There are a lot of social channels out there, and it can be difficult to know which ones are worth your company investing in.
Recently, we’ve been taking a look at the data and thinking about how different social networks might fit into your 2025 marketing plans. Today, we are diving into LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with more than 562 million users in more than 200 countries. 61 million users are senior level influencers and 40 million are in decision-making positions. There are 63 million users who are in the business of buying products and services for their business. LinkedIn is a great place to connect with business buyers, as we recently learned in the State of Sales report.
We’re going to take a look at how LinkedIn can be used for social selling and what the data tells us about how to use LinkedIn for social selling.
1. Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
Your LinkedIn profile is your first impression on potential customers. That’s why it’s important to make sure your profile is optimized and up to date.
Add a professional headshot and cover photo, and make sure your bio is filled out with relevant information about your business and experience. You can also include links to your website, blog, and other social media profiles.
One of the best ways to optimize your LinkedIn profile for social selling is to include relevant keywords in your headline and bio. This will make it easier for potential customers to find you when they’re searching for someone who sells products or services like yours.
2. Create and Optimize Your Company Page
The first step in making the most of LinkedIn for social selling is to create and optimize your company page.
Your LinkedIn company page is your brand’s online identity on LinkedIn. It’s where you can share information about your business, post updates, and engage with your audience.
To create a company page, you’ll need to have a personal LinkedIn profile. Once you’ve created your profile, click the “Work” icon in the top right corner of the screen and select “Create a Company Page.”
From there, you’ll be prompted to enter your company name and choose a URL for your page. You’ll also be asked to select a category for your business and provide a brief description.
Be sure to include your logo as your profile image and a banner image that reflects your brand. You’ll also want to include your website URL, contact information, and links to your other social media profiles.
After you’ve created your company page, you can start posting updates. Be sure to include relevant hashtags to help your posts get discovered by potential customers.
3. Share Content
One of the easiest ways for salespeople to stay active on LinkedIn is by sharing content.
This is a great way to add value to your network, establish yourself as a thought leader, and stay top-of-mind with your prospects.
When you share content, make sure it’s relevant to your industry and your audience. You should also add some context to your post by including a few sentences about why you found the article interesting or how it relates to your business.
Pro Tip: If you’re not sure what to share, try using LinkedIn’s Content Suggestions feature. This tool will recommend articles, blog posts, and other content you can share with your network.
4. Join and Participate in Groups
Joining and participating in LinkedIn groups is a great way to connect with like-minded individuals, potential customers, and industry thought leaders.
The key to success with LinkedIn groups is to be an active and valuable member. Don’t just join a bunch of groups and then never participate. Instead, choose a few groups that are relevant to your target audience and focus on adding value.
Share content, ask and answer questions, and engage with other group members. The more active you are, the more likely you are to get noticed by potential leads and customers.
You can also use LinkedIn groups to find and connect with potential leads. Simply search for groups that are relevant to your target audience and then look for people to connect with.
5. Use the Advanced Search Feature
LinkedIn’s Advanced Search feature is a powerful tool that lets you identify prospects based on a wide range of criteria, such as location, industry, company size, and more.
You can use this feature to build highly targeted prospect lists that will help you focus your sales efforts on the right people.
For example, if you’re looking to connect with VPs of Marketing at technology companies in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can use the Advanced Search feature to quickly and easily build a list of prospects who meet that criteria.
This will help you save time and make sure you’re connecting with the right people.
6. Create and Save Leads and Accounts
If you’re a Sales Hub or Enterprise Hub user, you can use HubSpot’s LinkedIn Sales Navigator integration to create and save leads and accounts found on LinkedIn.
This can be especially helpful if you don’t have access to a lead’s contact information yet. You can create and save a lead or account in HubSpot, and then link it to their LinkedIn profile. This will allow you to easily access their LinkedIn profile and engage with their content.
You can also use the integration to sync your saved leads and accounts between HubSpot and LinkedIn. This will allow you to see if any of your leads or accounts have posted new content on LinkedIn, and then engage with that content to build a relationship.
7. Engage With Your Leads and Accounts
The best way to turn your LinkedIn connections into sales is to engage with them. It’s important to keep in touch with your leads and accounts, even if they’re not ready to buy right now.
You can engage with your connections by liking, commenting on, and sharing their posts. You can also send them direct messages. Just be sure to keep your messages short and to the point. If you’re looking to refine your approach, Communication Skills Coaching can help you craft messages that resonate and drive engagement.
Engaging with your leads and accounts will help you build trust and rapport. And, when they are ready to buy, they’ll be more likely to turn to you.
8. Make Use of LinkedIn Sales Navigator
LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a paid tool that allows you to find and engage with prospects on the platform. It’s one of the most effective sales tools and techniques used today to identify and connect with leads, build relationships, and close deals.
Some of the key features of LinkedIn Sales Navigator include:
• Advanced lead and company searches
• Lead recommendations
• Real-time sales updates
• Lead and account alerts
• InMail
• TeamLink
LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a great tool for social selling, as it allows you to easily find and connect with potential leads. It also provides you with valuable insights into your leads and their companies, which can help you to build more meaningful relationships.
9. Use LinkedIn Messaging
Last but not least, LinkedIn’s messaging feature is a great way to get in touch with your prospects in a more personal way. You can use it to send direct messages to your connections, as well as to people you’re not connected with.
Just be sure to keep your messages short and to the point. No one wants to read a novel in their LinkedIn inbox.
10. Keep Track of Your Progress
A key part of any social selling strategy is monitoring your progress and making adjustments. LinkedIn Sales Navigator makes it easy to track your social selling KPIs.
You can see how many InMails you’ve sent, how many connection requests you’ve made, how many people have viewed your profile and more.
This data can help you identify areas where you need to improve, as well as areas where you’re excelling. For example, if you notice that you’re getting a lot of profile views but not many connection requests, you may need to work on your outreach messages.
Conclusion
What are you waiting for? LinkedIn is a powerful tool for social sellers, and with the right strategy, you can build relationships with prospects and close more deals.
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