How to Sell on X (Formerly Twitter) in 2024
Despite dating all the way back to the MySpace era, marketing and selling on X (formerly called Twitter) is still untouched potential for many businesses. Compared to other social media platforms, X has an intimidation factor – the tempo is fast, the lingo is ever-changing, and the culture feels more intense.
But behind its mysterious veneer lies an enormous sea of opportunity for salespeople who learn to leverage X for prospecting and relationship-building. With over 350 million monthly active users, high engagement levels, and strong user interest in connecting with brands, X is a goldmine waiting to be tapped by savvy sellers.
In this guide, I‘ll walk you step-by-step through how to start selling on X – from setting up an optimized profile, to finding and engaging prospects, to converting conversations into sales opportunities. I‘ve gathered insights and tactics from veteran X marketers and salespeople to make this an actionable playbook you can start implementing today.
Dust off your account (or start one from scratch) and let‘s dive in to unlocking the selling potential of X.
Why Selling on X is Vital for Modern Salespeople
Anything and everything can be sold on X: services, software, digital products, physical goods – you name it. Not only do X users tolerate brands on the platform, over 30% actually wish brands were more active and engaged on X.
What makes X unique is the direct, instant access it enables between customers and brands. No other social platform has matched X‘s reputation as a customer service channel. Features like the "Send a private message" button under posts make it seamless for users to initiate conversations with companies.
For sales reps, X is the ultimate networking and relationship-building tool. You can find, listen to, and engage your target buyers – then smoothly transition to one-on-one conversations that lead to sales opportunities.
Consider these eye-opening X statistics:
- 53% of users are more likely to buy from brands they follow on X
- 78% of users perceive brands on X as "culturally relevant"
- 58% of top brands have over 100,000 X followers
- 80% of customer service requests on social media happen on X
The writing is on the wall – if you‘re not actively selling on X, you‘re leaving money on the table. Here‘s how to change that:
A Step-by-Step Guide to Selling on X
Effective social selling on X doesn‘t happen by accident. As with any sales or marketing strategy, it requires intentional planning and consistent execution to get results. Follow these steps to build a strong foundation for X selling success:
Step 1: Treat your X profile like a digital business card
Think of your X account as a 24/7 networking event where your profile is your business card. You want it to instantly communicate professionalism, credibility, and what value you offer to potential buyers.
Some key elements of an optimized X profile:
- Professional headshot (not a cropped group photo or party pic)
- Descriptive bio with relevant keywords about what you do/sell
- Banner image with a branded CTA or value prop
- Pinned post highlighting top content or offers
- Verification badge ($8/mo "X Premium" subscription)
I also recommend deleting any old posts that are off-brand or unprofessional. Tools like TweetDelete allow you to bulk-remove past posts so only content relevant to your current objectives remains.
Step 2: Create X Lists to track and engage prospects
X Lists are curated feeds of specific accounts you choose. They help organize the chaos of your main feed so you can easily monitor and interact with high-priority contacts like prospects, customers, and influencers.
Create private lists for individuals you want to build relationships with and sell to. This allows you to keep track of their posts and jump into relevant conversations without the awkwardness of them knowing you‘re targeting them.
Use public lists to group thought leaders or brands you want to learn from and engage with publicly. These can raise your profile and help you rub shoulders with influential voices in your space.
Step 3: Listen for relevant conversations with social listening
Finding the right people and discussions to engage with is half the battle with social selling on X. But it‘s easy to waste time scrolling aimlessly through your feed.
Instead, use X‘s Advanced Search to monitor important keywords, hashtags and phrases related to your industry, products and target buyers‘ interests. The more specific, the better. For example:
- [your industry] AND ("challenge" OR "problem" OR "question")
- [competitor] AND ("alternative" OR "vs" OR "compare")
- [your category] AND ([target city] OR [event] OR [other identifier])
Use Boolean search operators like AND, OR, and " " to refine results. Focus on terms suggesting a prospect is looking for solutions you provide.
Step 4: Join discussions and add value to build relationships
Now that you‘ve found relevant conversations, it‘s time to engage! Many reps make the mistake of pitching right away. But on X, blasting irrelevant self-promos is the quickest way to turn people off.
The goal of social selling is to build genuine relationships first. Provide help, share insights, or ask thoughtful questions without expecting anything in return. Be a giver, not a taker. People will notice your contributions and naturally become curious about you.
Here‘s a daily engagement workflow to follow:
- Check lists of high-priority prospects (5 mins)
- Respond to industry discussions from X searches (10 mins)
- Post original content or curate valuable content (5 mins)
Set aside 20 dedicated minutes each day – spend 25% on broadcasting content and 75% interacting with others. This consistent effort will gradually fill your pipeline.
Step 5: Provide a natural next step with direct messages
After providing upfront value and earning trust, prospects will often be open to connecting further, especially if you‘ve helped them in some way. Once you‘ve built basic rapport through public discussions, invite them to continue the conversation privately via X DMs.
Treat this like exchanging contact info at a networking event. DMs are a chance to learn more about their goals and challenges (not to pitch). Once you‘ve messaged back and forth a few times, suggest a quick call.
The key to transitioning from DMs to meetings is to frame your ask as the natural next step in your budding professional relationship. For instance:
"Glad I could help with [topic]! There may be a few other ideas that are harder to share over message. Open to a quick call this week to discuss further? No sales pitch, just brainstorming. Let me know!"
X Selling Best Practices, Tips and Examples
You now have a basic roadmap for finding prospects and starting sales conversations on X. Next, let‘s explore some specific tactics to maximize your results.
I interviewed several veteran X marketers and sellers to get their top tips. Here are the best practices they shared:
Use a personal account
Humanize your efforts by engaging as an individual, not a brand. A personal profile with your real photo, name and bio makes you more approachable and trustworthy.
"People buy from people. Few want to network with faceless brand accounts. Your company should have an X presence for support and content, but relationship-building is best done person-to-person." – Rachel Becker, Head of X Branding at Zoho
Pull back the curtain
Share glimpses into your professional journey, challenges, learnings, and goals. Real, relatable anecdotes help prospects connect with you as a person.
Example:
[Screenshot of post with a personal lesson or story]
Key elements: Honest, emotionally resonant, ends with an ask for others to share their experiences too.
Be generous with expertise
Establish credibility by sharing detailed how-to‘s, takeaways from projects, and spontaneous ideas. Use threads/X moments, images, and videos to make your insights digestible.
Ask yourself, "How can I help people in my niche get better results or solve problems for free?"
Example:
[Screenshot of tips thread from subject matter expert with great engagement]
Key elements: Provides clear, actionable advice. No opt-in/paywall. Strong hook. Uses emojis, line breaks and images for scannability.
Engage like it‘s your job (because it is)
Create time blocks to interact every day, like it‘s a core part of your role (not an afterthought). X engagement directly impacts your funnel!
"When in doubt, spend more time engaging, not less. Set a daily goal, like leaving 10 substantive comments. This ensures you put in the reps to have sales convos." – Richard Smith, VP of Sales at Accelo
Experiment with multimedia formats
Repurpose written posts as videos/graphics to increase the shelf-life and reach of your insights. Use free tools like Canva and Loom.
[Screenshot of text, video and image post promoting the same content] Key elements: Variety of formats. Each version works as a standalone post but also supports the others.Leverage social proof
Source UGC from happy customers and share it (with permission) to build trust. X‘s conversational nature makes customer stories feel more authentic vs polished case studies.
[Screenshot of company retweeting positive customer shoutout] Key elements: Specific result/benefit the customer achieved. Casual, genuine endorsement. Clear @mention to identify them.Stay on the pulse of your industry
React quickly to relevant X trends, viral tweets, breaking news, etc. Add your perspective on timely topics to get more visibility.
"Newsjacking is my top X growth hack. When our niche is abuzz about something, I‘m quick to chime in with takes. Helps me ride the conversation momentum." – Jamal Richie, Enterprise AE at Slack
[Screenshot of a sales leader responding to industry news with a unique angle] Key elements: Posted same day as a major trend/story. Contrarian opinion or "how-to" based on news. Concise but substantive.Promote your X presence everywhere
Add your X profile URL to your email signature, LinkedIn, business cards, guest bios, etc. An omnichannel approach accelerates audience growth.
"It‘s a gravitas move to put ‘Let‘s continue the conversation on X‘ in places people discover you. Makes you stand out as a social seller who walks the walk." – Kim Orlesky, B2B sales coach
Putting It All Into Practice
There you have it – the why, how, and what of selling on X. I hope this guide has opened your eyes to the potential of this underrated platform (and given you plenty of ideas to start with).
Just remember: X rewards commitment. Consistency beats perfection. You won‘t go viral or build a huge network overnight.
But if you show up daily, share valuable content, and focus on helping vs selling, you WILL start to attract prospects, fill your pipeline, and boost your close rates.
So what are you waiting for? Optimize that profile, make some lists, and start joining the conversation. Your future customers are waiting to hear from you.
