The Future of B2B Selling Is Social Selling

B2B sales is undergoing a major shift: the future of selling is social selling. This isn’t just a buzzword – it’s a fundamental change in how businesses connect with customers. In a world where cold calls are ignored and email inboxes are overloaded, social selling allows you to meet prospects on platforms they already use, building trust and relationships instead of pushing products.

It’s trending for good reason: sellers who embrace social strategies are outperforming those who don’t. In fact, companies that leverage social selling see significantly better results – 78% of businesses using social selling outsell their peers, and they’re 51% more likely to hit sales quotas. With stats like these, it’s no surprise that savvy B2B founders, sales teams, and agencies are turning to social selling as a key growth strategy.

In this article, we’ll break down what social selling is and why it’s taking off in the B2B space. We’ll also analyze how different communication channels – LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter (X), WhatsApp, SMS, and email – contribute to social selling success. Finally, we’ll share actionable best practices from industry experts (including 9 founders and sales leaders featured in our curated infographic) to help you leverage social selling effectively. Let’s dive in and explore how relationship-based selling can transform your B2B sales approach.

What Is Social Selling? (And Why B2B Teams Are Embracing It)

Social selling is using social networks to spot, warm up, and qualify prospects by building real relationships over time. The goal is not to pitch on first contact, but to show up where buyers are (LinkedIn, X, Instagram, niche communities), share useful insights, and start natural conversations.

Instead of cold calls and generic email blasts, reps:

• comment on posts and join existing discussions
• share content that answers real problems
• reply to questions and DMs with practical advice

Done right, social selling:

• makes outreach warmer and less intrusive
• shortens sales cycles because trust is built upfront
• increases lead quality, since people come to you already educated

This approach fits modern B2B buying. Buyers research on their own, ask peers, and follow experts before ever booking a demo. They read LinkedIn posts, LinkedIn articles, X threads, and community discussions to form an opinion. Social selling plugs directly into this journey, turning your social presence into an always-on acquisition channel.

Why Social Selling Is the Future of B2B Sales

✔️ B2B buyers now research on social: Around 75% of B2B buyers use social media to research vendors, and roughly 40% actively browse social networks before a purchase decision. If your team isn’t present and adding value there, you’re invisible for a big part of their journey.‍

✔️ Cold outreach is losing power: Only about 21% of buyers still prefer cold calls as a first touch, while 62% say they respond to salespeople who share relevant insights. Sharing smart, useful content earns attention in a way generic emails and calls no longer can.

✔️ Social sellers outperform the rest: Reps who practice social selling are 51% more likely to hit or exceed quota, and around 72% of those using social in their process outperform colleagues who don’t. Top performers increasingly treat LinkedIn and similar platforms as core sales tools, not “nice to have” extras.

✔️ Sales is now digital and remote: Almost 40% of sellers have already closed deals over $500k fully virtually. With fewer in-person meetings, social presence and digital relationships become the new “face time.”

Put together, these shifts make social selling a new standard in B2B: the reps buyers already know and trust on social will be the ones they talk to when it’s time to buy.

How Different Communication Channels Contribute to Social Selling Success

One of the beauties of social selling is that it isn’t confined to a single platform or channel. In fact, a multi-channel approach often works best – meeting prospects across LinkedIn, Twitter (X), Instagram, messaging apps, and traditional channels like email or SMS. Each communication channel brings its own strengths in the social selling process. Here’s how the key platforms and channels contribute to social selling success:

LinkedIn: The B2B Social Selling Powerhouse

LinkedIn is the core platform for B2B social selling. It’s built for professionals, which makes it the natural place for outreach, networking, and thought leadership. You can search decision-makers by title, company, or industry, use Sales Navigator for advanced prospecting, and publish posts that show your expertise. Nearly 50% of social traffic to B2B websites comes from LinkedIn, and around 89% of B2B marketers use it for lead generation.

To excel at social selling on LinkedIn, focus on value and relevance:

• Share content that answers your buyers’ real questions: short tips, industry trends, case studies, teardown posts.
• Post consistently so you stay on your prospects’ radar, not just when you want something.
• Comment on your ideal customers’ posts, react to their wins, and join relevant conversations instead of talking only on your own feed.

When you reach out directly, skip the generic pitch. Send a custom connection request or DM that refers to something they’ve posted, a shared context, or a specific problem you can help with. Use LinkedIn to start conversations and build trust; the deals tend to follow once people already see you as a credible, familiar contact.

X (Twitter): Real-Time Visibility and Thought Leadership

X (ex-Twitter) is ideal for showing up where operators, founders, and buyers talk in real time. It’s fast, public, and perfect to share sharp opinions, react to news, and reach people outside your current network.

Use X to:

• join threads and hashtags your ICP already follows
• drop short, useful takes (mini-tips, mini-threads, data points)
• observe what prospects tweet and like to understand their priorities

Think “quick and consistent”: a few posts and replies several times a week, then move promising interactions to DMs when it feels natural. X is less about direct attribution and more about planting seeds so people already know you when it’s time to talk.

Instagram: Humanizing Your Brand (Mostly B2C, Sometimes B2B)

Instagram is mainly a B2C playground, but it can still support B2B social selling in some cases. It’s ideal for humanizing your brand and showing your culture, team, and customer stories in a visual way. Prospects who discover you on LinkedIn often click through to Instagram to feel your vibe and check if you’re credible and active.

For B2B, it works best if you share the human side (team moments, events, behind the scenes) and repurpose proof (customer quotes, mini case studies, product teasers). In more advanced setups, teams even use a CRM for Instagram and workflows to export Instagram accounts they interact with into their CRM.

Keep it simple: a clean profile, a few strong highlights, occasional Stories (polls, Q&As), and a clear link in bio to your site or a key resource. Instagram won’t be your main lead-gen engine, but it adds personality and social proof to the rest of your social selling.

WhatsApp: Personal Chats for High-Value Prospects

WhatsApp isn’t a classic social network, but it’s a powerful follow-up channel once a conversation starts on LinkedIn or X. Moving a warm prospect to WhatsApp makes the exchange feel more direct and personal, which is why many founders and sales reps use it for “hot” deals.

It works well for quick updates, real-time Q&As, and sharing resources (screenshots, PDFs, short Loom links). Voice notes are a cheat code: a 30-second message often feels more human and memorable than another email paragraph.

Just keep consent and tone in check. Always get a green light before messaging a personal number, stay helpful (not pushy), and use WhatsApp for timely nudges where high open rates (often around 98%) really matter. Paired with a CRM for WhatsApp, you can log these chats, keep context, and track every step of the relationship instead of losing it in a phone inbox.

SMS: High-Open-Rate Touchpoints (Use Sparingly)

SMS is one of the most direct channels you can use in B2B. Texts are usually read almost instantly, with open rates around 98% – far higher than email. That makes SMS powerful for very specific moments:

• a reminder before a scheduled call
• a quick thank-you after a meeting
• a short nudge if a warm prospect has gone quiet

Because it’s so personal, SMS should only be used with consent and some rapport. Ideally, the prospect has shared their number and indicated texting is okay. Keep messages short, clear, and professional: no slang, no long pitches. A simple “Hi [Name], it’s [You] from [Company] – just sent over the proposal we discussed, let me know if it doesn’t reach you” is enough.

Treat SMS as a supporting touchpoint for high-priority contacts, not as a mass outreach channel. Used at the right moment, a single, well-timed text can cut through the noise and show genuine attention without feeling intrusive.

Email: Use Social Insights for a One-Two Punch

Email is still the backbone of B2B sales, but it works best when it’s fueled by social signals. Instead of a cold first touch, warm things up on LinkedIn (comments, DMs, post interactions), then send an email that references that context. With around 94% of marketers saying personalized messaging improves conversions, using what you see on social to tailor your email can dramatically lift reply rates.

Use email to go deeper than social:

• recap the problem you’ve seen them talk about
• share a relevant case study or short deck
• propose a clear next step (call, demo, workshop)

Think of email as one more channel in your social selling stack, not a separate silo. Modern CRMs like folk let you see LinkedIn touches and emails on the same timeline, so you always know where the relationship stands. Keep the tone human and consultative (“following up on our conversation about…”), and your emails stop feeling cold – they become the natural next step in an ongoing dialogue.

Expert Social Selling Tips from Founders and Sales Leaders

Our infographic above is a curated collection of social selling tips from 9 founders and sales leaders who actively close B2B deals through social media. Each expert contributor shares a unique strategy – from building trust with prospects, to leveraging multi-channel outreach, to using creative tactics like voice notes. For example, some emphasize consistently showing up on platforms like LinkedIn to become a known authority, while others highlight the power of one-on-one engagement (even via personal messages and audio) to spark genuine conversations. Taken together, these insights paint a clear picture: successful social selling is about being authentic, providing value, and strategically using all available channels/ tools to form real relationships. It’s not one-size-fits-all – it’s about finding what resonates with your audience and doing it consistently.

To summarize, here are actionable best practices gleaned from these social selling experts (and how you can apply them):

• Share expertise to become an authority – Provide insights, educate, and deliver value on your channels rather than immediately pushing a product. Positioning yourself as a knowledgeable resource builds trust and attracts inbound interest. (Tip from Andréa Bensaid, CEO of Eskimoz)
• Show up consistently on social – Maintain an active presence to stay on your audience’s radar. Regular posting and engagement (even if it doesn’t “go viral”) steadily increases your visibility and credibility over time. (Tip from Paul Wantrough-Halim, Co-founder of Hyperfocus)
• Address your ICP’s pain points in your content – Tailor your posts and articles to directly speak to the biggest challenges faced by your ideal customers. By offering advice or solutions up front, you effectively handle objections and build desire before the sales call. (Tip from Alex Vacca, CRO of CoLDIQ)
• Build trust before trying to sell – Focus first on genuinely helping and connecting with a prospect, not on closing a deal. Respond quickly and personally to inquiries, show you understand their business, and be patient. Sales come naturally once there’s mutual trust in place. (Tip from Jonathan Anguelov, CEO of Aircall)
• Engage 1:1, not just 1:many – Don’t rely only on broadcasting content to the masses. Identify key prospects who interact with you (likes, comments, etc.) and reach out to them individually. A friendly one-on-one conversation can turn a passive follower into an active opportunity. (Tip from Jordan Chenevier-Truchet, Co-founder & CEO of Bulldozer)
• Spark genuine conversations – Strive to create real dialogue, not just marketing chatter. For example, sending a short, thoughtful voice note or asking a question about a prospect’s recent post can start a meaningful back-and-forth. Authentic, two-way conversations build much stronger relationships than canned pitches do. (Tip from Ademola Adelakun, Founder of A2media)
• Embrace multi-channel outreach – Use a mix of platforms and mediums to connect with prospects. You might initiate on LinkedIn or Twitter for discovery, then move to a private chat on WhatsApp or a quick phone call as the relationship warms up. Meeting people across channels increases your touchpoints and keeps the momentum going. (Tip from Thibaud Elziere, Founder of Hexa)
• Connect your socials to your sales stack – Make sure your social selling activities feed into your CRM or sales system. Log your LinkedIn messages, keep notes on contacts, and set follow-up tasks. Integrating social data (e.g. via a LinkedIn-CRM integration) ensures you never lose track of a relationship and can pick up right where you left off. (Tip from Jimmy Gordon, Head of Partnerships at OK Social)‍
• Leverage automation to scale insights (not spam) – Use automation tools carefully to enhance your social selling, not to replace the human element. For instance, automate routine tasks like monitoring who engages with your posts or scheduling initial outreach, but always personalize your approach. The goal is to gather data on what’s working and focus your time where it counts – not to blast generic messages. (Tip from Ishan Mukherjee, Co-founder & CEO of Rox)

Each of these tips comes directly from experienced founders and sales leaders who have found success on social media. They collectively reinforce a few core principles: be consistent and present in your market, be genuinely helpful, engage personally, use multiple channels intelligently, and take advantage of tools (like CRM and automation) to stay organized. By following this advice, you can craft a social selling strategy that feels natural and yields real results. And remember, social selling is a long game – the relationships you start building today can turn into big opportunities down the line.

Conclusion: Make Social Selling Your New Default

Social selling isn’t a side tactic anymore, it’s how modern B2B buyers already decide who to trust. They discover you through content, conversations, and recommendations long before they ever click “book a demo.” Teams that build real relationships on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, WhatsApp, SMS, and email move deals faster because prospects already know who they’re talking to.

The key is simple: use each channel for what it does best, stay consistent, and keep a human, consultative tone. LinkedIn for authority and pipeline, X for real-time conversations, Instagram and WhatsApp to add proximity and trust, SMS and email to secure next steps. Track replies, conversations started, and social-influenced pipeline instead of just counting dials.

To make this scalable, you need a CRM that follows the relationship, not just the deal. That’s where folk fits: an AI CRM built for relationship-driven sales that centralizes contacts, socials, emails, and notes on a single timeline so every follow-up is timely and personal. 👉 If you want your social selling to actually turn into revenue, try folk and give your team one place to turn online conversations into closed-won deals.