Social media is now a well-established part of the marketer’s
toolkit. Many companies invest a lot of time and money into cultivating their
social media presence. However, while social media is valuable for lead
generation, many people question whether it can be useful for an individual
salesperson. A recent survey by SmartPulse found that:
- 45% of respondents do not use social media for sales.
- 21% use social media as part of the process but then move to other channels.
- 18% use social media for sales, but not on a 1 to 1 basis.
- 15% use social media for the whole process.
This suggests a clear division among salespeople. However, there are
more and more suggestions that those salespeople who are not using social media
may be missing out. A large part of a salesperson’s job is to listen to their
customers and to maintain in-depth knowledge of their market. Social media
produces many opportunities for both of these activities. Whether it is
reaching out to a frustrated consumer on Twitter or noticing that a previous
contact has a role at a new business, social media can provide valuable
information for salespeople.
Many salespeople also question the value of putting in the time
and effort of maintaining a social media presence. It can be difficult to prove
return on investment directly from social media and it requires a lot of
commitment to be useful. However, it could be argued that social media is the
modern equivalent of cold calling, and if it is pursued with the same level of
determination it can be just as effective.
Do you have any social media success stories?
Hays Sales
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