If we still haven't managed to sell you (ha ha) the importance of creating a strategy for selling on social media, here are 4 reasons why you should give social selling a chance.
1. Social selling has proven itself
Don't just take our word for it. According to internal data from LinkedIn Sales Solutions :
Companies that lead in social selling generate 45% more sales opportunities than brands with lower SSI scores.
Companies that prioritize social selling are 51% more likely to meet their sales quotas.
78% of companies that use social selling sell more than those that don't use social media.
2. Social selling allows your sales teams to build real relationships
Social selling creates opportunities to connect with new potential customers on lithuania phone number data social media, where they're already active and participating in discussions. Using social listening tools allows your salespeople to go even further and identify leads who are already talking about your company, your competitors, or your industry.
More than 22% of users are on social media specifically to discover content published by their favorite brands, but the majority of Internet users are simply looking to connect: 23.9% are on social media to share their opinions and debate with others, 23.4% to meet new people and 21.7% to find communities and interest groups that are similar to them.
graphic showing the main reasons why people use social media and the first is to keep in touch with family and friends
In other words, people want relationships.
This means you can reach an audience that's already interested in what you offer and build authentic connections with them, providing them with useful information at the right time. Authenticity builds trust, which is the first step to building customer loyalty.
3. Your customers (and prospects) are already using social buying
A significant number of people use social media these days. For brands, this represents a wealth of opportunities to sell on social media.
4.74 billion people use social media worldwide.
Social media platforms attracted an additional 190 million active users in 2022 alone.
27% of internet users use social media to find ideas for things to do and buy, while 26.2% look for products to buy.
49.2% of social media users worldwide log in to learn about brands and view their content.
77% of people discover new products on social media.
In short, these users are ready to buy.
4. Your main competitors are already using social selling
Social selling is a way to stay competitive. Other brands are active on social media and interact with potential customers on popular platforms. According to Statista data : "In 2022, total sales made on social media worldwide were estimated at US$992 billion."
graph showing the total value of sales made on social networks worldwide between 2022 and 2026
Now, let's take a closer look at the numbers:
62.3% of Instagram users and 54.9% of Facebook users follow or search for brands.
Over 200 million Instagram users check a profile at least once a day, and half of them say they shop on Instagram every week .
70% of consumers research their next purchase on Instagram .
37% of Facebook users will make a purchase on the platform in 2023.
87% of YouTube users trust YouTubers for their recommendations.
(And that's not all! We've rounded up over 160 interesting social media statistics for marketers in 2023. )