How to Master Social Listening for Sales

Wherever we go, whatever articles on social media listening we come across, the bulk of them (if not all) are majorly aimed at marketers.

But today, let’s divert our attention for a moment from marketing and discuss social listening in sales. What does it mean for sales teams in particular, and how can they benefit from it?

In fact, nearly one-third (33%) of salespeople claim that social channels are the best places to source top-quality leads, and 31% use social content as a primary tool for sales enablement.

Yet, that couldn’t be possible without social listening added to the sales process. Read what it presupposes and then discover how to incorporate it successfully into sales.

What Is Social Media Listening in Sales?

Social listening for sales is a strategic approach to monitoring online conversations on social platforms to detect signals and extract the necessary data that can further be used to drive sales strategies.

These findings may concern:

• Customers’ preferences and pain points
• Sentiment around a brand/product/service
• Revolutionary sales trends
• Competitors’ moves
• Or other aspects.

While navigating this maze of information, you may draw significant insights to remodel your sales strategy right on the spot or plan improvements for the future.

Consider several examples of effective social listening by B2C and B2B sales professionals.

Social listening for B2C sales

Let’s take the case with Abenson, a retailer specializing in home appliances and electronic devices.

In the comments section, the Facebook user demonstrated a particular interest in one of their products (Fujidenzo Portable Aircon, 1.5hp). The sales team reacted immediately and commented with a link: The item you are searching for is currently not available online. You may want to check out a similar item.

Social listening for B2B sales

Prospecting and selling may be particularly tough for B2B sales reps who work with a very unique product in a particular niche. Yet, social listening makes it a breeze.

For example:

Assuming you’re in SaaS. Your sales representatives face difficulties when finding prospects for your product, which is ERP software for the metal industry (a very specific niche). However, they may notice a potential customer and grab an opportunity once they listen carefully to social media audiences. Look at the LinkedIn post below.

The sales rep responded to the user’s comment under the company’s post, shared an email to reach the sales team, and dropped a link to register for a live software demo.

These were only several instances when social listening worked like a charm for sales teams. Let’s see how it can likewise work for your team.

How to Unlock Social Listening for Sales

Follow these tips and open the gateway to social listening success in your sales team.

Prioritize the most crowded places with leads to listen to.

Let’s look at the most lead-inhabited social platforms for B2B and B2C.

Places for social media listening in B2B

Try to guess. What’s the best place for a B2B audience?

You may say it in chorus: LinkedIn, of course!

Actually, 80% of B2B leads come from LinkedIn. So, it’s no surprise that so many B2B brands use LinkedIn for prospecting and selling.

And for social listening, too.

Reyansh Mestry, Head of Marketing at TopSource Worldwide, refers to LinkedIn as “the widest social listening hub for sales teams in B2B.” He notes, “The best way to use it for LinkedIn sales is by monitoring discussions in LinkedIn Groups dedicated to your niche. For instance, we prioritize broader Groups like HR and payroll management and narrower ones, such as India- and UK-specific payroll.”

Yet, LinkedIn Groups are not the only territories for your B2B audiences’ activity.

Overall, the topmost platforms for social listening in B2B are as follows:

• LinkedIn
• X (Twitter)
• Quora

Places for social media listening in B2C

Instagram

For Roman Zrazhevskiy, Founder & CEO at MIRA Safety, it’s unquestionably Instagram. He shares, “Social listening on Instagram is a super-powered magnifier of our sales success. Our sales reps monitor all user interactions with posts (likes, shares, and comments) to identify and qualify leads right there and ‘pre-heat’ them whenever appropriate.”

Here’s one example from MIRA Safety. The brand encourages the potential customer to “take the leap” and buy MIRA’s personal protective equipment.

Reddit

A centaur (half-forum-half-social-network) among platforms, Reddit makes a wonderful spot for social media listening in sales.

See how Sleep EZ joined the conversation after noticing the potential customer looking for a kids’ mattress on Reddit.

TikTok

As an example, take the Burger King social media strategy mostly revolving around social listening on TikTok. There, the brand discovers sales leads and warms them up via comments.

TikTok is also a superb platform for finding trendy topics and capitalizing on them to increase sales. This process is referred to as “trendjacking.”

For example:

Beyond Group listened to TikTok audiences, captured the “of-course” trend, and trendjacked its virality for roofing contractor lead generation. It goes like this: I’m a roofer, of course…

So, your takeaway list of the topmost platforms for social listening in B2C is as follows:

• Instagram
• Reddit
• TikTok

Find the right tool for monitoring.

You shouldn’t “swim” through social streams manually without a “paddle”—a tool that will help you simplify and accelerate the whole process.

Consider social media listening tools like these:

• Keyhole
• Mentionlytics
• Kwatch.io
• Brandwatch
• Awario
• Rankur
• Determ

Compare their feature sets to see which best suits your sales needs. Look for features tailored to sales-related social listening, such as a brand mention tracker, sentiment analysis, real-time alerts, etc. Then, make sure to clarify what social channels they monitor.

For instance, Keyhole scans six social channels: Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Note: On LinkedIn specifically, you can supercharge social listening for sales with its ingrained tool. It’s a LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Although it’s considered one of the best sales prospecting tools, it can also help you apply advanced search filters, monitor your targeted leads, track their posts and comments, and keep your finger on their sentiment pulse.

Be there to handle every sales-related concern.

Yes, you must be super-reactive when it comes to using social media listening in sales. Your rapid-fire response to a question or concern sets a precedent that you are always available for your leads or customers in need. Besides, you simultaneously clarify all doubts and offer a personalized experience.

“Your social media replies directly influence purchasing decisions and, consequently, better conversions,” remarks Jeffrey Zhou, CEO and Founder of Fig Loans. He also cautions against ignoring concerns: “Omitting customer concerns may leave a negative impression on potential and existing customers and wreck your brand’s reputation on social media. But if you instead address issues and answer questions promptly, you prevent negative sentiments from spreading across social networks. And not only.”

As for questions, they can be about:

• Product availability: Do you have this in [color/size/model]?
• Pricing: Do you offer bulk pricing or wholesale rates?
• Discounts: Is there any discount for first-timers?
• Shipping and delivery: What are the shipping costs to [country/city]?
• Local store information: Is this product available in-store?
• Product or feature updates: Are there any new products/features launching soon?

Look at the following example from the Fig Loans sales team. They answer the lead’s question: What other financial assistance do you offer, or is this in Chicago?

However, it does not necessarily take the form of a question. It may be just a simple statement explaining the customer’s problem. Let’s examine this case with Glossier. 

Problem: I can’t find cranberry on the website @glossier

Brand’s answer: Coming later this week!

Capture customer feedback about your sales reps.

How do your customers feel about interacting with your sales reps (face-to-face, on social media, via email, or cold calling)?

Customer feedback may often serve as an indicator of your sales team’s performance. Positive feedback is a sign your team is nailing it, while negative feedback reveals your blind spots and gaps that need to be filled.

Let’s review several cases with positive and negative customer sentiment concerning interactions with sales representatives.

Example #1. Positive feedback

Here’s what Vograce’s customer mentioned when unboxing the new washi tapes on Instagram: “The sales rep was very helpful with the re-ordering process.”

Example #2. Negative feedback

In contrast, look at this LinkedIn post from the unsatisfied customer after the “worst sales call” with Statista’s salesperson: “The sales rep was rude and got angry with us […].”

Pro tip: Monitor phrases like “negative experience,” “rude,” etc., near the company’s name and use tools like Talkwalker Alerts, which will notify you about new brand mentions.

Remember about tiny yet significant interactions.

Rather than delving into hard selling techniques, Tom Golubovich, Head of Marketing & Media Relations at Ninja Transfers, recommends choosing milder and softer micro-engagement tactics. “For us, the like-comment-share trio is the winning formula when implementing social media listening in sales. Our primary task is warming up leads, not selling the hard way.”

So, your soft-selling tactics are:

• Like
• Comment
• Share

For example:

The Ninja Transfers team warms up the lead with the “like” reaction and comment: “We’re looking forward to it.”

In addition, Gary Hemming, Owner & Finance Director at ABC Finance, also reminds us of the comments section under social media ads. “Get the most from your sponsored posts. There may be tons of comments—engage with active leads via comments and move them further down the sales funnel.”

For example:

While monitoring activity under their Facebook ad, the Business Explained sales team replied to every user concerned about the price, delivery, etc.

Final Note on Social Media Listening for Sales

Social listening may seem like searching for a needle in a haystack. It implies patience and accuracy to sift through online chatter and hear distinct voices, unmistakably coming from your leads and customers. It also requires specific methods and tools. Now, you have all of those.

Skrapp’s LinkedIn email finder is another instrument that can enrich your toolbox. Add it to your toolset to scrape and extract email addresses in bulk from LinkedIn.

Hang on to every word, find top-quality leads, and “Skrapp-it” on LinkedIn!