Sales and social media aren’t separate silos, they’re two sides of the same coin. The challenge isn’t just about using social media more; it’s about connecting the dots between teams, tools, and data to drive real business impact.
Gartner predicted that by 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur in digital channels. With more of the buying journey taking place online, sellers who fail to adapt risk being left behind.
To explore how you achieve this in social selling, we sat down in our recent LinkedIn Live with Sally Jacobs, Senior Director of Social Media and Advocacy at Qlik.
Sally shared how Qlik connects the dots between social media, employee advocacy, and sales to drive impact. Read on to find out what we learned.
Social selling: a mindset shift
One of the biggest hurdles in social selling isn’t the tools, it’s the mindset. As Sally pointed out, many salespeople have spent years being measured in a certain way, and shifting to deep selling, as LinkedIn calls it, takes time.
“This doesn’t change overnight, especially when you’ve been measured in a certain way for so long. You have to start adjusting and doing things differently, smartly, not more of the old but actually slightly different.”
For sales, that means looking at objectives differently. Are you driving new business? Are you focused on renewals? The approach to social selling will vary depending on these goals.
What’s clear, though, is that the majority of interactions are happening online. We used to talk about digital natives as the future, but they’re here now.
Embedding social selling into sales culture
Embedding social selling isn’t just about getting buy-in from individual reps; it requires leadership support. Sally reflected on past experiences where the focus was on user adoption rather than executive alignment. Without leadership backing, social selling can struggle to gain traction.
It’s also important to set clear success metrics. Many organisations set leading and lagging indicators but don’t report on them systematically. Quick wins are great, but to build a lasting program, those wins need to be tied into a bigger picture of success.
Sales enablement and sales operations need to be on board, ensuring the right support structures are in place.
As Sally wisely pointed out, you can’t rush culture change. You can’t just flick a switch and expect everyone to be fully engaged with social selling. It’s a process that takes time, buy-in, and a willingness to adapt.
The key is having strong champions in place to help drive the change.
The power of paid advertising and trust
One of the most interesting aspects of Qlik's approach is how it integrates paid advertising into its social selling strategy. Instead of simply increasing ad spend, Sally and her team focus on smart targeting. “You’ve got two options: throw more money at it… or start prioritising and focusing where the money needs to go,” she explained.
LinkedIn’s thought leadership ads and Sales Navigator insights help Qlik reach the right people at the right time. This approach raises intent scores and strengthens the relationship between sales and marketing. “We work with our sales teams to prioritise high-intent accounts, then track engagement levels to see how that intent score changes,” Sally shared.
Trust plays a crucial role in paid social strategies. Instead of relying on traditional ads, Qlik prioritises sponsored posts featuring employee-generated content. This approach makes the brand more relatable and encourages genuine engagement.
A well-executed paid strategy goes beyond raising awareness. It builds credibility and strengthens connections in a competitive market.
The role of AI in social selling
AI is changing the way we work, and social selling is no exception. Sally shared how at Qlik, AI is infused into everything they do, helping teams turn data into business outcomes. But how does this apply to sales?
Currently, sales teams spend just 43% of their time actively engaging with customers (Salesforce). Sally highlighted how AI can help with productivity, prioritisation, and outreach.
75% of salespeople who exceeded their quota use AI, compared to only 25% of those who don’t (LinkedIn Deep Sales Playbook).
Sales Navigator, for example, is evolving to take an agentic AI approach. Instead of logging in to check for intent signals, AI will proactively surface insights: "Morning, Sarah, just letting you know this customer’s intent score has changed, today might be a good day for outreach."
That’s huge! It means sales teams don’t waste time searching for insights; the insights come to them. And AI doesn’t stop there. It can suggest talking points, highlight relevant customer news, and even draft outreach messages based on strategic priorities.
“I use AI every day, and it massively helps my productivity,” Sally shared. “What’s coming out with Sales Navigator this year is incredible.”
Building a socially mature sales team
LinkedIn’s Deep Sales Playbook highlights three key habits of successful social sellers: prioritising high-potential accounts, building relationships, and ensuring timely outreach.
At Tribal Impact, we often talk about the social maturity matrix, which helps organisations understand how their social media presence is evolving.
At Qlik, this journey has been a key focus. “We’ve seen a real shift in how our sales teams use social media. It's no longer just about sharing content, but about engaging with the right people, in the right way,” Sally shared.
You can explore more about social maturity in our blog on the 9 stages of employee social maturity.
The future of social selling
Social selling isn’t just about posting on LinkedIn; it’s about connecting sales and marketing, leveraging AI, and embedding social behaviours into the fabric of sales teams. It requires leadership support, clear objectives, and a willingness to adapt.
But beyond the tools and strategies, trust remains at the heart of it all. As Sally pointed out, successful social sellers aren’t just broadcasting messages, they’re building relationships.
Find out how our team here at Tribal Impact can help you connect your social media and sales.
