Our insights
Social selling agency: The sales solution for B2B success on LinkedIn
Mario Sinz
Chief Growth at Leadtree
Published on
Imagine being able to sell your products and services directly where your target audience spends their time - on social networks. But how do you go from simple posts and likes to qualified leads? This is where a Social Selling agency comes into play.
Want to know how to convince your target audience and increase the number of conversations with potential customers? We'll show you how a Social Selling agency can revolutionize your business.
What is a social selling agency?
The most successful way to do social selling is actually to hire a specialised agency. They will help you take your business to the next level by optimising your digital sales strategies and making you visible where it really counts.
Let's first take a look at what exactly a social selling agency does.
Definition and overview
A social selling agency is your partner when it comes to getting off to a successful start in digital sales.
Basically, a social selling agency combines the best of two worlds: Social media marketing and sales. Instead of acquiring potential customers through traditional cold calling or email alone, social selling focuses on building relationships via platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram or TikTok. Through posts and an appealing profile, you should be recognised by your target group as a personal brand. The task of a social selling agency is to strategically use platforms such as LinkedIn to build trust, position yourself as an expert in your field and ultimately generate more leads.
What is social selling not?
Social selling is not just about creating posts or liking other posts. Many people also confuse social selling with traditional advertising or direct selling - but this is precisely where the difference lies. After all, social selling is neither classic cold calling nor advertising, nor is it pure social media marketing.
It's not about flooding your contacts and followers with posts and advertising messages, but about building real relationships. Social selling is a sustainable process that creates trust and establishes you as an authentic and competent contact. This trust is the foundation for direct communication with potential prospects.
The future of social selling: trends and developments
Social Selling is becoming increasingly important and will be an indispensable part of any sales strategy in the future - and for good reason. If you want to stand out from the crowd in the face of the flood of information on social media, you need to focus on a personalised approach and show yourself personally. After all, potential buyers want to see a face to the company, not just the brand. Social selling gives your company personality and thus creates trust. And trust is the basis for customer acquisition and customer loyalty.
Last but not least, social media will remain one of the most important platforms for customer acquisition. If prospective customers want to find out more about a company, they will increasingly use LinkedIn or Instagram. If companies are not present on these platforms, this quickly puts them at a disadvantage compared to the competition.
Why is social selling on LinkedIn worthwhile?
- LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network with over 900 million users. LinkedIn can be used to establish direct contact with decision-makers from the target group.
- On your LinkedIn profile, you can present yourself and your company with an appealing profile picture, a banner and an informative introductory text to convince your target group.
- LinkedIn offers comprehensive analysis tools that help to measure the performance of posts and adverts.
- The LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a useful tool for target group segmentation
- The success of the social selling strategy can be measured very specifically by the Social Selling Index (SSI). This index was introduced by LinkedIn in 2014 and shows whether your LinkedIn profile is optimised, whether you are finding the right contacts, building sustainable relationships and sharing relevant content.
It has already become clear why you need social selling. But before you start on your own, you should consider working with experts.
Why is it worth hiring a social selling agency?
It's simple: an agency knows the tricks of the trade to get your business ahead in digital sales. With their expertise, an agency ensures that you get the most out of your social media channels.
Your advantages with a social selling agency
If you decide to work with a social selling agency, you will benefit from a whole range of advantages that can take your digital sales business to the next level:
- Time saving: You concentrate on your core business while the professionals take over the digital networking.
- Targeted social selling strategy:: The agency develops customised approaches that are perfectly tailored to your target group.
- Expertise and experience: Social selling requires a deep understanding of social media marketing and sales - which is exactly what an agency brings to the table.
- Continuous optimisation: The agency monitors the activities on your profile, analyses results and continuously adjusts the agreed strategies.
- Measurable results: You always have an eye on performance and receive detailed analyses that show you how your investments are paying off.
- Maximum efficiency: An agency has experience in analysing and comparing measures such as news campaigns. It will also quickly find out what works for your business. This fast and targeted approach through measurability and benchmarking maximises the efficiency of your campaigns.
So instead of posting haphazardly, an agency will develop a well thought-out social selling strategy for you that really gets results.
Are you looking for a social selling agency with a guarantee and no minimum contract term?
Leadtree offers exactly that.
Arrange a non-binding meeting now:
Comparison: in-house vs. agency
When it comes to establishing social selling in your company, you are faced with a choice: should you set up your own team or hire a specialised agency? Here is a brief comparison to help you decide:
In-house team
- Complete control: You have direct control over strategies and processes.
- Deep understanding of the brand: An internal team knows the corporate culture and brand inside out. However, "operational blindness" can become a problem here.
- Long-term investment: Building an in-house team can be cost-effective in the long term, but initially requires high investments in training and tools.
The major disadvantage of an in-house team is that it takes time, often years, to build up the necessary knowledge and experience. This immense amount of time is usually only worthwhile for extremely large companies. SMEs, start-ups and individual companies are better off utilising their resources elsewhere.
Agency
- Cost efficiency: An agency provides expertise and experience in social selling. There is no need to invest in expensive tools, training or additional employees.
- More extensive expertise: Agencies often work with many different industries and companies and therefore bring fresh ideas and proven best practices to the table.
- Scalability: You can quickly adjust the scope of the collaboration as your needs change.
- Focus on results: Agencies are focused on delivering measurable results, which creates an additional incentive for strong performance.
- Save resources: Not every company has the internal resources to set up its own social selling team. An agency closes this gap.
An agency is therefore the more efficient solution for successful social selling. Nevertheless, by working with the agency, you and your team will also learn how the implementation of the strategies works. After all, social selling is never just done for you, but always takes place in close dialogue with you as the customer.
Services of a social selling agency
The services of a social selling agency or a specialised LinkedIn agency are designed to effectively support your digital sales business and optimise your B2B sales techniques. Here is an overview of the most important services:
Strategy consulting
The social selling agency develops customised strategies that are tailored to your business goals and target group. To do this, it analyses the current market and defines specific goals in order to optimally position your brand and acquire new customers in a targeted manner. The result is a concrete roadmap for successful lead generation via LinkedIn.
LinkedIn profile optimisation
Your LinkedIn profile is your digital business card. With one look at your profile, users decide whether they want to network with you or buy from you. Optimising your LinkedIn profile ensures that you appear professional and appealing on the platform. A social selling agency will help you to design your profile in such a way that it convinces potential customers and business partners.
Content creation and management
The right content transforms your LinkedIn profile into a lively communication platform. A social selling agency will help you to conjure up creative, relevant and captivating content that will make you permanently visible to your target group and show you as a trustworthy, competent brand.
Lead generation and nurturing
The focus on lead generation and nurturing turns your LinkedIn account into a real customer magnet. An agency specifically identifies promising leads and develops strategies to approach and convince them. But that's not all: they nurture these relationships through personalised content and targeted interactions to create a long-term bond. The result is a continuous flow of qualified leads who want to buy from you or commission you.
It is precisely this lead generation and maintenance that is our core competence at Leadtree. For Fabula Games, for example, we developed a system that continuously generates 13 high-quality appointment bookings per month. Our secret: Granular target group segmentation combined with sales-psychologically optimised messages.
Networking: the core element of social selling
No social selling without networking. Networking makes you present yourself to potential customers and builds a community that trusts your brand. Instead of randomly sending out enquiries, social selling relies on targeted networking with relevant contacts who will help you get ahead.
Communication Takeover
Contact requests are not synonymous with lead generation. Remember: Social selling means showing yourself personally, building trust and making direct contact with potential customers. Many agencies limit themselves to strategic networking. The task of writing to new and potential contacts and keeping the communication going is up to you. And the amount of time this takes should not be underestimated.
That's why we at Leadtree can also take care of all communication on request.
We
– entwerfen verkaufspsychologisch wirksame und zugleich authentische Nachrichten,
– treten in direkten Austausch mit potentiellen Interessenten,
– sorgen dafür, dass alle Nachrichten zeitnah und professionell beantwortet werden,
– kümmern uns um das Follow-Up und
– bleiben so lange am Ball, bis du einen Termin mit dem Lead in deinem Kalender hast.
This means you don't have to miss out on a profitable exchange with your target group and still save a lot of time.
We manage every contact from the first message to the appointment booking. The result: You receive qualified appointments without having to spend time on LinkedIn communication yourself.
Sounds good?
Ready for professional social selling with guaranteed results?
Let's discuss your individual requirements.
Success Measurement and Reporting
Through success measurement and reporting, you gain valuable insights from numbers and data. A Social Selling agency tracks all relevant key figures and analyzes how well the strategies are working. It creates detailed reports that show you which strategies are successful, which areas still have potential, and where adjustments are necessary. This way, you always keep an overview of your progress.
What does a social selling agency cost?
The costs for a social selling agency depend on the scope of the services and the specific requirements. Depending on the services booked, prices in the industry range from around €500 to €5,000 per month.
The prices for our Solutions::
- Social Selling: Gesamte Kommunikationsübernahme mit personalisierten Nachrichten ab 2.400 Euro pro Monat
- Content Production: LinkedIn Posts ab 1.200 Euro pro Monat
- Engage (gezielte Vernetzung): Zielgruppensegmentierung und strategische Vernetzung ab 950 Euro pro Monat
Pricing models and budget planning
Some agencies offer a fixed monthly price that covers all selected services, while others charge additional set-up fees or bill on a project-by-project basis. Since social selling is an ongoing process, the monthly flat rate is the best solution. Depending on your budget, you can also plan your collaboration with the agency more flexibly.
Caution: Long contract periods can quickly put you in an unpleasant situation. This is because you are then financially tied down, even if the costs exceed your original budget or if the results or cooperation with the agency do not meet your expectations.
At Leadtree, we prefer our customers to stay with us because of our results - not because of long minimum contract periods.
What does a social media marketing agency cost?
The prices for a social media marketing agency vary greatly: anything between €1,000 and €20,000 per month is possible, depending on the scope of services. However, social media agencies are limited to the creation of content and possibly the placement of ads. Sales measures such as directly addressing potential customers are not directly part of social media marketing. A social selling agency, on the other hand, combines both: content marketing and direct sales. The bottom line is that you get more for your budget with a social selling agency than with a pure social media marketing agency.
How does a social selling agency work?
Are you convinced of the benefits of a social selling agency and have already calculated your budget? Now you just need to know exactly how a social selling agency can help you. on LinkedIn to success and brings you your leads. We give you an insight into the work of an agency.
Process and procedure
The work of a social selling agency usually runs like this:
- Analysis and target setting: The first step is a thorough analysis of your current social media presence and your target group. The agency defines clear goals, such as the number of leads per month.
- Strategy development: Based on the results of the analysis and the objectives, the agency creates a detailed strategy. This includes content plans and specific tactics for lead generation.
- Implementation: Once the strategy has been finalised, the agency begins with the implementation. Now it's time to optimise your profile, network and seek contact with your target group.
- Analysis and adjustment: During the implementation of the measures, the agency continuously analyses the results. If necessary, adjustments are made to optimise the strategy.
- Reporting and feedback: Regular reports keep you up to date on progress and successes.
Social selling on LinkedIn: How do I choose the right agency?
Choosing the right social selling agency is crucial for your digital sales success. If you start with an unsuitable or simply incompetent agency, you will not only burn money, but also jeopardise your reputation on LinkedIn. After all, the agency represents you and communicates with other users on your behalf. So there is a lot at stake.
With the Selection of a lead gen agency that drives your customer acquisition with social selling, you should follow these 3 tips:
- Guaranteed success: An agency should not simply promise you "success with social selling", but should guarantee you this success in the form of concrete goals. This means: a specific number of qualified leads per month. If you don't receive such a guarantee, you can't measure the agency's performance against anything - and in the worst case, you'll have to settle for poor results.
- Personalisation: The agency wants to impose its general strategy on you and talks about standard messages for sales? Then they are not really interested in your success, but only in you as a paying customer. A good agency takes the time to get to know you and your company and uses authentic, personalised messages to bring you together with your target group.
- Tracking system: Measures are worth nothing if the results are not analysed. This is the only way to find out which measures are successful and which adjustments are necessary for better results. A good agency works with a robust tracking system to ensure exactly that.
Experience and ratings
If you want to find the perfect social selling agency, you should definitely also take a look at their References and case studies throw. These give you a clear overview of how successful the agency has been in the past and what results it has achieved for other clients. Review portals and testimonials are also worth their weight in gold, as you can find out first-hand how other customers have experienced the collaboration.
Success stories and case studies
Enough theory, let's move on to practice. Do you want to know what results our customers achieve through social selling? Our Success stories speak for themselves.
Customer references and results of our social selling strategy
At Leadtree, we specialise in social selling on LinkedIn for founders and managing directors of technology companies and have already been able to write several success stories.
The start-up Fabula Games we were able to support them in establishing a presence for the target group and systematising sales. The result: a network with over 3,700 potential new customers.
By implementing social selling for founder and CEO Lukas Heinzmann, we were able to help the company Gyde even paving the way for Series A financing. Over the course of the collaboration, Lukas' network grew by almost 11,000 decision-makers from his target group. This visibility and a constant flow of, in this case, an average of 13 appointments helped Gyde to prove that they can acquire and grow customers sustainably.
And the well-known B2C service provider Blinkist we facilitated the company's entry into the B2B market with LinkedIn optimisation and targeted networking. We adapted the team's profiles to the new focus and then contacted potential B2B customers. This enabled Blinkist to conquer the B2B segment and win important new customers with an average of 23 booked meetings per month. Blinkist's new offering quickly became known - and in demand.
Impressive, right? If you also want to take off on LinkedIn like this, we should talk!
Are you ready to turn your LinkedIn into a goldmine?
Let's talk:
FAQ - Frequently asked questions about the social selling agency
What is social selling?
Social selling means that companies act as a personal brand on social media in order to build relationships with potential customers and market their products or services with authentic content and messages.
What is a good social selling index?
A good Social Selling Index (SSI) is 70 or higher. It indicates how effectively someone uses LinkedIn to expand their network and create business opportunities.
Where can I find my SSI on LinkedIn?
You can view your Social Selling Index (SSI) on LinkedIn at the URL www.linkedin.com/sales/ssi when you are logged in.
What is a social selling agency?
A social selling agency is a service provider that helps companies optimise their sales strategies for social media. Such agencies use platforms such as LinkedIn to generate leads and maintain relationships.
Why should I hire a social selling agency?
An agency brings expertise, resources and special tools that make it possible to implement social selling effectively. With an agency, you save time, can focus on your core business and increase the effectiveness of your sales measures at the same time.
What services does a social selling agency offer?
Typical services include strategy consulting, LinkedIn profile optimisation, content creation, lead generation, communication management as well as performance measurement and reporting.
How do I choose the right social selling agency?
Important criteria are the agency's track record, which is demonstrated by customer reviews and case studies. A good social selling agency communicates its services transparently, can guarantee concrete success and relies on a personalised approach.
What does a social selling agency cost?
The costs vary depending on the scope of the services. As a rule, we work with a monthly flat rate.
How does a social selling agency measure success?
The success of the measures is measured by various KPIs such as the number of leads generated, new contacts and appointments booked. These figures are recorded in regular reports.
Can't I just do social selling myself?
Yes, it is possible. However, social selling requires expertise, experience and a lot of time. An agency has the experience and resources to make the process more efficient and effective.
Would you like to build visibility in your target group and a predictable acquisition channel through social selling?
Then let's talk: