The State of Social Selling in 2025
- Summer Poletti
- Jul 17
- 6 min read
What irks me, what works, why it matters, how to fit it all in (even if you're camera-shy)
Allow me to be Captain Obvious here:
Social media is an important tool leveraged by the most successful salespeople
LinkedIn is the best social platform for B2B
The LinkedIn user experience sucks and isn't getting any better
So how can the smartest Owners, Leaders and Operators leverage social selling that's effective and doesn't become their full-time job? I am a prolific, if not reluctant, social media user and I've got lessons from the trenches for you.
What We'll Cover in This Post:
Social Media Isn't Just for Marketing
B2B buyers do their research before engaging with a brand, up to 70% of the "sales process" now occurs before they talk to a salesperson.
Think about what you do when you have a meeting with someone you don't know personally - you look them up don't you?
People buy from people they know, like, and trust. And they're more likely to trust an actual human than a brand. It's why influencers have taken over B2C marketing.
In mid 2025, B2B buyers are experiencing AI overload, it's more important than ever to be real and relatable.
If you're a leader, your folks are watching, lead by example.
If you're a founder, you know what differentiates your company from your competitor? It's you and your story - your why.
What Actually Works on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn sucks and even influencers with large followings are reporting 60% - 80% drop in reach. But I still use it religiously. And there's one reason.
When I meet with people they always comment on my content. Always a surprise to me because they've never commented, shared, or liked my posts. But they see them and remember. And when they need my help, I should pop right to mind.
You're not doing this for the vanity metrics, you're doing this for the lurkers.
From my experience, here's what performs well:
Video, much to my dismay
Real video, professional-looking, doesn't have to be super polished
30-60 seconds, captioned
Images
Real photos you take, please avoid a selfie with every post though
An image with text, such as client testimonial - could be simple like your brand color with white text overlay
Stock photos are better than AI, but not as good as a real photo
AI generated images don't perform well, save them for blogs
Carousels and Polls on LinkedIn are hit and miss, but good to mix in
Text-only posts get the least engagement
Supposedly links in LinkedIn posts tank engagement, but as a niche account I don't see much difference
Consistency, staying top of mind
Pro Tip: Newsletters. Everything you post on LinkedIn is only visible on LinkedIn. But newsletters are Googleable, searchable off-platform. You don't have to do it weekly and they don't have to be long, a short monthly post with your insights can do wonders to elevate your profile.
There's a lot of trial and error and I wish I had it down to a science, but I'm constantly surprised. The good news? Shelf-life of social media posts is short and you can always delete something that flops.
How to Get it all Done:
If you're reading my blog you're not an influencer or a social media manager, so you probably don't have the time or the desire to create social media content.
Take inspiration from your daily life - those little things you do all day to resolve challenges, those are more powerful than you think.
Record a video when you feel inspired. If you’re shy, use b-roll you record with your phone and overlay text.
Use a scheduler to post it everywhere you can post video—Neil Patel gave me permission to stop creating unique content for each channel.
Pick your favorite 3 channels and use Buffer's free option.
Pro Tips: Buffer's paid option is the cheapest social media manager I found that lets you preschedule your first comment, which helps with "link in comments". Don't be shy, tag a business friend to help you get more reach.
What if You're Camera-Shy?
Believe it or not, I am (or was?). I forced myself to get out of my comfort zone, I challenge you to do what works for your business. And if you need some help or stepping stones:
Have someone get on camera with you, in your office or in a Zoom. Misery loves company!
Time-lapse video with background music
Film while walking
For photos - a silhouette or zoomed out scene, not focused solely on your face or a photo in your office with your team
B-roll you take with your phone, set to music, with text overlayed
Create Content Easily Without Having to be a Creator
You can start with the content your marketing team creates. And if you don't want to be an infomercial, you'll want to put a bit of yourself out there:
Go beyond liking and sharing your company's posts - comment or add your own insights when you repost. Your audience is way more interested in what you think than what a brand posts.
Start with your clients, prospects and partners - comment on and share their posts with your insights. This positions you as a thought leader and also gets you brownie points with them.
Share an anonymized client success or objection you face.
Talk about costly mistakes you see clients make (that you help solve)
Give your spin on an industry trend
Talk about your professional journey, your passions - relate it to work, but people dig real stuff.
A day in the life - walk the viewer through your office or show them your routine.
Bloopers. Did you pull out your phone to do a video and forget how to speak English? Post it. I do on average one per quarter, they do very well. I an AI-generated world, people want to see things that are real human.
A note on boosting: Right now, I’m not boosting my personal LinkedIn posts. In my experience, power users and buyers often see it as a desperate move, like you’re paying to force your ideas into their feed instead of earning attention organically.
How to Use AI Without Sounding Like a Bot
We shouldn't ignore the elephant in the room. One of the reasons users are checking out on social media is AI overwhelm. AI can help you be more productive, but buyers can tell if you let AI write it. Your unpolished voice is better than anything ChatGPT can write. Here are some ways I balance:
Use AI to organize your thoughts. Tell it your idea, have it help you structure it, but make sure you rewrite it in your own words. (This helps if I have an idea when I am nowhere near my laptop.)
Use it as a brainstorming partner.
You can feed it an article and ask, “You know my work and my ideal client, what insights can I add to this conversation?"
Ask it for ideas if you're stuck, it can create a calendar of content ideas for you
Have it help you draft or edit. But never let it be the final draft. ChatGPT pulls from what's already out there, so it churns out corporate speak. The minute you copy-paste-post, it sounds like everyone else. And it's nearly impossible to stand out and get noticed.
Rebel Tip: Typos? Grammatical errors? Let 'em fly! What better way to show there's a human behind your post? ChatGPT would never. Just don't tell your 6th grade English teacher.
My No-BS Take
B2B is all about building awareness and staying top of mind. People might not need you now, but they will eventually. And you need to be visible because you can't predict their future.
If you think prospects will remember meeting you at an even 2 years ago and reach out when they need, that not how this ever works.
You do have enough time - create 1-3 things per week and post them on at least one channel. No harm in cross-posting to other channels.
Do things within your comfort zone, something is better than nothing. And try to maintain consistency.
Take time to scroll and interact, more than just liking. People will see you through your comments and shares.
I can’t stress this last part enough: relying on inbound in 2025 is a huge risk. Take time to invite people off-platform for real conversations. (That's how I recently learned that despite declining metrics, my stuff is being seen.)
A note about going viral: Going viral is often seen as the magic pill on social media, that ONE post that gets you noticed, makes you famous, and then everything is easy after that. So let me tell you about my first viral video. Lots of views, unwanted and rude comments, a couple new followers, literally no money, and the next post was back to the same old metrics.
Make the Rest of 2025 Count
If you've ever wondered how to stand out against a competitor, how to get a prospect to care about what you've built, or have been frustrated with slow or plateaued growth, let's explore with an alignment scan.
Spend 15 minutes with me and let's see if there's a low-lift, high-impact thing that can boost your business heading into the homestretch.
Rise of Us is a practice run by Summer Poletti, specializing in revenue growth: sales, strategic partnerships, customer success, marketing alignment. We generally work with financial services and SaaS companies from $2MM - $30MM ARR and help them plan and execute for their next stage of revenue growth. We concentrate on strategy, coaching, and organizational alignment.
Comments