Social media is steadily growing more important as a sales platform. In a recent study from Bambu we learned that Millennials prefer to discover and research brands on social media. 45% of Millennials prefer sales outreach via social compared to other sales methods, such as cold calling.

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But as we all know, you can’t just immediately leap to the sales pitch, whether you’re talking to customers in person, on the phone, or on social media. It’s important to develop a rapport and get to know your customer’s needs and preferences first.

Customers have their own agenda as well. They want to make wise purchasing decisions, which means they need to compare products or services, research specifications, learn policies and more. Many customers also have preferences about what types of companies they want to do business with, as well as budget that must be honored.

Social media provides an ideal platform for both parties to achieve their goals. Through strategic engagement, you learn more about your customers, and your customers acquire the knowledge they need to determine if they want to further their relationship with you.

Responding to questions and comments tops the list of behaviors most likely to influence a customer’s decision to buy. Sharing industry content is number two, followed by sharing pictures and video. Another factor that’s important to today’s customer is their ability to form a genuine relationship with a brand: that’s why having mutual connections and showing personality and interest occupy spots 4 & 5.

Controversy, on the other hand, seldom influences customer buying behavior: only 2.3% of respondents identified posting political content as a factor that positively influenced their purchasing choices.