Social Selling In 2025: The Ultimate Guide
Merriam Webster might lack a definition for 'social selling,' but we know a good thing when we see one, and 60% of U.S B2B marketers agree. So, it isn't a buzz word anymore.
Whether you're looking to build a business case for your team lead, looking to add an additional strategy to your lead nurturing workflow, or looking for specific small business or startup strategies to add to your toolkit, below are the key elements you need to take the next step.
What Is Social Selling?
Social selling uses social media to find, connect with, and nurture prospects through personalized, value-driven interactions. More specifically, it’s about:
- Building relationships, not just sales: Social selling departs from traditional sales tactics by prioritizing relationship-building. Instead of pressuring quick responses, it takes the time to nurture leads, fostering a more meaningful connection with potential customers.
- Creating touch points: At its core, social selling is about establishing touch points with your audience. It leverages the power of social media networks to create meaningful interactions, ensuring that your brand stays top-of-mind when prospects are ready to make decisions.
- Precise connections: Unlike the broad strokes of traditional approaches, social selling hones in on connecting with the right people at the right time. It's a targeted social media strategy that emphasizes quality over quantity.
- Long-term focus: In contrast to the spray-and-play approach of cold calls and traditional lead generation, social selling plays the long game. By prioritizing relationship-building and effective social media management, it ensures that leads entering your funnel are not only qualified but actively seeking solutions.
Why Social Selling Matters in B2B
In long B2B sales cycles, trust and timing are everything—and social selling excels at both. By consistently showing up with relevant insights, reps stay top-of-mind throughout the buyer’s journey.
Research from Gartner shows that 44% of B2B buyers prefer a sales-rep free buying experience, highlighting the need for early influence. Social platforms let you engage buyers in their research phase, long before they fill out a demo form. So in the case of B2B, social selling is not just outreach but strategic positioning across every stage of the funnel.
Social Selling vs. Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is like setting up a lively storefront online. It's about building brand awareness, sharing valuable content, and getting them interested in what you offer.
Social selling is when you use social media to connect with potential customers and actually sell your products or services. It goes beyond just talking to people – it's about building relationships and making direct sales happen through conversations on social media.
In simple terms, social media marketing gets people interested, and social selling turns that interest into actual sales by talking directly to customers on social media.
Benefits Of Social Selling For SaaS Brands
Not sure why social media selling is the rave these days? Here are five reasons why sales and marketing teams are selling on social these days.
1. Increases Sales Results
Sales teams engaged in social selling generate 45% more sales opportunities than those with a low social selling presence, and businesses that prioritize social selling are 51% more likely to hit their sales targets.
2. Engages Prospects And Customers In Real-Time
Social networks provide the perfect opportunity for building solid relationships with prospects and customers alike. Through social engagement, such as with likes, comments or direct messages, your sales reps can ensure your brand remains top-of-mind for buying decisions.
3. Social Media Is The Future Of Networking
A social media presence is now necessary for networking. In recent years, digital channels have replaced in-person networking events, like conferences and trade shows, as a primary channel for relationship building. Business leaders admit 28% of their customer base comes from networking, proving the necessity of social selling.
4. Social Selling Seamlessly Integrates With The Buyer's Journey
Social selling aligns seamlessly with the modern buyer's journey. By meeting your target audience where they are—on social media platforms—you become part of their decision-making process. This organic integration facilitates smoother transitions from awareness to consideration and, ultimately, to conversion.
5. Improves Sales Efficiency
Social selling helps sales professionals better understand the needs, wants and struggles of their prospective customers. By leveraging strategies such as social listening to join relevant discussions online, sales teams can tailor and personalize their sales approach to improve efficiency.
6. Low or No Cost Outreach
Social media management costs tend to be on the lower side (outside of paid ads), as it's free to exist and create content organically on most platforms.
This is a budget-friendly boon for B2B brands seeking online expansion. It's not just about tweets and posts; it's about cost-effective charisma that transforms a modest investment into a maximal online reach, making your brand the talk of the virtual town.
Best Social Selling Platforms
As much as 97% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for digital marketing, with 35% ranking it as their most important social media account. As a social platform designed specifically for professional networking, LinkedIn sets the stage for building the trust and authority required for social selling.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator plays a critical role in the success of LinkedIn as a social selling channel. LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator provides insights and metrics on the performance of your LinkedIn profile, trending topics, discussions, and other interactions occurring in your industry. This information can then be used to create valuable content, or to single out and engage strong prospects.
Another great tactic that can be used on Linkedin is B2B influencer marketing. Create unique partnerships with influential leaders to help boost your brand.
What is the LinkedIn Social Selling Index?
The LinkedIn Social Selling Index (SSI) is a score from 0 to 100 that measures how effectively you’re using LinkedIn to build your personal brand, find the right people, engage with insights, and nurture relationships. It’s updated daily and gives sales professionals a benchmark for how well they're leveraging the platform for B2B selling.
The LinkedIn Social Selling Index looks at these four key areas:
- Establishing your professional brand or sharing relevant content and building a strong profile.
- Finding the right people, i.e. using LinkedIn’s search and research tools to identify prospects.
- Engaging with insights or interacting with posts, joining conversations, and staying active.
- Building relationships or connecting and nurturing relationships with decision-makers.
Each area contributes up to 25 points toward your total score. Use it to identify gaps in your social selling strategy and track improvements over time as you engage more consistently and strategically on the platform.
Facebook is often overlooked by the B2B community, but did you know business decision-makers spend 74% more time on Facebook than any other demographic?
And don’t forget, Facebook groups are alive and well. Facebook groups provide a fantastic opportunity to “digitally mingle” with prospects.
Focus on establishing senior team members as thought leaders, rather than staunchly promoting new products, or dropping links into every discussion. Leveraging soft-selling tactics and playing the long-game is what social selling is all about!
Similar to Facebook, Instagram has long been neglected as a B2B marketing channel. However, Instagram's visual allure is a potent tool for B2B brands. Content marketers say images are the second most important piece of content they share, second only to video content.
By showcasing products, behind-the-scenes content, and industry events, businesses can humanize their brand, telling a compelling visual story that resonates with the audience and curating a unique brand identity.
X (Formerly Twitter)
Formerly Twitter, X provides real-time engagement and insights into industry trends. Its concise format of tweets enables businesses to join conversations, share timely updates, and establish an active presence in industry discussions.
X also presents a fantastic opportunity for social listening, through tools like X Lists. X Lists help you curate the X algorithm to prioritize posts from relevant individuals and groups.
With X Lists you can sort prospects based on:
- Job titles
- Companies
- Geography
- Existing connections
TikTok
You may be surprised to see TikTok on my list for B2B sales, but trust me when I say it’s up and coming. Having gained immense traction for social selling in the B2C markets initially, Brafton reports it now has 61% of B2B marketers on the platform—and yes, they are seeing results.
According to that same report by Brafton, not only is TikTok great for expanding reach and boosting brand awareness, but 72% of the 61 respondents who use TikTok said they’re achieving the goals they initially set as a company. It's also a great platform to optimize content for social search, boosting results.
7 Social Media Sales Strategies That Work In 2025 and Beyond
Here are seven strategies you want to add to your social selling toolkit as you plan your year:
1. Prospect Strategically
Social media prospecting is the art of identifying and engaging the right buyers at the right time. Treating LinkedIn like a CRM—filtering by title, industry, and activity—can help you zero in on high-fit accounts that are actually ready to buy.
According to LinkedIn, top-performing salespeople are 51% more likely to reach quota when using social selling. That matters because wasted outreach doesn’t just hurt your numbers, it erodes trust with potential buyers. Audit your ICP and update your prospecting filters to match real behaviours. Then, set up weekly alerts to catch buying signals before your competitors do.
2. Focus On Building Trust Through Thought Leadership
This is about turning your salespeople and leaders into subject matter experts publicly. When reps and execs consistently publish content around customer pain points, it shortens the buying process by building trust upfront. 61% of decision-makers say thought leadership is much more effective at showcasing the benefits of a product or service, when compared to traditional product-focused marketing. That trust starts with visible, consistent, useful posts. Remember, decision-makers are Googling your team, not just your product.
Start by creating a swipe file of top-performing content from your industry. Then help your team build a content rhythm. Something like one post per week is more than enough to build traction.
3. Leverage Comment Automations And Chatbots
For social selling to work, your teams must be engaging with social users constantly, but to have team members dedicated to 24/7 engagement is time consuming, resource intensive and unrealistic.
Thankfully, engagement, particularly through comments on your social media posts, can be automated. Marketing automation software like Manychat allow you to automate two-way conversations in Instagram Direct Messages, Facebook Messenger and SMS, through automated triggers for certain words or phrases left on your social media content.
But be wary of overusing automation tools. Buyers can smell generic from a mile away, with 71% customers expecting a personalized experience (and 76% expressing dissatisfaction if they don’t get one). That matters because trust is earned in the micro-moments—how you comment, follow-up, and respond in real time. Audit your current outreach sequences and flag anything that could feel robotic. Then use automation only to augment (not replace) genuine, thoughtful engagement.
4. Use Social Listening Tools To Join Relevant Discussions
Remember: the goal of social selling is to leverage social media to identify prospects, maintain customer relationships and generate leads. In order to do that, you must understand what your target audience is engaging with on social media.
With the help of social listening tools, you not only enhance your brand's visibility but also gain valuable insights into ongoing conversations within your industry.
Here are a few examples of what you might learn with social listening:
- Competitor monitoring: Tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Agorapulse, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social enable you to track mentions of your competitors. This reveals a recent stream of customer feedback, offering insights into where they may have faltered and presenting opportunities for your brand to excel.
- Industry trend updates: Setting alerts from industry publications keeps you informed about daily trends and developments. Staying ahead of industry shifts positions your business as a proactive participant in relevant discussions.
- Brand hashtag tracking: Social listening tools help track hashtags associated with your brand, revealing important feedback, sales objections, preferences and more that can be harnessed in the sales process.
5. Showcase User-Generated Content
Let’s not forget about the power of social proof! As much as 92% of B2B buyers are influenced to make a purchase after reading a trusted review.
Encourage your audience to become advocates by showcasing their experiences. Use social media scheduling tools to creatively share case studies, testimonials, or shared stories. User-generated content makes for great social media content and is 20% more influential in driving purchase decisions, as it not only provides social proof but also fosters a sense of community around your brand.
6. Turn To Micro-Influencers In Your Industry
While they don’t boast millions of followers, micro-influencers are the kings and queens of engagement, driving 60% higher campaign engagement than larger influencers. Their endorsements can significantly impact trust and credibility, reaching potential clients in a more targeted and authentic manner.
For example, a micro influencer in your industry can share their testimonial or review of your products on their social media profile. Meanwhile, your sales teams monitor comments and engagement for opportunities to answer questions, share information, and establish relationships with interested parties.
7. Run ABM-style Campaigns Via Social Retargeting
Here’s where content and targeting collide. I’ve seen the biggest ROI when we combine account-based targeting with custom selling content across LinkedIn and Meta. Research shows that companies using ABM see a 208% increase in marketing revenue. Using retargeting campaigns, you’re reinforcing your message where potential buyers already spend time, speeding up the buying process.
Build audience lists from your CRM or intent tools, then run retargeting campaigns aligned to each buying stage. Match message to funnel position to get maximum impact.
6 Myths About Social Media Sales Debunked
1. Social Selling is for Influencers
Not true! Social selling involves using social channels to connect with potential buyers, understand their pain points, and guide them through the buying process. This is a responsibility shared by marketing, sales and leadership. While influencers can play a role in brand awareness, effective social selling is about building genuine relationships and providing value. This approach makes sense given the modern buyer's preference for authentic engagement over traditional sales pitches.
To implement this, I recommend hosting webinars that address your audience's specific challenges and sharing insights that position you as a trusted advisor. Also, actively participating in relevant online communities can help establish your presence and credibility.
2. LinkedIn is the Only Platform That Works For Social Selling
There is no doubt that LinkedIn is a powerful tool for B2B sales. But, other social channels like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram also offer opportunities to engage with potential buyers. Each platform has its unique audience and strengths, and an effective social selling strategy considers where your target audience is most active.
Diversifying your presence ensures you meet buyers where they are, enhancing the buying process. Analyze your audience demographics to identify the most effective platforms and tailoring your content accordingly. Engaging with platform-specific features, like Instagram Stories or Twitter chats, can also boost visibility and interaction.
3. Social Selling is Not Scalable
Wrong! Scaling social selling is possible if you take a structured approach to content scheduling, customer relationship management, and analytics. Using social media management tools, you can streamline efforts and maintain quality interactions. This approach ensures that as your outreach grows, the effectiveness of your sales pitch and the authenticity of your engagement remain.
To scale effectively, develop a content calendar that aligns with your sales objectives and automate routine tasks without compromising personalization. Regularly review your performance metrics to refine your strategy for better results.
4. Social Selling is Only for Startups, Not Enterprise
Enterprise organizations can benefit from social selling as much as startups by leveraging their networks and resources to build trust and meaningful relationships with potential customers. Employee advocacy programs and thought leadership initiatives can amplify reach and establish authority.
To integrate social selling at the enterprise level, I recommend training sales teams on best practices and encouraging executives to share insights on social platforms. Establishing clear guidelines and providing resources will ensure consistency and effectiveness across the organization.
5. Social Selling is Not Measurable
Measuring the impact of social selling is possible by tracking KPIs such as engagement rates, lead conversions, and revenue attribution. Tools like LinkedIn’s Social Selling Index provide insights into your effectiveness. Monitoring these metrics will allow you to make data-driven decisions to enhance your strategy. To measure your efforts, I suggest setting specific goals for each campaign and using analytics tools to track progress.
6. Buyers Don’t Take Social Media Seriously
Not true! Modern buyers use social channels to research products and engage with brands. Engaging with buyers on their preferred channels demonstrates responsiveness and a customer-centric approach.
To connect with buyers effectively, I suggest actively listening to conversations that are relevant to your industry and contributing valuable insights. Promptly responding to inquiries and feedback on social platforms will also show your commitment to customer satisfaction.
Social Selling Tools
If you're serious about building a culture of successful social selling, invest in these foundational tools:
Social Listening Tools: These tools track mentions, competitor activity, and keyword trends so you can jump into relevant conversations when timing matters most.
Prospecting & Outreach Tools: These tools allow you to find high-fit buyers and engage them with context—never with a generic sales pitch.
Content Scheduling & Sharing Tools: Keeping a regular cadence of value-driven posts builds familiarity and trust. I use these to repurpose content and activate employee advocacy across my team.
Attribution & Analytics Tools: These platforms track which posts, comments, and clicks actually influence the pipeline so you can double down on what drives outcomes.
Choosing the right tools for your team can be confusing. We’ve used our proprietary review method to create a short list of the top social listening tools available today:
Embed these tools into your sales rituals so sharing content and engaging on social media becomes a habit—not an afterthought.
Bring Your Sales To Social!
The evidence is clear: social selling is not just a fleeting buzzword; it's a game-changing strategy for B2B sales in 2025. The shift from traditional approaches to the dynamic landscape of social media has proven to be a lucrative investment.
As businesses prioritize relationship-building over quick wins, engage customers in real-time, and seamlessly integrate with the buyer's journey, it's evident that social selling is not only a trend but a transformative force shaping the future of B2B sales.
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