A new study from KiteDesk shows that 64% of professional sales people reported that they had closed at least one deal because of social media efforts in the past year. Of the top performing sales professionals interviewed, 74% of them said they considered themselves to be social media experts. While nobody would deny the importance of social media when it comes to generating sales opportunities, these types of status just cement the fact that it is no longer just a smart option for those looking to make sales.
The data from KiteDesk was backed up by another study as well. This one by Social Media Examiner, which surveyed 3700 marketing professionals concerning how their sales have improved as a result of social media.
The surveys looked at people from a wide range of different industries including B2B, B2C and general marketing. While there were of course differences in the effectiveness based on which vertical was being targeted, all marketers found that when used properly, social media could provide an invaluable resource.
Of course, social media isn’t just used to directly make sales, though it can do that too. Many marketers said that social media was mostly used for things like building personal brands, establishing industry authority, interacting with customers and nurturing leads.
Taking the time to learn how to use social media to get the best results for your specific marketing efforts is well worth it. Even once you have a good idea of what is needed, performing your own trial and error tests will help you to maximize your results.
You can see the studies from KiteDesk HERE and Social Media Examiner HERE.
