Hootsuite also released a new study from leading analyst firm– Forrester Research that shows 98% of sales and marketing leaders see social selling as a priority
Hootsuite announced the launch of ‘Amplify for Selling’, a powerful, mobile-first solution designed to help sales teams be successful on social by generating leads and fostering relationships that drive revenue. In conjunction with the Amplify for Selling launch, the leading social media platform is also publishing a new commissioned study, conducted by Forrester, on the state of social selling. Amplify for Selling is a new social selling solution complementing the robust functionality of Hootsuite’s employee advocacy offering, Amplify.
“Sales reps are constantly under pressure to find and develop qualified leads in order to meet (the) quota. Hootsuite’s Amplify for Selling solution empowers reps to leverage social to nurture and build rewarding relationships that can turn into closed deals, faster,” said Koka Sexton, Global Industry Principal at Hootsuite. Koka is one of the most recognized social selling experts in the technology industry.
In an interview with MarTech Series, Penny Wilson, CMO at Hootsuite, unraveled the way social media platforms will influence sales processes in the future. Penny mentioned, “Social media management technologies need to keep pace with the increasing adoption of social across job functions. From social marketing to social selling, our solutions must adapt to social’s rapidly evolving needs.”
Recommended Read: Interview with Penny Wilson, Chief Marketing Officer at Hootsuite
Penny’s fellow “owl” at Hootsuite, — Nik Pai, Co-founder of LiftMetrix, also mentioned the growing significance of social media platforms in amplifying and sustaining content for sales. Nik said, “Social is a great way to amplify and sustain the conversation around great content. 72% of the general public trust social media content shared by friends and family, according to a global study by Edelman. Leveraging the team to share branded content establishes thought leadership and encourages their contacts to start conversations.”
Recommended Read: Social Media TechBytes with Nik Pai, CoFounder of LiftMetrix, a HootSuite Company
Social will Dominate the B2B Sales Channel in the Future
In today’s digital world, social is where customers are, and organizations recognize that it will be the dominant sales channel of the future. In the Forrester Consulting study, sales and marketing leaders recognize that social is a priority for sales organizations. According to the report, “virtually all respondents see value in social selling; only 2% reported having no plans for establishing a program.” The report goes on to say that “only 20% of marketers and sellers indicated that sales teams typically execute all social selling activities -from developing their profiles to tracking leads.”
Currently, Hootsuite is used by over 15 million people around the globe and trusted by more than 800 of the Fortune 1000. Hootsuite’s battle-tested technology, extensive ecosystem, and social DNA help organizations to champion the power of human connections at scale.
‘Amplify for Selling’ Extends the Power of Existing Sales Toolkits
Hootsuite offers insightful information on how social selling impacts the sales process dramatically and provides marketers with a deeper understanding of their prospects’ needs and buying process. Additionally, social selling toolkits also help in building meaningful relationships based on trust.
With Amplify for Selling, organizations can more effectively use social to drive top-line results. The easy-to-use mobile application enables sales reps to–
Accelerate sales pipeline with targeted social listening
Integration with CRMs (Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics) help sales reps increase sales productivity by enabling them to import contacts from their CRM into Amplify for Selling and following them on Twitter. Social signals can be set up to help sales reps listen and get notifications about relevant conversations from their contacts so they can reach out in real-time.
Garner more business by building and nurturing relationships on social
Sales reps can generate new leads and build online influence by sharing pre-approved and curated content to multiple social channels at the same time, including LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. They can engage in real-time with prospects through retweets and likes, as well as reply to conversations.
Leverage high-performing marketing content for maximum results
Sales reps can see how leads have engaged with content based on the user, social network, and content category, to help uncover what type of content and tactics resonate with their target audience.
Build a social presence anywhere and anytime
As a mobile product, Amplify for Selling allows sales reps to connect with leads instantly, whether they’re on the go or at their office.
One of the biggest barriers to adoption of social selling solutions for sales reps is confidence to engage on social because of a lack of training on how to best leverage social for selling. Understanding that need, education is also a core part of Hootsuite’s social selling solution. Hootsuite offers a social selling course via Hootsuite Academy that helps sales reps develop fundamental skills to gain confidence on social and see value quickly.
Hootsuite continues to lead the pack of social media platforms that are innovating at a frantic pace in MarTech. Since acquiring AdEspresso and LiftMetrix, the innovative company has made significant progress towards offering customers a technology solution and strategic services to realize their return on investment (ROI) from social. After Hootsuite Impact and ‘Amplify for Selling’, what’s next to hatch from the owls’ nest?