In today’s digital market, it’s imperative that your sales team consists of effective social sellers. Consumers are turning to the internet to find out about products and services. They are doing their own research online using search engines and social media. Your salespeople need to be on all of the major social networks. Your customers, potential buyers, and competition are on social media, so why aren’t your salespeople? Here are five reasons why you need to hire social sellers.

1. Social sellers understand that social selling increases the visibility of your brand.

In addition to company accounts on all major social media platforms, your sales reps should have their own professional profiles as well. This will increase your company’s visibility and give consumers the opportunity to ask your employees questions directly, instead of posing questions to a company page. People feel more comfortable talking with other individuals and will be more likely to listen to advice from them than from a company. Consumers can relate to and feel comfortable interacting with your salespeople when they each have their own profile, picture, bio, and voice. Increase your visibility on social media and drive more traffic to your website.

2. Social sellers understand the importance of sharing valuable content to educate prospects.

Content marketing is an imperative aspect of digital marketing today. Create fresh, new content for your salespeople to share via social media on a regular and consistent basis. If you don’t already have one, create a company blog and continue to post informative blog posts and articles to share on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You want your content to be valuable to your prospects. Keep them coming back for more. Educate them about relevant topics, but don’t use this outlet for tired sales pitches. This is a space to share ideas, educational pieces, how-to guides, case studies, Q&A articles, videos, and industry news. Prospects will begin to recognize your company and your salespeople as industry experts and thought leaders.

3. Social sellers understand the importance of customer interaction.

Social selling is all about engaging with consumers and building relationships. Your sales reps should be using Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to communicate with others interested in the same topics. Participate in group discussions and respond to customer questions. You want to make connections with the right people and start to build relationships. When they are ready to buy, they will think of your company and your helpful salespeople.

4. Social sellers know how to gain credibility and trust.

By sharing valuable content and connecting with prospects via social media, relevant consumers will come to recognize your company and your salespeople as credible industry experts. Prospects will discover your company thanks to your presence on social media, read your informative content, connect with your salespeople, and trust your company when it comes time to buy.

5. Social sellers use social media to discover sales opportunities.

Before you can sell to a prospect, you have to find them first. Did you know that buyers are much more open about their buying intentions on social media? Keep your eyes peeled for relevant comments, status updates, and questions. Use tools like Google Alerts and Tweetdeck to find out what your customers are discussing online in real time. This way you can better understand their needs and engage with them with useful, timely information to help. Social sellers use social media to find qualified leads.

As you can see, it’s important that your sales team consists of effective social sellers. The buying process is changing faster than sales organizations are responding. To be successful in today’s digital marketplace, all of your sales reps must understand the importance of social selling. Social sellers use social media to increase company visibility, share valuable content, engage with consumers, gain credibility and trust, and discover sales opportunities. What are you waiting for? The time to begin social selling is now.