What ever happened to an old-fashioned phone call? Even in the workplace, email is slowly replacing the phone. More professionals favor email over the phone in the workplace and this number continues to increase as more millennial enter the workforce. Currently, email is the dominant form of communication in the workplace. If email has already become the main form of communication, social media or texting may be the next main form of communication in the workplace. Social media is already occuring and changing the sales process as it’s another media for brands and companies to reach their consumers.
Here are 3 ways social media is changing the selling process:
Blogs
User generated content on blogs have proven to be successful in a selling process. These charts show demonstrate participants whom more than 50% read multiple blogs a day, a total of 70% say blogs influence what we buy and according to the site, 55% of companies with blogs drive more visitors to their websites. There’s also a higher ROI associated with the frequency a company or brand blogs and the likelihood someone is to purchase.
It introduces us to people we might have not been introduced to otherwise. Unlike your Facebook “living room,” Twitter has a non-abrasive away to connect with a world of prospects for your business. It’s also a platform for two-way communication that allows you to build relationships in a non-sales environment. Similar to a networking event, on Twitter you can introduce and meet others professional online.
This may be the best tool for prospecting new clients and generating leads. On LinkedIn, we’re all in our professional backyard and possibly feel most comfortable reaching out to someone who might have a common connection. Tips to using LinkedIn as the powerful business tool that it is, include adding keywords that people may search for in the LinkedIn search bar. Another tip is participating in group questions which builds your credibility (if you’re offering valuable insight) and also increases your visibility in the search engine.
Once you’ve made the relationship on one social media platform, it seems common that most individuals feel comfortable to connect further on other platforms. For instance, you may have been introduced on Twitter and although you’ve never met in real life (IRL), you connect on Twitter and then by email. The sales process is no longer the same! Through social media, this relationship is much deeper as he/she is familiar with you as a sales person or vice versa
So, although the phone is not completely retired in the workplace and still widely used by the Baby Boomer Generation, the sales process is quickly being changed by social media. What ways do you use social media for your business? Have you purchased from a company after being connected with them on social media?