When Automation Does and Doesn't Work in Social Sales

It’s a brave new world for business leaders who are using social selling techniques to connect with their customers in engaging ways. The explosion of digital data combined with sophisticated marketing automation software make it possible to reach a seemingly limitless group of customers with a relatively small investment of time and money.

All you have to do is examine the vast reserves of data stored by digital giants like Google and Facebook to understand the potential of these tools to permanently alter the sales process.

While automation tools first gained traction with the rise of email marketing, more and more sales professionals are discovering how these principles can be effectively used in social selling. It’s certainly true that automation can help you connect with new prospects and share content more efficiently, but pity the sales manager who becomes seduced by its possibilities and automates their social selling process wholesale.

The true value of automation in social selling lies in knowing when it can be the first step to a long-lasting relationship with a client, or if you’re better off relying on human intuition.

In social selling, even a perception of inauthenticity is a non-starter

There’s a fairly simple overarching principle that you can use to evaluate whether or not automation has a place in your social selling process: If your authenticity is at all sacrificed by its presence, then it’s doing more harm than good. Of course, authenticity is one of the most important factors in non-social selling situations, but there is a key difference that changes things in the digital realm.

In traditional sales relationships, the customers’ opinion is shaped by actual human interaction with the salesperson. If something happens that slightly raises the specter of inauthenticity in the customers' eyes, it can possibly be overcome because there was an established relationship with actual humans at the company.

In social sales, however, you don’t have this luxury, the prospects’ entire sense of your organization is shaped by the content you send out. If they don’t believe your brand is authentic based on your automated social content, they’ll probably tune you out instantly.

One of the most interesting recent examples of the primacy of authenticity in social sales comes courtesy of swimwear startup Bikini Luxe. Company founder Candice Galek challenged the unwritten rules of LinkedIn by posting a picture of a model wearing one of her swimsuits after she discovered that a photo of the swimsuit alone was not generating interest.

While some in the LinkedIn community saw this as an inappropriate departure from the traditional content published on the site, Galek was unapologetic about the image of her brand, and she used the controversy to exponentially expand her social reach by gaining 250,000 profile views following the post. In all instances on social media, authenticity drives interest, and inauthenticity stops it dead in its tracks.

Automation does little to improve social listening

One of the most overlooked aspects of social sales is social listening, or using various platforms to monitor what your prospects are saying, and using this information to provide them with greater value. Social listening is a crucial part of understanding your customers’ needs, and it can also provide you with insights to how they feel about your brand as well as your competitors. Sales leaders who rely completely on automation for their social presence are missing out on the opportunity to engage with customers on a deeper level.

If you’re going to use automation, get the timing right

If you’ve spent the time to create high-quality content for your audience, you can successfully use automation tools to distribute said content for maximum effect. Timing plays a significant role in social B2B sales, so knowing when to deploy posts on each platform you’re using can make the difference between your content being ignored or going viral.

Remember that every post needs to provide value to your audience, and if prospects’ feeds are inundated with your automated posts, this could easily backfire.

Be prepared for the transition away from the social component

Eventually, most B2B sales will move beyond the digital realm and into real life. While automation can make it easier for you to connect with prospects online, it’s no substitute for a sound sales strategy when you come face-to-face with a potential client.

Don’t let automation blind you from being well-prepared when it comes time to close the deal.