Leverage social media effectively to nurture prospects, develop relationships and stand out from the competition, to create stronger B2B leads and sales.
Social media, when deployed strategically and effectively in B2B channels, offers a uniquely personal long-term networking opportunity for sales teams and business professionals.
For many, this has supercharged their sales performance, with empowered teams, faster results, and higher revenues. For others, the challenges of navigating social channels for business can be daunting. Concerns over social media confidence, personal and professional conflicts of interest, and a loss of management control can lead to a lack of action or ineffective modes of engagement.
B2B Social Selling Strategy provides a clear framework for identifying the right social channels, connecting with potential and existing customers and measuring success against objectives and KPIs.
Featuring original research, case studies and interviews with industry professionals, the book also shows how to generate content to attract attention and gain trust, work with B2B influencers and create a social selling culture. Exploring how to build your personal brand in synergy with your business and integrate social selling with other sales and marketing channels, it is supported by online interactive tools and templates to be used to create and execute your own social selling strategy. Written by a recognized social media expert, B2B Social Selling Strategy is an indispensable guide for B2B sales, marketing and social media professionals.
Provides a clear strategic framework for leveraging social media effectively to create strong B2B leads and sales
Shows how to identify the right social channels, connect with customers, create engaging content and work with B2B influencers
Demonstrates how to integrate social selling with other sales and marketing channels and measure success against objectives and KPIs
Features original research, case studies and interviews with industry experts to explore best practice
Online resources: interactive tools and templates to be used to create and execute your own social selling strategy
Julie Atherton
Julie Atherton, based in Bristol, UK, founder of Small Wonder is a business leader, public speaker, consultant and strategist with 30 years' experience gained working with global brands including Nissan, ITV, Deloitte Digital, Asos and St John Ambulance. Awarded IDM Educator of the Year in 2018, she trains marketing professionals and business leaders in digital, brand, social media and content marketing. Previous chair of the DMA Social Media Council, she is also an experienced trustee and non-executive director for a range of organizations including the IDM Qualifications Advisory Board and Union of Brunel Students.
Business to business sales B2B customer relationship management B2B influencers Social channels Content marketing Lead generation Sales conversion
"'Social selling' is nothing new. People have been doing it for years over breakfast, lunch, dinner and invites to events. But the numbers are generally small, and it takes time. Social selling today is on a different scale and to manage a strategy at this scale needs some guardrails. Julie has written a much needed 'how to' guide which brings everything up to date for us."
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"Building trusting relationships - as Julie rightly points out in the opening pages - is central to any successful business and B2B Social Selling Strategy offers the complete "go to" guide to making this a reality. It covers all the bases from why social selling works, what an effective plan looks like, and how to deliver results and embed best practice."
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"B2B marketing and sales has long been recognised as relationship-led. Relationships are increasingly online, social media continues to grow and traditional media and sales landscapes are upended, so new strategies are needed - and this book offers just that. Practical, accessible and evidence-based solutions for today's and tomorrow's B2B issues, relevant to novice and professional alike, helping businesses and individuals navigate and succeed in this VOCA environment. A great and timely achievement."
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"As an experienced marketing practitioner and trainer, Julie doesn't just give you the theory but demonstrates the practice of how you can truly put the customer at the heart of B2B social media to build authentic relationships and deliver results."
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"B2B Social Selling has seen significant growth in recent years. However, many seem to miss the point that success comes from building trusted relationships rather than from a continuous sales pitch. Julie draws on her wide and deep experience, explaining how to use Social Selling as a key relationship and business-building technique. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone serious about Social Selling."
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"B2B Social Selling Strategy is a great addition to the literature. Insight driven, it provides a guide to best practice in social selling that will help improve business and personal performance. It is ideal both for those running businesses or studying this often-overlooked aspect of marketing."
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"A Julie Atherton book is always essential reading. This one doesn't disappoint. Clear, constructive but practical insights and advice adorn every page! The text represents a manual for B2B selling that few students and practitioners will want to miss out on."
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"Julie is one of the most respected professionals in the social media sector. Her experience gives her a unique perspective on the challenges facing marketers trying to get to grips with the complexities of social media selling. This book explains how to target and convert prospects with optimal efficiency and effect in a channel that is increasingly important."
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"Packed full of actionable and impactful tactics that I'll certainly be implementing with my own clients."
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"Social engagement is well recognised as a valuable way of building engagement and - more importantly - trust, with clients. In my experience, far too few companies truly embrace this cultural approach across their client facing teams. With this book, Julie provides a great overview with excellent insights that will help to truly drive social client-facing and trusted engagement."
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"After working at Google for six years, I thought I knew how social media worked, especially in B2B. Wrong! This book has shown me not just how much more I can be doing to promote my awards business but how to do better what I am doing already."
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