By Sergey Gusarov

10/15/2014

Social Media In B2B Sales How to use Social Media to increase conversion rates and ROI

1

CONTENTS

Introduction

New Purchase Process

Connecting With Prospects As They Research

Lead Nurturing Via Retargeting

How To Successfully Retarget Prospects

Conclusion

Additional Information

2

INTRODUCTION

Despite the overwhelming popularity of social media, many B2B companies have struggled with

integrating it into their sales process. Partly because at the time social networks have not

matured for B2B sales yet and partly because of the changed nature of the sales process.

Many people strongly believe that social media is not about sales at all. It is certainly true, if

we’re talking about “single touch” sales, when people buy on impulse. In a B2B sales cycle with

multiple touch points and extended periods for decision making, social media does not sell on

itself.

However, it can be a great tool for assisting conversions and accelerating the sales

process by nurturing leads and guiding prospects through the buying journey.

3

THE NEW PURCHASE PROCESS

As research shows, customers complete 60% through the sales process before

engaging a sales rep, regardless of price point. Some studies suggest that this number

can be as high as 70 %.

That means they get through almost two thirds of the journey without sellers even knowing it.

Customers don’t need you the way they used to. In the old days, when companies needed

something they contacted suppliers for information and a suitable solution.

Today, armed with troves of data, buyers can do their own research to establish their needs and

define solutions for themselves, leaving suppliers to compete on price.

Playing catch-up with them means losing the game. If you don't know that someone is

examining your company, you can't address and correct misconceptions that might arise during

the process. And if you get yourself involved only after you received a RFP – it's too late: now

you have to compete with rival solutions and against customers' own internal capabilities.

AWARNESS DISCOVERY CONSIDERATION DECISION VALIDATION

COMPLETE BY THEMSLEVES WITH YOUR SALES TEAM

THE NEW PURCHASE PROCESS

4

CONNECTING WITH PROSPECTS AS THEY RESEARCH

According to statistics it takes 7 to 13+ touches to generate sales-ready,

qualified leads.

Most of these touches take place in the digital world. As people research your company and

services they will definitely visit your company’s website. They’ll find it by using search engines,

seeing your ad, or simply thanks to the proverbial “word of mouth”.

After reviewing the website, they might also check some of your other digital assets, for

example your blog, online reviews, and your social media accounts. Most likely that would be all

– after that they will disengage to analyze the information and make their decision. If you let it

happen during this pivotal period of research and consideration, you’ll significantly

limit your changes for making a sale.

This is the biggest mistake that companies make- after seeing clients make the initial touch, they

fail to follow up with them and guide them through the sales process.

And that’s exactly what social media is great for. While people use search engines for discovery-

social networks are built for engagement and interaction.

SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE SALES PROCESS

5

LEAD NURTURING VIA RETARGETING

Companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales ready leads at

33% lower cost.

How B2B marketers can nurture their leads on social media to make them sales ready?

It is not about growing your fan base or how many clients liked your company’s Facebook page.

It’s all about retargeting.

Today it is possible to follow prospects who indicated their interest by visiting your website on

social channels and target them with finely tuned messages based on their online behavior.

It can be also achieved by running ads on display networks. However, unlike social media,

display networks cannot provide personalized feedback from the audience. There is simply no

way to see who got engaged by your message by liking, sharing, and posting comments on it.

This might not be important for large consumer oriented campaigns, but in the B2B world,

where everything is highly personalized, it is critical to see how prospects react to your message.

Nowadays both Facebook and Twitter allow advertisers to retarget website visitors with ads.

LinkedIn has not come up with their retargeting solution yet. But what is available right now is

more than enough. Even though LinkedIn is being considered by many as the backbone of B2B

social marketing, it is way behind Facebook in terms of overall reach and visit frequency. People

spend much more time on Facebook and Twitter than on LinkedIn.

6

HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY RETARGET PROSPECTS

Another big mistake that marketers can make is to retarget all prospects with same generic ads

and messages.

The key to effective retargeting lies in highly detailed segmentation based on specific

levels and areas of interest shown by clients on the company’s website.

When they go deeper in terms of visited pages, it indicates heightened interest in your

company. The more pages they view about specific services, the more they are interested in

these services or solutions in particular.

Divide your website into several categories, each with its own place in the sales process. Tag

pages in those sections differently in order to create separate audiences on social networks.

Develop specific ads that are tailored to each audience’s interests for retargeting.

7

For example, if someone stays on top level pages of your website, it is clear that they are in the

early stage of their research. The best way to approach them would be to serve branded ads or

sponsored posts with industry related content that they might find useful. Another approach

would be to invite them to follow you on social channels like FB, LinkedIn or Twitter.

If people reveal a stronger interest in your company by going deeper through the website, it

would be best to approach them with success stories, demonstrate your industry accolades, and

provide articles showcasing your knowledge and experience.

When visitors examine your specific services or solutions, provide them with additional

information, case studies, how-to guides, expert reviews, and whitepapers related to the

specific area of their interest. Help your prospects understand the issue as well as your

competitive advantage and benefits of working with you.

Even after prospects have already contacted you, don’t just forget about them. Stay

on the top of their mind with relevant updates, special offers, or important company

and industry news.

And finally, no matter where your prospects are on their journey, you can always gather useful

information and insights with surveys and online polls or bring the conversation to the next level

by inviting them to a webinar or twitter chat to discuss their vision, goals and challenges.

8

CONCLUSION

With introduction of new tools and techniques social media has become an indispensable

tool for B2B sales. No longer a playing ground for consumer oriented brands, it now can be

effectively used to help your business achieve a wide variety of objectives, including:

1. Help clients discover your company and learn more about it.

2. Follow up with prospects and guide them via their purchase journey.

3. Stay in touch with clients, gather valuable feedback and customers insights.

9

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Sergey Gusarov Digital Media Marketing Professional

Seasoned Marketing and Digital Media professional with a strong background in B2B sales and business development.

I'll be glad to hear from you to discuss your experience and challenges with lead generation and

innovative sales and marketing practices.

Please feel free to contact me at your convenience.

mailto:sgusarov@yahoo.com

linkedin.com/in/svgusarov (Feel free to send an invitation)

twitter.com/svgusarov