LinkedIn users, for the most part, come to the platform for a purpose: from creating a network for the future to finding a job now, they want to be the connected one in their group. They are ready to talk, ready to see how any connection could benefit them. For that reason, LinkedIn is a great place to move from in-person and email sales to social selling.
What is Social Selling?
According to the HootSuite blog, Social Selling is “the art of using social networks to find, connect with, understand, and nurture sales prospects.” Basically, selling socially is taking your “online presence” to the next level by making connections intentionally to mobilize your sales team or get more people to your online purchase point.
More than 90% of executives never respond to or buy from cold calls.
The growth of social media usage has been a huge factor in why social selling has been adopted and several studies point toward the B2B buyer using social media as an important part of their research process. LinkedIn can be a wonderful place to do this, but there are a few things you must remember when trying to achieve this goal.
1 – Extend Your Network and Deepen Your Recommendations
A lot of the sales work starts with just getting access to clients through Advanced Search and other features that can help you find those who are interested in your product. At the same time, asking current clients to review and rate you helps to make your site stand out, and gives new potential customers someone to reach out to who is unbiased.
Make sure that your site is stellar, and you will save tons of time once you start sending out contact messages.
2 – Leverage Your Humanity to Stand Out From Bots
While there are many tools that can make your marketing process faster, easier, and more targeted, the fundamental quality question comes up with many tools. How likely is your potential client to roll their eyes and assume this content is being sent to a ton of other people?
Making sure that every contact point, every method of communication, and each message is attuned to the person it will reach is your way to get an edge.
3 – Follow Up and Notice Their Posts
An important feature of LinkedIn is that they tell you when someone gets a new job, has an anniversary at work, and many other details; use these announcements as a way to rekindle contact when someone hasn’t responded in a while!
At the same time, make sure that you are returning to past contacts and clients frequently (not annoyingly so, but every few months at the least) to make sure their needs are met and that they aren’t in the market for more of your product or service. This will feel more friendly and less like a sales pitch every time you do it; the feeling of concern about their welfare can turn a client into a deeply loyal client.
Want help leveraging LinkedIn in your sales strategy? Contact us for more information, strategies, and to get started.
Book Your Free Consultation Today
Cassandra is the Content & Social Media Strategist at ThinkFlame. There is no challenge too big or too small. She enjoys creating, integrating and managing online communities and working with clients to building up their social footprint.