If you are on LinkedIn are you using it to its fullest? Are getting the business and the leads you need to be a success in this new year?
Remember, social selling equals relationship building which is a key factor when you’re on the LinkedIn platform. Relationships are of course important and a big factor when it comes to B2B businesses.
Social selling simply means using social media platforms and digital tools and processes to find and connect with leads and prospects, in hopes of increasing sales. Social selling comes down to building relationships with prospects on platforms like LinkedIn.
Here are some essential steps to social selling on LinkedIn.
Having a compelling professional profile is critical to your social selling success on LinkedIn. This is a pre-requisite for using LinkedIn as a generation or business building tool.
Also, use a professional headshot since first impressions are No. 1 online.
You have only a little time to make a positive impression, so make sure you do it right with a professional headshot. Be sure to:
Begin with your ideal client in mind. What does this mean? Show prospects that you know what their problems are and that you can offer them a solution. If you understand them, what their motivations are, you will be able to connect with them with no problems.
Think about who is your ideal client is, what is their business, industry, or organization, and what challenges they have.
When you get a testimonial, praise, or a private message, or email, thank the sender and ask if they would be OK writing a LinkedIn recommendation or a testimonial for your website.
One of the best ways to build your authority is by creating and sharing top quality, original content that aims at helping with problems prospects and clients have. There will be various kinds of content based on where they are at in their current business.
Curating content means sharing content written by others that could be helpful to prospects. Curated content is an important element to your content marketing strategy, as is original content.
There are many benefits to curating content:
When posting someone else’s content and adding your own spin on it, you create more chances for discussion and engagement with prospects.
Sharing other’s content is often easier than simply creating original content and less time-consuming.
When you post a status update, your connections will see updates in their newsfeeds. If you are publishing important content and sound ideas, you could be an expert in your network, and which over time gives you authority and credibility.
If possible, try to post state updates at least two to three times a week to stay visible to your network and audience. Try to post other forms of important and infoglut content as often as possible to make it clear you are active in general.
As you build your network on LinkedIn, connect with people you know, and recently met. Whether these are former colleagues or someone you interacted with at a conference or networking event should help build your network.
When connecting with people you have recently met, always remind them of how they know you or where you met just in case, they have forgotten who you are. If it is someone you have just met at an event, be sure to send your message soon after the event, as this will increase the likelihood that they will remember you and accept.
Connect with as many of your clients as you can on LinkedIn. This may help in future opportunities and others in their network.