The Role of Social Media in Modern Follow-Ups

🎆 That Follow Up Fix: New Year’s Mix! 🎆
'Twas the eve before the calendar turned,
Sales pros with resolutions, their ambitions burned.

🎯 Ping for progress, honk for a win,
No time to delay—let the follow-ups begin!

🎉 Bumpity-bump, keep the momentum high,
Building relationships as the New Year draws nigh.

✨ Honk, ping, bump—glide into the year right,
With That Follow Up Fix, your goals take flight!

As the ball prepares to drop, and the future shines bright,
Stay focused, stay driven, and win hearts tonight.

Here’s to starting the New Year with energy and style—because today’s for follow-up magic, and tomorrow’s the first mile! 🎆🎯✨

Over 85% of customers say a company’s digital experience is just as necessary as its product or services — the highest it’s ever been according to Salesforce 360.

Your prospect just ghosted your last three emails.

But there they are, actively engaging on LinkedIn about the exact problem your solution solves.

Meanwhile, your competitor just closed a $1.2M deal through a LinkedIn conversation.

According to OptinMonster 78% of salespeople who use social selling outperform their peers.

🎯 The Problem:

You're stuck in the 2010s follow-up playbook while buyers are living in a social-first 2024 going into 2025.

Traditional outreach yields diminishing returns in today's digital environment.

HubSpot's social selling data indicates 87% of sellers confirm that social selling has been effective for their business.

😫 The Reality:

Your emails are dying in spam folders.

Your calls go straight to voicemail.

Yet your prospects are spending 2.3 hours daily on professional social networks, engaging with everyone except you.

The modern buyer's journey has gone social, but your follow-up strategy is still stuck in the Stone Age.

Standard communication channels show declining effectiveness.

Decision makers today spend an average of 2h 26m on social media each day.

Around 25 minutes longer than the typical internet user; and a portion of this time is perhaps set aside for business-related purposes according to a blog by GWI.

💡 The Solution:

What if you could turn every social platform into your personal sales acceleration engine?

Strategic digital engagement shows promising results. 

According to a Harvard Business Review article they say, Buying, especially in B2B markets, is not a linear “pipeline” of prospects marching through a “funnel.”

Understanding how customers navigate channels in your market and how to interact with them is now central to effective selling. 

The secret isn't in the number of connections - it's in the tactical techniques that most salespeople miss.

So, let’s look at how you can use what I call the “Social Media Shadow Method.” 

And get more prospects to respond to you from creating what I like to call…

"The Social Proximity Effect."

Here's What Elite Social Sellers Know That Others Don't...

As mentioned earlier, 85% of customers say a company’s digital experience is just as necessary as its product or services.

This means the way you engage with prospects socially is no longer an option, it is mandatory.

It becomes a critical differentiator.

Additionally, 21% of consumers prefer to use social media as their primary tool to discover products and services to help them solve their problems according to HubSpot.

Still, most salespeople fail at social selling.

Here's why: 

The #1 Reason: 

Too many teams use social platforms for broadcasting rather than a strategic engagement ecosystem.

Sales professionals often treat their social media as a microphone to promote their products and services without considering it’s two way communication highway.

Buyers have the edge in researching ahead of time, you they want value-driven conversations and not just another sales pitch.

Other key obstacles:

• Platform Paralysis: Trying to be everywhere instead of dominating one channel.

For example, right now I am focused heavily on LinkedIn posting value added content their every Monday-Friday.

To see what I am doing there, connect with me here on LinkedIn.

Additionally, in 2025 I will be doing more UGC (User Generated Content)

Adding on other platforms like Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok.

While we were focusing on getting this brand, this newsletter, The Follow-Up Paradox Book, and That Follow Up Sales Planner out by the end of 2024…

I had to allocate my resources accordingly.

My time, energy, and money.

Those resources.

• Content Confusion: Sharing company posts instead of creating value.

Company-branded posts might feel like you're doing something.

But generic content lacks the personal touch that builds trust and falls on deaf ears and closed eyelids.

Buyers want to see your experience, thought leadership, and actionable insights.

As my dear friend and mentor, and top B2B sales trainer around the world, Victor Antonio would say.

Insight is “Information Beyond the Obvious.”

• Timing Troubles: Posting randomly instead of when buyers are most active.

Data shows that timing your posts when your audience is most active increases visibility and interaction.

(For example, LinkedIn engagement peaks on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 8-10 AM.)

• Engagement Economics: Not understanding the algorithm's impact on visibility.

Social platform algorithms prioritize quality conversation and engagement.

If you're not actively interacting with your network, your posts won’t get the reach or visibility needed to make an impact.

But here's your breakthrough steps: 

Step 1: Execute The "Digital Omnipresence Protocol" 🌐

According to Google's 7-11-4 Rule, buyer conversion requires 7 hours of content interaction, 11 brand touchpoints, and engagement across 4 different locations.

This framework ensures you're not just seen but remembered. 

Here's your action plan: 

• Create your social selling content calendar for 7 hours of engagement

Aim for a mix of long-form posts, videos, and interactive Q&A sessions.

• Map prospect online behaviors and plan 11 distinct touchpoint opportunities

Use analytics tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator or HubSpot to understand where and when your target audience is active.

Plan 11 meaningful touchpoints such as comments, DMs, or shared content to guide them along the buyer’s journey

•  Coordinate presence across 4 channels and design your engagement triggers

Combine your primary platform (e.g., LinkedIn) with supporting channels like email, text, or phone calls.

Ensure your brand message is consistent across all channels.

• Build your value-first content bank

Develop resources that solve specific problems for your audience—think books, infographics, and templates.

This positions you as a helpful authority

This is why we have “The Follow-Up Paradox Book”

AND

“That Follow Up Sales Planner” available now.

They are TOOLS to support in following up.

And going into 2025 we will continue creating more tools.

• Deploy your comment strategy and structure interaction sequences

Comments are mini demand generation points to be leveraged.

Focus on providing insightful feedback on your prospect’s posts or industry discussions.

Structure these interactions to invite dialogue that leads to discovery.