“That’s one of the best parts of LinkedIn: Who is social stalking me? So, when I see those profiles, I’m most likely to click and view them back at that time.”
Today on Social At Scale we are excited to sit down with Liliana Christensen, our Head of Business Development and Partnerships here at EveryoneSocial.
Lily wears many hats. From sourcing new partners, to implementation and activating resellers, she’s always on the balls of her feet and keeping us on our toes. Which is appropriate, because she has a background in dance and fitness entrepreneurship as you’ll hear.
Some topics Lily and Cameron go over:
- Personal brand building
- Employee influencers
- Importance of partnerships
- Consolidation, and synergies
- Hunter gatherer mindset
- Sales leaders on social
- The long-tail is a big deal
- Start with relevance
- And much more…
Watch the Full Episode
Three valuable takeaways:
Key takeaway 1: Sharing content helps close deals
As a seller you’re just trying to close as many deals as you can. So how does social media factor in?
Lily explains why sharing social content wins in the long-term. 🔊🔛👇
Leaning on the longtail, so to speak, of building out your social presence (and profile) with branded and non-branded content helps buyers understand who you are, and what sets you apart as a vendor.
Especially if you curate your content according to a targeted industry, beginning conversations and trust will be so much easier.
If you’ve ever been in a sales role, you understand that at the end of the day, activity and closed-won dollars are the two things you’ll be graded on at the EOQ. Sales leaders are often stuck on call-email-call-email, get on ZoomInfo, and they set metrics around that.
Getting social might seem out of the ordinary, but it’s increasingly how buyers weigh their options, and how lucrative long-term partnerships are formed.
Key takeaway 2: Build influence like a dance studio owner
“End of the day, people buy from people.”
What does your profile and content activity say about you in the eyes of a prospect? Do you stand out as an expert in your field compared with all the other vendors they’re considering?
Through her past experiences of business ownership and entrepreneurship, Lily has found that influencing with your personal brand is the best way to start your pipeline on social media.
What does fitness have to do with social selling? 🎧🎚⏫
NOTE: If you’re interested in taking a page out of Lily’s strategic playbook, you’ll want to make sure your profile is set up for social selling.
For sales, building influence through content engagement will prompt meaningful conversations that can lead to deal-making.
Or, as Lily learned while running a dance studio, influence is how she got people to sign up for her fitness classes. By sharing her authentic self and why she loved the routines, people were enticed to sign up and get dancing!
Key takeaway 3: Hold off on the InMail until later
What’s the number-one no-no of social selling?
Sending cold InMails.
You probably already know that. But instead of blasting prospects, start out with your funnel wide open by sharing industry content that resonates with them and the greater group they belong to. This is a solid first step for building an effective social selling pipeline.
NOTE: An employee advocacy program can drive 16% better win rates, 2x pipeline, and deliver 48% larger deals. (EveryoneSocial)
After your content has started conversations with prospective buyers or partners, that’s when the InMail direct messaging becomes appropriate.
We can all relate to Lily. After all, who doesn’t ignore the cold InMail or upfront DMs? A message without a shared (and often public) context doesn’t hold anyone’s attention. Social content is the conversational context.
Hear how sharing social content ultimately scores. ☝️🔊🆙
As you’ll hear Lily mention, relevance is key. Building trust, or a conversational context depends on relevant content — relevant to their industry, their business needs, their opportunities for growth, etc.
“You really need to be creating a persona.”
Getting in the comment section of your prospects is one of the best ways to get the attention of anyone across all social media. In addition to liking their content, also tag them on relevant content you see elsewhere if you think it would resonate with your prospects.
Lily has more tips on our blog for how to drive ROI with your social content strategy.
Learn more about the foundational value and future importance of employee advocacy and why everyone’s an influencer. Thanks for checking out this week’s Social At Scale episode, and until next time, happy sharing!
