One way some B2B businesses increase their sales is through social selling. In fact, 60% of surveyed US B2B marketers named their social media strategies as their top revenue-generating channel in 2023.
No wonder 95% of B2B brands are now on social media.
To better leverage this type of selling, here’s what you need to keep in mind. While it’s important that you know how to create a winning social selling strategy, it’s also equally crucial to know the right channels where B2B performs well.
After all, even if you spend an insane amount on time creating awesome posts, they won’t reap results if you’re not in the right place.
But first… here’s how B2B sales can benefit from social selling
Unfortunately, some B2B businesses are still hesitant to go into social selling—even when most B2B companies already do.
Perhaps it’s due to time constraints, or hesitation to try modern sales methods. But whatever the reason may be, here are the reasons why you shouldn’t miss out on B2B sales opportunities and social selling efforts.
It strengthens your bond with customers.
Social media channels are platforms for strengthening connections with B2B customers. In fact, 31% of B2B professionals claim that with social selling has helped them create deeper client relationships.
An effective way to achieve this is through social listening. This is about monitoring and analyzing conversations and mentions about you, your industry, and direct competitors across social media platforms so you gain a stronger understanding of your customers’ sentiments.
It positions you as a valuable resource.
Social selling involves sharing valuable content, that educates your audience. So, if you consistently publish valuable posts, you establish yourself as a trusted authority in your field. More so, you become a go-to resource for industry information. Congratulations! You just became the top-of-mind vendor in your B2B domain.
It expands your reach.
B2B social selling can truly level up your exposure because social media reaches further than your local borders. One of the big wins? Amplifying your brand visibility. With any social platform’s massive global audience, you’re essentially putting your brand on the map for a worldwide audience to see.
It nurtures potential clients.
Through nurturing prospects from the get-go, you increase your odds of converting leads into customers. When you constantly show up on social channels, you increase your chance to be the top-of-mind choice. This early involvement in the sales cycle boosts your lead generation and conversion rates and sets the stage for long-term customer relationships.
It humanizes the sales process.
Conventional, sales teams can sometimes feel cold—especially when there are set sales scripts. But with B2B social selling, you’re adding a unique and personal touch to the sales game.
On social media platforms, you have the chance to showcase your company’s personality. By sharing behind-the-scenes peeks, introducing team members, or telling personal stories, you add character to your brand.
The 6 best B2B social selling channels we recommend
Now that you know some of the most valuable benefits of social selling B2B, it’s time to meet the right social platforms to concentrate your efforts. Here are the six best social channels for B2B companies:
LinkedIn is the leading social platform for professional networking. With over a billion members in over 200 countries, you can think of it as the VIP lounge for professionals.
Unlike other social platforms (where you might be scrolling through cat memes), LinkedIn is where serious people come to hire, get hired, network, share insights, and do business. Also, 10% of the platform’s members are the decision-makers of their businesses.
What does this mean? When used correctly in B2B social selling, you can connect and nurture relationships with them. What makes the whole process easier is there are given tools to identify, research, and engage with your ideal clients. This could be the reason why LinkedIn accounts for 80% of social media leads.
Why is it one of the best social channels or B2B?
- It’s an ideal platform for B2B sales prospecting. Since LinkedIn has a vast network of professionals, including top executives and industry leaders, meaningful connections are always possible.
- The platform is a perfect place to share thought leadership content, industry insights, and product updates because buyers tend to read an average of 10 articles on LinkedIn before making a purchase.
- Features like InMail and advanced search filters make LinkedIn lead generation much more targeted. As a matter of fact, it’s the channel that drives the most high-quality leads for 40% of B2B marketers.
A few cons of using LinkedIn in B2B social selling:
- It can be highly competitive due to its popularity among B2B, considering that 65+ million business decision-makers are LinkedIn members.
- LinkedIn’s advertising options can be expensive compared to other social media platforms.
X (formerly Twitter)
Rebranded from Twitter, X has its fair share of eventful transitions, from algorithms to changes in management. Today, it has approximately 556 million monthly active users who share commentary, news, and insights. It’s like the fast lane of social media—with breaking news, emerging trends, and real-time conversations.
X is also quite popular in the B2B industry. In fact, 67% of B2B marketers use it for digital marketing. Additionally, 40% of users admit that they bought something they saw on the platform.
Why is it a great social channel for B2B?
- 93% of X community members are cool with brands getting involved in their conversations, meaning B2B’s real-time interaction with users is more than welcome.
- X has analytics to gauge what content resonates most with your target audience.
- X is a place to network and build relationships with fellow B2B industry peers, potential clients, and decision-makers.
A few cons of using LinkedIn in B2B social selling:
- X has a character limit, so it can be restrictive when writing complex messages, especially in B2B sales, where power lies in conveying value propositions and solution benefits. (Solution: create threads.)
- The high volume of real-time content in X makes it difficult to stand out.
Undoubtedly the largest social media platform by far, Facebook has over 3 billion monthly active users. So, it’s not really a surprise that many see it as a huge potential outlet for businesses. Just imagine the number of users you can reach with a single Facebook ad.
To leverage the platform for social selling, B2B companies usually create a Facebook business page to establish their official presence. On that page, you’re free to share your content, run ads, and interact with followers. Overall, you can leverage Facebook to increase awareness, traffic and even humanize your professional brand name.
Why is it one of the best social selling channels for B2B?
- Facebook is easily accessible. In fact, 19% of US shoppers search on Facebook first to start a product search. This shows the platform’s influence as a product discovery and evaluation platform.
- Facebook groups let companies engage with communities, share insights, and build relationships with potential clients. There are over 10 million Facebook groups where B2B businesses can join and actively participate.
- The platform’s own messenger allows one-on-one communication, giving salespeople a platform to provide personalized support and answer questions.
A few cons of using Facebook in B2B social selling:
- Facebook faced data breaches in recent years, affecting the trust in the platform and raising security concerns among users.
- Facebook’s algorithm changes frequently. This makes organic content less visible and makes it harder for B2B sales professionals to reach their target audience.
- The high volume of B2B sales ads displayed on Facebook may lead to ad fatigue, causing them to be less effective and less engaging.
YouTube
With over 900 million users worldwide, YouTube is one of the most popular platforms on the internet, thanks to its highly effective recommendation algorithms. What’s even more interesting is that YouTube is actually the second largest search engine after Google.
B2B companies using it for social selling can leverage the platform to increase discovery and brand awareness. As more consumers today prefer to consume video content, YouTube captures the attention of prospects—80% of users end up buying software or apps after watching a brand’s video. And in terms of SEO, you can reach more potential clients using this social and thus drive traffic to your website.
Why is it a recommended social selling channel for B2B?
- Videos are more engaging and impactful in showcasing products. In a report, 92% of video marketers say video definitely paid off in 2023.
- With YouTube, optimized videos have the potential to rank high in search results. Just add compelling titles, descriptions, tags, transcripts, and associated websites/links, to greatly improve your discoverability.
- You can find Shorts right on the YouTube homepage, and these short-form videos get billions of daily views.
A few cons of using YouTube in B2B social selling:
- Not all B2B sales professionals may feel comfortable appearing on camera or creating video content.
- Producing high-quality videos for YouTube can be costly and time-consuming, requiring investment in equipment, editing software, and production resources.
With around 1.4 billion users around the world, Instagram proves that it’s one of the most popular social media platforms in the world—especially for Gen Z users. Users can follow other accounts, like and comment on posts, and share content. Plus, Instagram’s features are seriously next-level. From Stories to Reels to IGTV, there are countless ways to engage with your audience.
Yet Instagram is often underutilized by B2B organizations versus the 98% of fashion brands that use the platform for marketing. But given its popularity among younger demographics, Instagram is a great way for B2B to drive awareness, influence perceptions, and connect with clients. Businesses can create free Instagram Business profiles for showing off their products and services.
Why is it a recommended social selling channel for B2B?
- Its visual appeal makes it perfect for showcasing products and services in an engaging and eye-catching way. Visually highlighting product features through stylized and edited static images, as well as dynamic video, is very effective.
- Instagram primarily attracts younger individuals. Many B2B companies are looking forward to tapping into this next generation of decision-makers.
- Instagram’s “Link in bio” feature and clickable posts offer valuable lead capture options for B2B social selling efforts. A whopping 150 million people use Instagram every month to communicate directly with businesses. This direct pathway makes it easier for B2B leads to find out more, thereby increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of social selling.
A few cons of using Instagram in B2B social selling:
- Overexposure to sponsored content on Instagram may cause our audience to tune out or disengage from social selling campaigns.
- You may need to supplement your Instagram social selling efforts with other channels of communication due to Instagram’s emphasis on visual content.
TikTok
A somewhat underrated social platform for most B2Bs, TikTok is a social media platform known for its short-form videos across a wide range of categories, including dance challenges, comedy sketches, and educational content. With over 1.7 billion users (as of 2023), it has become the go-to platform for self-expression and entertainment.
Social selling B2B can leverage the explosive growth of the platform to reach younger demographics. In fact, 40 percent of Gen Z use TikTok for searching rather than Google. By hopping on relevant trends and challenges, B2B brands can inject themselves into the conversation and capture the attention of their target audience in a fun and engaging way.
Why is it the best social channel for B2B?
- Using TikTok’s engaging format, you will catch the eye of your potential users and encourage them to interact with content, boosting engagement levels.
- You can quickly gain widespread visibility and share through TikTok’s “For You” page algorithm. The algorithm lets your videos reach beyond a business’s current following and be seen by many more potential customers.
A few cons of using TikTok in B2B social selling:
- It may not be an ideal channel for B2B companies targeting older corporate decision-makers. The audience tends to be teenagers and those in their 20s rather than older executives.
- It forces brands to condense messaging into very short video formats because of its 15 or 60-second video limit.
8 tips and best practices for engaging in social selling channels
1. Know who you’re talking to
Identify your target audience and select the channels where they are. Understand their interests and pain points. Conduct thorough market research to uncover common characteristics and preferences. Take advantage of social media analytics tools to gather insights into the behavior and interests of your audience on each B2B social selling platform.
2. Educate the audience
One crucial tip for successful social selling is to prioritize educating your audience and providing value before making any sales pitches. You should position yourself as a helpful resource first, so you build thought leadership over time and generate leads. After all, it’s easier to buy from someone you trust.
3. Don’t just promote, provide value
Avoid overly straightforward and promotional content, or else you might be tagged as a pushy business. Not only can this turn off potential clients, but it might also damage your credibility. Instead, offer genuine value through your content.
4. Let your personality shine through
When engaging in social selling channels, it’s crucial not to overly script your responses to build rapport with your audience. Instead of relying on pre-written scripts that may make you sound robotic, strive to respond to inquiries and comments in a genuine manner.
5. Remember that social selling is about people
Keep in mind that social selling is about people—and not sales reps or just transactions. Focus on building meaningful relationships and connections with your audience rather than solely pushing sales pitches. Be empathetic and approachable. Show that you genuinely care about helping them solve their problems and achieve their goals.
6. Use hashtags strategically
Research relevant hashtags within your industry and identify those that are popular yet specific to your target audience. Incorporate a mix of broad and niche hashtags to maximize your content’s discoverability while targeting the right audience.
7. Be a social butterfly
Never underestimate the power of being a social butterfly in your social selling game. Actively engage with your audience. Don’t just post content and wait for interactions—be the first to like, comment, and share others’ posts within your community.
8. Make brand advocacy part of your workplace culture
A powerful strategy for social selling is to leverage your employees as your own brand ambassadors. Empower them to share their experiences, insights, and successes on social media. Showcase the human side of your company through the voices of your employees, and you’ll humanize your connections with your audience.
Here’s an added bonus: B2B companies with CEOs and executives who are active on social media platforms stand to benefit from their network and connections.
Focus your B2B social selling activities on the best channels in 2024
The benefits of social selling in B2B sales are irrefutable.
From strengthening your bond with customers to nurturing potential clients, leveraging social media become increasingly important for businesses looking to multiply revenue streams beyond their website.
As you strive to optimize your sales strategies for success in 2024, consider focusing on these six best B2B social selling channels in maximizing your sales funnel and strategy’s ROI.
Now here’s where it gets really good. Whenever you’re ready to take your social selling game a step further, try employing professional-level virtual assistants. Here at TaskDrive, our VAs can navigate the different social selling channels seamlessly. Additionally, they have the expertise to leverage advanced AI tools and technology, making them ultra efficient and productive.
Book a free phone consultation today and see how our VAs can help you optimize the use of social media for building relationships and driving growth.
