTS

SHARE POSTS / RETWEET

RESPOND TO COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON YOUR POSTS

FOLLOW NEW ACCOUNTS / ADD NEW FRIENDS

SHARE CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORIES AND CASE STUDIES “THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF WORK”

- YOU, RIGHT NOW LIKING, COMMENTING, & SHARING

FINDING YOUR PROSPECTS AND ENGAGING

THE GOOD

“Love this article! Thanks for sharing.”

“This design is breathtaking - great use of color!”

“Really thought-provoking, definitely what I needed to hear going into the workweek.”

“Jealous! Our family loves road trips.”

“Congrats! Excited to see how it all goes.”

“Great use of our product - thanks for sharing your work!”

“I’m going to share this with my audience! Great find.” LIKING, COMMENTING, & SHARING

FINDING YOUR PROSPECTS AND ENGAGING

THE BAD (AND THE UGLY)

“I’m surprised you went with COMPETITOR, we could have beaten their price!”

“wow” OR “great” OR “nice” OR “!” OR “perfect…”

“This is great but give me a call and I’ll show you something even better!”

“Looks like we haven’t connected before - give me a call at 800-999-9999 and set up a consultation”

“Want to get lunch to talk about your latest project?

“I left you a message, looking forward to your response.”

“LOL gr8 article” HOW TO FIND CONTENT

FINDING YOUR PROSPECTS AND ENGAGING

It really depends on your industry, what your company has available, and your ability to create your own content.

It’s important to post assets and updates that have context, are useful, and accomplish a goal. Sell the story.

IDEAS: Case studies, white papers, slide decks, product photography, customer photos, webinars, thoughtful quotes, event photos, product features, company updates, unique perspectives, etc.

Posting just for the sake of posting isn’t going to win you any new followers or build any engagement - it looks inauthentic (because it is). “THE BEST MARKETING DOESN’T FEEL LIKE MARKETING”

- TOM FISHBURNE HOW TO FIND YOUR PROSPECTS

FINDING YOUR PROSPECTS AND ENGAGING

A shortlist of the accounts and profiles you should follow:

CURRENT CUSTOMERS’ BUSINESS PAGES

PROSPECTS’ BUSINESS PAGES

INDUSTRY INFLUENCERS / THOUGHT-LEADERS

YOUR COMPANY BUSINESS PAGE

COMPETITOR BUSINESS PAGES RESPECTING SOCIAL MEDIA PRIVACY

FINDING YOUR PROSPECTS AND ENGAGING

You do not want to engage with your customers if they want to keep their private lives private.

If they are using their social media account as a business “calling card” - that’s great! They are ready to engage and connect and have sent out the right signals for their intentions.

But if not, we need to respect their privacy and not overstep. That means if you come across a profile that’s totally locked down - don’t add them!

LinkedIn is usually fair game, but use good judgement if you feel the situation may be awkward.

If you add someone on social media and they don’t respond or accept - don’t push. Everyone has different social media habits and preferences, and it’s important that you aren’t being pushy. OH, IT WORKED. THEY FOLLOWED ME BACK!?

FINDING YOUR PROSPECTS AND ENGAGING

WHAT DO I DO!!? Cool as a cucumber buddy, you got this.

If accounts start following you back - that’s a great sign! That means: they have NOTICED you are engaging with their posts you have an active account that is worth following they think you are worth building a relationship with

If you feel so inclined - shoot them a message to begin the relationship. Simple, genuine, and NOT a sales pitch.

You now have a great opportunity to continue engaging with them: commenting on their posts, liking their updates, sharing thought-leadership sentiments they publish, etc. OH, IT WORKED. THEY FOLLOWED ME BACK!?

FINDING YOUR PROSPECTS AND ENGAGING

However - our goal is to NOT be pushy.

We’re trying to build a relationship with these prospects and customers by engaging with them on social media.

We are not trying to throw a sales pitch at them.

People don’t want to be sold to on social media. What they want is to engage, interact, learn, be inspired, and grow their network.

In fact, we should wipe the idea from our minds entirely that a sale will happen online through social media.

Why? The truth is that social selling isn’t selling. It’s prospecting. FINDING TIME Building social media into your normal routine can be incredibly frustrating - you’re already so busy, how are you possibly going to have the time to do all of this? To that I ask you: IF YOUR COMPETITORS ARE FINDING THE TIME TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR BUSINESS - CAN’T YOU? A LINKEDIN STUDY ON SOCIAL SELLING: THOSE WHO USE SOCIAL SELLING TACTICS ARE ABLE TO ATTAIN 45% MORE SALES OPPORTUNITIES

SOURCE: https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/social-selling/what-is-social-selling STEP ONE: STEP TWO: STEP THREE: OPTIMIZING FINDING YOUR TAKING CONTEXT YOUR ACCOUNT PROSPECTS AND AND TURNING IT ENGAGING INTO ACTION LET’S RECAP

THE JOURNEY SO FAR

SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS SETUP PROSPECTS AND CUSTOMERS FOLLOWED You’ve done your research and have set up your You’ve gone through your contacts and followed business-focused social media accounts. the business accounts of your prospects and customers

REGULAR POSTING STRATEGY REGULAR ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY You have a plan for posting content, sharing You’ve set aside time each day to engage on social articles, and presenting yourself online media and maintain an active online relationship NEXT IS THE PART WHERE WE TALK ABOUT “SELLING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA” BEING A SOCIAL MEDIA SUPERSTAR

TAKING CONTEXT AND TURNING IT INTO ACTION

Being successful with social media boils down to these things:

CONSISTENCY

ENGAGEMENT

AUTHENTICITY

ORIGINALITY

GOOD JUDGEMENT THE DIFFERENCE WITH SOCIAL SELLING

TAKING CONTEXT AND TURNING IT INTO ACTION

The secret to social media sales? THE NEXT STEP

It’s what you do with the relationships you build, the rapport your foster, and the information you glean from these prospects that empowers you to sell with context.

That’s where you come in:

THE CONTEXTUAL SALES HERO CONTEXT: FINDING THE HOOK

TAKING CONTEXT AND TURNING IT INTO ACTION

USING CONTEXT FOR SALES IS…

… knowing the pain points you can help solve … building rapport based on common interests … engaging based on recent events, changes, or milestones in your prospects’ business … understanding current project needs and being informed to fill in the gaps … establishing yourself and your company as a thought-leader in the industry … being able to speak about industry news and engage in dialogue from thought-leaders … having earned a prospects’ trust - allowing for more open and impactful sales conversations … understanding who the key decision makers are in an organization … knowing which industry events that prospects will be attending … establish familiarity, so prospects feel comfortable reaching out to you when they enter the buying cycle - or have questions … providing value by answering questions or responding to comments … building a deeper relationship - that goes beyond the sales-to-customer relationship VISUALIZING SUCCESS

TAKING CONTEXT AND TURNING IT INTO ACTION

THE GOALS:

Create a remarkable experience for your prospects.

Build an authentic relationship based on context.

Sell with confidence due of the insights you have gained.

Turn your prospect into a happy customer - who then becomes a promoter of your business. “WHEN YOU SAY IT, IT’S MARKETING. WHEN THEY SAY IT, IT’S SOCIAL PROOF.”

- ANDY CRESTODINA HOW TO BUILD YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA MACHINE

TAKING CONTEXT AND TURNING IT INTO ACTION

Tools to make your life easier:

SOCIAL PUBLISHING PLATFORM

SOCIAL LISTENING PLATFORM

CRM SYSTEM

THOUGHT-LEADERSHIP BLOGS GIVE IT TO ME STRAIGHT

SOCIAL MEDIA MATTERS TO YOU, BECAUSE IT MATTERS TO YOUR PROSPECTS

CONNECT RELATE ENGAGE BUILD Start a relationship with Find common Gather context to improve Use the context you have your prospects and ground that you can your relationships through gained in building genuine customers by connecting use to build rapport social media engagement relationship to establish with them on social media with prospects rapport for sales conversations THANK YOU!

LINKEDIN: /LOREEOSULLIVAN EMAIL: [email protected]