FEATURE | STRATEGY
SOLD ON SOCIAL MEDIA? If you’re not, you need to be, as online opportunities burgeon, argues KENNETH LE MEUNIER-FITZHUGH
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he explosion of communication customers. Sales has a valuable contribution to play channels provided by the Internet in the customers’ journey, as well as in the design is revolutionising sales. While of content of webinars and case studies. The information systems that help the marketing function still has primary responsibility organisation to manage the for managing brand value, creating an online buzz customer portfolio are well about the organisation’s activities, and managing established, the use of social media in selling is still general communications. But many organisations an untapped opportunity in many organisations. still need to establish processes for including sales in Social media can be used by today’s selling customer interactions, and for handing over organisations to enhance the effectiveness of their enquiries to the sales team at the appropriate sales team. Modern salespeople are as likely to moment, so that the customers’ journey is not engage with the customer via email or social media interrupted as they move from general enquiries as they are through the telephone or face-to-face. into buying activities. As well as marketing, sales You now have the option of using social media to should also be involved in the creation of links with create virtual sales relationships with new and the customer through social media and other online existing customers. Social channels, so that they media interactions can can feed into the “Many organisations still need to also establish you as an interaction with the establish processes for including expert in the customer’s customer when sales in customer interactions” mind as you engage with appropriate, and follow the wider community up on sales enquiries. through blogs and online conversations. These Managing the customer journey through developments offer major rewards to the selling interactions with social media and social networks organisation, and sales managers should be finding can be used to guide potential customers into ways of integrating social media into traditional engaging with the organisation’s offer, by creating sales activities. interest in the brand values, becoming a fan and providing feedback. These activities can feed THE PLACE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN “prepared” customers into the sales pipeline, THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY complete with insights into their interests. Marketing has traditionally played an important The early stages of contact with potential customers role in the creation of interactive web content and may be enhanced by communications through in attracting new customers’ attention. However, general media tools, eg. Reddit, Twitter, Facebook there is a danger that the sales function is excluded and YouTube. Advertisements can be placed on from early online interactions with potential suitable web pages, which are aligned to
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