After an interesting chat with a good friend in sales and how he would like to find ways to market his products while working with a big brand but had found it extremely hard as the brand had major restrictions on marketing and social media.

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As I have worked in marketing with big brands, I understand the fear of releasing the rains on social media and digital marketing to the individual as we have seen the disasters of employee’s social media posts. From off-brand posts to outright disrespect for the brand and product.

 

The fear is real, so how do we allow our sales forces to be our brand ambassadors if we have to limit them at every turn?

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In the days before the digital world, all you had to do was make sure they wore their branded work attire and had branded pens, notebooks, calendars and finally their business cards. However, times have changed our client has changed and the way they shop and make decisions have changed too. So surely the tools we give our salespeople should change as well?

 

So, this got me thinking!

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Why should our salespeople be part of social media marketing? This is best put by a more traditional definition from Forbes, “Social selling is a way for sales teams to use social media to connect with prospects and provide them with value.”

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In days gone by people would walk into a showroom or shop and speak to a salesperson. Now we research our products online and read reviews from past clients.  Make more sense for our sales teams to be on social media as salespeople.

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And here is why.

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LinkedIn research states that 78% of social sellers outsell in comparison to colleagues who don’t use social media. Combine that stat with the following two insights, and the case for social selling becomes even stronger.

According to a LinkedIn study, 75% of B2B buyers now use social media to research vendors.

A survey by Sales for Life found that 90% of decision-makers say they never respond to cold outreach.

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Now that I have you thinking along the same lines the big question is how.

     

      Get in contact with one of our media gurus to come in and help you.

      Or

      Use this simple 6-step plan from www.socialmediaexaminer.com

 

This is a quick summary of the plan. For a deeper dive click the link above.

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1. Get buy-in from stakeholders

2. Explain the playing field

3. Lead by example

4. Make the Adoption of Social Easy

5. Set Clear and Attainable Goals

6. Maintain Sustainability and Momentum

 

 

How we at The Digital Media Guru can help you implement and maintain a 

Brand-correct social media presence.

 

1. Social Media and The Brand Training

2. Policies and Procedures for using social media (under the brand)

3. Brand Identity Blueprint and Style Guide (giving the do’s and do not’s of the brand.)

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At the end of the day, your sales team is the most qualified member to reach and educate your prospective clients on your product and brand.  As they have the most to gain.