Article on "Leadership Role in Social Selling" in the Marketer August national publication. Written by Greg Kanz with Shive Hattery and Jeroen Corver with Townsquare media

1. [ ]PROMOTIONAL
ACTIVITY
The latest buzz in the marketing world
is social selling—the process of using
social media channels to position
yourself as an expert.You engage
followers by providing valuable insight
and answers to questions while building
relationships, eventually closing sales.
This strategy requires sharing what you
know. How much expertise are you willing
to give away? Does your firm’s leadership
team support this approach? Can potential
clients validate your expertise by visiting
your website, blog, or social channels?
Why Is Sharing Important?
Google makes “owning expertise” obsolete.
Your best strategy is to start sharing.The
Internet offers instant information through
online resources, social media, and blogs.
As clients research solutions, you want
to be their source of information.
In a recent Forbes article, “The Role of
Influence in the New Buyer’s Journey,”
Daniel Newman says 70 to 90 percent of
the buyer’s journey is completed prior to
engaging a company. He notes research by
Forrester saying a “consumer engages with
11.4 pieces of content prior to making a
purchase.” Firms that answer questions and
provide valuable insight will make the cut.
By sharing your knowledge, you allow
potential clients to validate your expertise
and sense what it will be like to work
with you.Twitter and LinkedIn are ideal
for sharing educational content; they
are the right platforms for social selling
in a business-to-business marketplace.
Your firm’s leaders need to be active in
these spaces. People want to connect
with your CEO, principals, and subject
matter experts.
Social networking is similar to business
networking. If you attend a networking
event and begin bombarding attendees with
promotions of your products or services,
most people will do their best to avoid you.
If you work the room and show interest
in the other attendees and offer valuable,
personalized insight, your success rate will
be much higher.
Apply this networking philosophy to your
social media strategy.You need a healthy
balance of education, entertainment, and
promotion. Always include why you are
sharing particular content. Participate
in online discussion groups, share your
ideas and opinions on a blog, and share
content of other sites that you believe your
followers should read.
Why Engage Leadership?
All of your employees contribute to the
overall marketing effort, but the CEO and
principals of your organization must model
the way.They are the face of the company,
the connection point to customers and
the community.
When your leadership is engaged, people
perceive your organization as more
accessible.Trust grows with potential
clients as you share expertise.Yes,
competitors will learn, too, but you will
be the market leader.
With leadership engaged, employees will
emulate the behavior. Provide social media
guidelines and education to encourage
compliance with your company’s personnel
policies, respect for confidentiality, and
exercising good judgment. Set an example
and teach best practices to create a critical
mass of social selling.
Social selling is similar to good old-
fashioned networking at conferences and
community events. By creating awareness
about your company, you have an opportu-
nity to build personal relationships.These
relationships with potential buyers are the
foundation for driving increased sales. n
Leadership’s Role in Social Selling
By Greg Kanz, CPSM, APR, and Jeroen Corver
City of Columbus Traffic Management Center, Columbus, OH. HNTB. Photo by Brad Feinknopf, www.feinknopf.com.
38 SOCIETY FOR MARKETING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES