Mastering Social Selling in 2026: Your Guide to Increasing Sales on Social Media

Social selling is a vital way to find new devoted customers.

With more people glued to their social media feeds than ever before, platforms like LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram have evolved into key spaces for brands to meet, engage, and build relationships with potential customers. 

Put simply, social selling is the process of using social platforms, online conversations, and social listening to identify, connect with, and build meaningful relationships with potential customers.

With this strategy, you're actively seeking out customers in their favorite online spaces rather than expecting them to find you elsewhere.

In this guide, we’ll explore why social selling is so crucial in 2026 and how to build a successful social selling strategy for your organization. 

We’ll also offer tips, best practices, and examples to help you get started – and show how Brandwatch’s solutions can support your social selling efforts.

The key benefits of social selling

Social selling is one of those strategies that just makes sense now that almost everyone is spending time on social media – but there are some specific advantages, too.

First of all, promoting products and services on social media allows you to engage with potential buyers on a personal level and get to know exactly what makes them tick. That's going to help you build stronger relationships with customers.

Secondly, social selling can lead to a more streamlined sales process. By focusing on social channels, your team can directly interact with the right audiences at the right time. This makes you more likely to get a sale and save time that would have been wasted on unqualified leads.

You're likely to see better customer engagement levels, too. Sharing posts that resonate with your audience, giving them a space to ask questions, and coming back to them with answers should all produce some valuable back-and-forth interactions.

All this can do wonders for your brand reputation. A company producing consistently helpful, interesting content always looks better than a competitor who isn't doing the same.

Finally, this is an area where data-driven insights can guide the way. Social listening tools and analytics platforms can help you track which strategies work best so you can polish your social selling techniques as you go along.

Laying the groundwork for social selling

Before diving into specific social selling best practices, it’s critical to establish a strong foundation. 

This means understanding your target audience, selecting the right social media platforms, and setting clear goals.

Identify your target audience

Every social selling program begins by clarifying who you’re trying to reach. 

Understanding your audience will determine which social network or networks you use and the type of valuable content you share.

Start by creating buyer personas that map out your potential customers’ goals, challenges, and daily routines. These personas can help you tailor your messaging and content to their interests. 

You’ll also get a clearer picture of which social platforms your audience prefers – whether they’re most active on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, or other social channels.

Choose the right social media platforms

Plenty of social media options exist, but not all will be right for your goals or audience. 

LinkedIn is likely your top priority if you aim to connect with a B2B audience. If your brand is more consumer-oriented, platforms like Instagram and TikTok might give you better access to potential buyers.

Ultimately, selecting the right platforms for your social selling efforts is about quality, not quantity. Spreading yourself too thin across every channel can dilute your impact. 

Aim to concentrate on two or three key social platforms your target audience uses and loves.

Set goals and metrics

The next step is establishing clear objectives before launching your social selling program. 

Perhaps you want to increase brand awareness or generate leads for your new sales. On the other hand, your aim could be to build better relationships with existing customers or promote new products or services.

Whatever your goals, ensure they align with specific key performance indicators (KPIs). 

For instance, to track how many new connections or sales opportunities you’ve created from your social channels, you could look at how much website traffic is coming from social media.

Building a successful social selling strategy

Once you’ve laid the groundwork, you can develop a targeted plan. 

A successful social selling strategy hinges on positioning yourself as a fun or useful account to follow rather than a pushy salesperson. 

In fact, it's worth remembering that showcasing products is only a small part of social selling – the rest is all about publishing great content and making sure people are engaging with your posts.

Think of it this way: social selling isn’t wholly about selling products and services. Your aim is to build a brand around your products and services to make selling easier.

Polish your presence

Your social media presence directly influences how potential customers perceive you. Each platform you use – be it LinkedIn, X, or another social network – should make your brand look good.

This means brushing up on the basics, like profile completeness. All the key info should be in there, and your profile image should tie in with all your other brand visuals.

From there, it's important to ensure you're sticking to a consistent tone and style. Make sure you're using the same voice and messaging across your platforms so people instantly recognize you.

Share relevant content consistently

If you want customers to engage with your content, it needs to be relatable and useful. 

This means not just pushing products but also sharing useful content that feels relevant to their lives. The more relatable, the more likely they are to pay attention.

This might mean posting handy advice in your niche (for example, a fashion company might share a video on how to style a trending item of clothing) or sharing your twist on a popular meme.

The goal is to showcase your products within content that feels useful and appealing despite the marketing angle.

Whatever your content involves, try to schedule posts at consistent times so your network knows when to expect something new. 

Some social sellers use automation or scheduling tools to plan and schedule posts in advance, ensuring they maintain consistent activity.

Engage in online community discussions

Social media isn’t just a place to broadcast your content; it’s also about interacting with others – that's why you often see brands commenting on other people's posts.

If you see a post that's relevant to your brand, don't be afraid to engage. Being active in an online community helps you build trust and credibility.

Of course, you should also respond directly to individuals’ questions or comments under your own posts. Building relationships and showing that you're ready to help others is vital for social selling success.

Use social selling tools

Juggling multiple social media platforms can be overwhelming, especially if you've got lots of other tasks on your plate.

For this reason, a social selling tool or social selling platform can make your day-to-day life easier.

One example here is LinkedIn Sales Navigator (often simply called Sales Navigator), which offers advanced filters for finding prospects, saving leads, and tracking engagement. 

But social listening solutions are also crucial. Monitoring mentions, keywords, and brand sentiment give you real-time insights into what’s being said about your business or your industry. 

When you notice a timely opportunity – like someone asking for product recommendations – you can get back to them right away and demonstrate your value.

Social selling best practices for sales teams

As you put your social selling program into action, keep the following best practices in mind: 

1. Personalize every interaction

Whenever you reach out to someone – whether it’s a direct message on Instagram or a tweet response – make it personal. Show that you’ve really listened to their inquiry and understand where they're coming from.

Personal connections resonate far more than generic, scripted messages.

2. Position yourself as a problem-solver

Your role is to help potential customers solve challenges, not just to make a sale. The best way to achieve this is to offer advice and resources that meet their needs. 

Over time, this approach fosters trust and sets you apart from competitors who broadcast messages but don't give much back to their followers.

3. Use social proof

Big up your brand with testimonials, reviews, and customer success stories to show how your offerings have helped others. Social proof reassures potential customers that you’ve delivered good results in the past. 

When used strategically, case studies or client endorsements posted on your social channels are great for credibility.

4. Be consistent and persistent

Social selling isn’t a one-and-done tactic; it’s an ongoing commitment. So, encourage your sales team to check in regularly on relevant groups, respond to comments, and follow up on promising leads. 

Consistency will increase visibility, especially as people get used to seeing your brand or name.

5. Collaborate with marketing

A bit of collaboration between sales and marketing can lead to a more unified sales process. 

For example, your marketing department can create assets that sales reps use in conversations, while your sales team can relay customer feedback that shapes future content. 

Measuring your social selling success

Like any sales initiative, social selling relies on metrics to gauge success. 

Tracking these numbers not only shows whether your efforts are paying off but also gives you clues about how you can refine and improve your strategy.

Social selling index

If you’re focusing on LinkedIn, keep an eye on your social selling index (SSI). 

This metric measures four pillars:

1. Establishing a personal brand
2. Finding the right people
3. Engaging with insights
4. Building relationships

A higher SSI suggests you’re consistently implementing effective social selling techniques. Encourage your team to monitor their SSI and strive for gradual improvements over time.

Engagement rates

Tracking likes, comments, shares, and direct messages will tell you a lot about which content resonates most. 

High engagement signals strong audience interest. It can also reveal patterns, such as the best times to post or the topics that get people talking.

Lead generation and pipeline impact

Monitor how many qualified leads stem from your social channels, then look at how they move through the sales funnel.

For instance, how many leads become opportunities – and how many close? This data helps you calculate return on investment (ROI) for your social selling efforts.

Conversion rates

Always keep an eye on conversion rates associated with your social channels. 

If you notice a higher conversion rate from LinkedIn than from Facebook, for example, you might decide to double down on LinkedIn.

Relationship mapping

Have a look at how many prospects you’ve connected with on social channels and how those relationships evolve.

This can be as simple as noting when a prospect moves from a casual follower to an engaged contact or from an engaged contact to a paying customer.

Overcoming common social selling challenges

Even the most carefully executed social selling strategy can run into obstacles. Your sales team is probably juggling all sorts of responsibilities, making time a challenge.

Finding the time to implement these strategies might be tricky, especially if they’re more focused on other tasks. A quick trick is to try blocking off specific periods for social activities. 

Providing social selling tools that centralize tasks can also be a game-changer. For example, Brandwatch Social Media Management gives you a single dashboard for scheduling posts, monitoring mentions, and responding to messages.

Now, some people on your sales team might not feel comfortable with social media or understand how to maximize its potential. Without proper training, they might fall into bad habits like spamming.

For this reason, it’s good to offer structured training sessions to help everyone on your team understand social selling best practices, from creating a compelling profile to relationship building in a professional yet approachable way.

Training is also crucial for avoiding inconsistent brand voice and positioning. You need a style guide that outlines brand tone, approved messaging, and frequently asked questions. You can then prep staff on how to communicate cohesively while still adding their personal touch.

Talking of the ‘personal touch,’ a layer of authenticity is paramount when brands engage in social selling. If social media is used only to push sales, your efforts can come across as insincere. People may tune you out if they feel they’re just trying to make a buck.

It’s therefore important to focus on building relationships first. Aim to become a resource, not just a seller. Share a mix of content and try to humanize your brand to make it relatable.

Some stakeholders might be skeptical of all the time and effort you're putting into social media if they can’t see the tangible impact of social selling right away.

If you can use data from your CRM and analytics platforms to showcase leads, pipeline value, and deal closures that originated from social channels, it will help. Be patient but persistent in highlighting the wins.

How Brandwatch can enhance your social selling program

Brandwatch offers a suite of solutions tailored to help you master social selling. From social listening tools to multi-platform publishing capabilities, Brandwatch enables teams to apply social media strategies quickly and effectively.

With Brandwatch’s listening features, you can track mentions of your brand, products, or industry keywords across major social media platforms. 

Spotting these conversations early lets you jump in when it’s most relevant, helping you build relationships with people who are actively discussing your space.

Brandwatch Social Media Management provides a shared workspace where your sales team and marketing department can coordinate content schedules, track leads, and respond to messages. 

Everything is centralized, preventing confusion and ensuring you deliver a unified brand voice.

Moreover, Brandwatch Consumer Research helps you understand your target audience's demographics, behaviors, and sentiments. 

Knowing exactly what resonates with them lets you fine-tune your messaging, publish content they love, and create more engaging experiences.

Brandwatch’s advanced analytics alert you to shifts in online sentiment or emerging competitors (if you choose to track them). By staying informed about your market, you’ll always have timely updates or relevant insights to share, reinforcing your standing as a thought leader.

Real-world examples of social selling success

There are so many brands that have discovered a huge customer base by making the most of social media. Below are some of our favorite examples.

Poppi

The low-sugar prebiotic soda company launched in 2018 and quickly found massive success on social media. In fact, they’ve been such a marketing success that PepsiCo recently acquired the brand for nearly $2 billion.

Since their launch, Poppi have engaged their Gen Z and Millennial customers with bright, eye-catching content peppered with memes, serving suggestions, and giveaways – all of which keeps their audience active and engaged.

In April 2025, they received tens of thousands of likes and countless comments for participating in an April Fools Day prank, announcing that they were launching a skincare spray in collaboration with another popular brand. This sort of viral content takes people to posts about actual products and showcases the playful brand perfectly.

Glossier

This beauty brand has only been around four years longer than Poppi, but they've achieved incredible success on social media in that time. With just over three million followers to date, they've got the same level of visibility as Coca-Cola.

Glossier posts a mix of skincare advice, product demonstrations, and information about forthcoming launches to keep followers interested.

They embrace newer platforms, like TikTok, and popular features, like Instagram Reels and Stories. In fact, any potential customer considering a purchase will find a wealth of information in their feed – which is likely to take them one step closer to the Glossier checkout.

Time to start social selling

Developing a successful social selling strategy should result in a boost in sales like never before. However, you have to do it right and stick to a strategy. From identifying your target audience and selecting the right social media platforms to sharing high-quality, relevant content – the art of social selling is being genuine online.

It's all about giving your team the power to engage with followers authentically, monitor their conversations, and ultimately turn window shoppers into real customers. From there, you can develop real connections and build relationships that last.

Draw up your social selling strategy today, and you'll soon be on a path to creating better relationships, nurturing trust, and driving sustainable sales productivity. 

Make social selling a core part of your business plan – your brand is more likely to stand out from the crowd.