13 Oct The Role of Social Media in Modern Sales Success
Sales professionals often ask for my perspective on social media. The landscape now includes platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, Reddit, Tumblr, Quora, WhatsApp, and YouTube—each offering distinct advantages and disadvantages. However, ignoring social media is no longer an option. Every sales professional should evaluate which platforms align best with their target audience, sales objectives, and brand strategy. In today’s digital environment, a complete absence from social media can severely limit visibility, credibility, and professional growth. On the other hand, one can get consumed trying to maximize usage of many social media platforms.
This discussion focuses on how businesses and individuals can leverage LinkedIn, Facebook, and X (Twitter) to support their sales efforts and enhance professional results.
LinkedIn: The Professional Powerhouse
LinkedIn is “the world’s largest professional network, with more than 1 billion members across more than 200 countries and territories.”¹ For sales professionals, it is not simply a networking site—it is an indispensable business development platform offering exceptional visibility and lead-generation potential.
In my book Above Quota Performance,² I include a chapter dedicated to leveraging LinkedIn’s value in sales prospecting. It details proven strategies that have helped me generate qualified leads and close significant opportunities, including one that became the largest sale in my company’s history. The basic free version remains a vital resource for every sales professional, providing local, national, and global exposure.
Key benefits of using LinkedIn include:
- Expanding your professional network
- Supporting career advancement and job searches
- Building a strong personal brand that reflects credibility and expertise
- Enhancing prospecting and sales effectiveness
To maximize LinkedIn’s value, professionals should maintain a comprehensive profile with a professional headshot, connect strategically, join relevant groups, publish or comment on industry content, and provide authentic recommendations and endorsements.
For more advanced users, LinkedIn Sales Navigator—available by subscription—offers robust capabilities for sales professionals. Its advanced search filters, CRM integration, relationship insights, and automated lead generation tools streamline prospecting and improve workflow efficiency. Sales Navigator enables professionals to identify and engage decision-makers more effectively, significantly improving sales outcomes.
Facebook (Meta): The Global Connector
With more than 2.1 billion daily users, Facebook remains the world’s most widely used social platform. It enables individuals to connect with friends, family, and colleagues, share their life stories, and engage with customers, while offering businesses unparalleled audience reach—at no cost to join.
My personal experience with Facebook is somewhat mixed. I have a love-hate relationship with the platform, although my perspective is slightly favorable since it was once one of my customers. I use Facebook primarily to stay in contact with long-time friends and to promote my books. However, I am increasingly concerned about the prevalence of scams, misinformation, and unwanted solicitations, which detract from the overall experience.
Despite these drawbacks, Facebook continues to provide strong business and networking benefits:
- Businesses can promote products, services, and events; target specific audiences; and build customer loyalty.
- Individuals can reconnect with former colleagues or friends, maintaining personal and professional relationships that may yield future opportunities.
When used thoughtfully, Facebook can serve as a valuable platform for relationship building and brand promotion. Users should, however, exercise discretion when sharing information and interacting with others.
X (Formerly Twitter): Real-Time Engagement and Influence
Launched in 2006 as a short-message platform limited to 140 characters, known as microblogging, called “tweets.” Twitter—now rebranded as X—rapidly evolved into a global communication channel. Today, it serves more than 400 million users worldwide and remains free to use.
Initially designed for personal updates, the platform soon became a leading source of real-time information, especially during major global events such as the FIFA World Cup, Super Bowl, or political elections. It serves as both a conduit for accurate reporting and a vehicle for misinformation, underscoring the importance of thoughtful engagement.
From a sales and business perspective, X offers several advantages:
- Direct customer engagement and relationship building
- Cost-effective marketing and thought leadership opportunities
- Access to market insights and competitive intelligence through trend analysis
Following Elon Musk’s acquisition in 2022, the platform underwent a significant transformation. Rebranded as X, it now supports long-form content, monetization for creators, audio and video calls, job postings, and integration with xAI’s Grok chatbot. Premium subscribers also gain access to enhanced verification and expanded posting capabilities.
For sales and marketing professionals, X remains an effective medium for strengthening brand visibility, staying informed about industry developments, and engaging directly with clients and prospects.
Proceed with Caution: Social Media Can Jeopardize Your Career
While social media can strengthen professional visibility and sales performance, it can also pose serious career risks if used carelessly. Employers—both prospective and current—routinely review social media activity when making hiring, promotion, and termination decisions. Content that appears unprofessional, offensive, or controversial can easily result in lost opportunities or dismissal.
Many users mistakenly believe that the First Amendment protects all online speech. In reality, it does not apply to most workplace situations. As one legal authority explains:
“For most private-sector employees—nearly 90% of the workforce—the First Amendment offers no protection. The Constitution restrains government, not private companies. Employers can fire workers for almost any reason, including speech, so long as it isn’t an illegal basis such as race or religion.”3
This dynamic has created what observers describe as a “chilling climate in which online expression carries profound risk.”⁴ Consequently, individuals should exercise discretion and professionalism in all social media activity, assuming that employers, clients, and colleagues may one day view anything posted online.
Conclusion
When used strategically, social media is one of the most powerful tools available to sales professionals. Platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and X can expand networks, enhance credibility, and strengthen sales performance. However, they must be used with intention, discipline, and professionalism.
The key takeaways are clear:
- Use social media as a deliberate extension of your sales strategy—never as an afterthought. Used strategically, it strengthens visibility, credibility, and sales results.
- Used carelessly, it can harm reputations and careers. Don’t post anything on any social media platform that could be considered controversial or objectionable, unless you don’t care about the consequences. I tell salespeople not to post anything they wouldn’t want their mother to see.
1 https:// about.linkedin.com.
2 Steven Weinberg, Above Quota Performance, Armin Lear Press (Estes Park, CO, 2022), pp. 177-194.
3 David Fish “Getting fired for social media posts is the new workplace cancel culture,” Opinion: The new workplace cancel culturehttps://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/08/opinion-fired-social-media-posts-charlie-kirk-cancel-culture/
4 Ibid.