How to get management buy-in for a social selling program

Behind the Post Published: July 23, 2024
How to get management buy-in for a social selling program

Passionate about the impact of social on lead generation, Lena Weber-Reed walks us through how she created and launched a social selling pilot program that secured her management’s buy-in for a social selling strategy.

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Episode summary

“I feel like sales and marketing are forced to compete for revenue, they’re always pitched against each other. I think this is one of the most terrible things I see happening. Both marketing and sales work on revenue, that’s the same pipeline. I always build strong relationships with sales because I need my sales colleagues to buy into social media to make it work.”

B2B social media managers understand the value of social media for lead generation and are eager to fuel sales through social selling. However, getting management buy-in for a first-time social selling program can be challenging.

In this episode, Lena Weber-Reed goes Behind the Post to reveal her secret for securing her company’s buy-in for a social selling program. Here’s a spoiler: she successfully launched a social selling pilot program with select team members at zero cost! Tune in to learn the step-by-step process and discover what you need to include to launch your own pilot program.

She also discusses how to get your sales teams on board, the fundamental pillars every social selling program needs, and the value of social media data in pushing prospects further along the sales funnel.

Hot Topics:

  • What social selling is and the essential components for a successful program
  • How to build a pilot program to secure management buy-in
  • The value of social media data to initiate relevant conversations and fostering meaningful relationships

Meet Lena

Lena Weber-Reed is a social media strategist with over 10 years of experience successfully guiding startups, scale-ups, and global brands through the ever-changing social media landscape.

She loves being a pioneer, the first social media marketer on the ground, to build out social from the ground up. Lena currently lives in Glasgow, Scotland with her family and pet entourage.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How can B2B companies secure management buy-in for a social selling program?

To secure management buy-in for a B2B social selling program, follow Lena Weber-Reed’s strategy: launch a zero-cost pilot program with select team members. This allows you to demonstrate tangible results and prove the program’s value in generating leads and driving revenue, building a strong case for wider implementation and investment.

What are the essential components of a successful B2B social selling strategy?

A successful B2B social selling strategy requires several fundamental pillars: a clear understanding of social selling's role in lead generation, strong collaboration between sales and marketing teams, effective onboarding for sales professionals, and leveraging social media data to initiate relevant conversations and nurture prospect relationships through the sales funnel.

How do you build a pilot program for B2B social selling?

Building a pilot program for B2B social selling involves starting with a small, select group of team members to test strategies and gather data. The goal is to demonstrate the program’s effectiveness at zero initial cost, proving its potential for lead generation and securing management's confidence for broader adoption.

What is the value of social media data in the B2B sales funnel?

Social media data offers significant value in the B2B sales funnel by providing insights that help sales teams initiate highly relevant conversations with prospects. This data enables the fostering of meaningful relationships and strategically guides prospects further along the sales journey, leading to improved conversion rates and revenue.

How do B2B social selling programs align sales and marketing efforts?

B2B social selling programs inherently align sales and marketing efforts by focusing both teams on the shared pipeline of revenue generation. By collaborating on social media strategies, marketing fuels sales with qualified leads and content, while sales leverages these resources to build relationships and close deals, creating a unified approach to growth.

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