Cracking The LinkedIn Code: A Modern Social Selling Strategy
Once you’ve dialed into the formula, social selling and LinkedIn go together like coffee and donuts. When used properly, there is an endless opportunity to generate more leads, prospects and clients. There are spoken and unspoken rules of best practices and etiquette that you must follow if you want to use this platform successfully.
For those of you who already have my book, The LinkedIn Code, this is likely not the first time you’ve seen what it stands for. I created an anagram to explain the social selling process on LinkedIn in a simple, memorable way.
Scroll down below the infographic for more detailed explanations of each point along with some helpful examples. Feel free to share the infographic anywhere you like, my only request is to link back to this article with it.
Listen
Listen to the language that your ideal clients use to describe their challenges and problems. This is the language you want to use in your profile and the messages you send. Many businesses get so caught up in their own lingo that they don’t stop to think how easy it is for prospects to get the message. Pay attention to the words they use…that’s far more valuable for your intensive purposes.
Invest
Invest the time to complete your LinkedIn Profile. A fully completed and optimized profile will set you apart from your competitors. If you haven’t already done so, visit the 21 Steps To A Perfect LinkedIn Profile for a step-by-step guide to creating a profile that converts.
Needs
Your profile, especially your headline and summary section, must speak to the needs of your ideal client. Ensure it is client-focused – this means that your copy speaks directly to the benefits and solutions your services provide.
This is especially important in your LinkedIn profile headline due to the high influence it has on whether or not someone will click on your profile in the search results.
For example: Don’t use the words “CEO”, “owner” or “founder” to describe yourself. Instead, tell your target audience exactly how can help them in 120 characters. It should establish your credibility while creating confidence that you get results in your field.
Keywords
When people search on Google, they are looking for information or things. When people search on LinkedIn, they’re trying to find PEOPLE. Is your profile fully optimized so that potential prospects are finding you when searching for someone that offers your services?
Make sure that you have used your keywords through your profile to ensure you show up at the top of the LinkedIn search results. Read a special guide on The Secret To Getting On Page 1 of The LinkedIn Search Results for a crash course on social selling SEO.
Enhance
Visually enhance your profile by adding multimedia, such as videos, SlideShare presentations and PDF documents.
Develop
Develop your LinkedIn lead generation and social selling campaign by creating a daily checklist and relationship-building messages you can put on autopilot. Click here for a daily social media task list that includes LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
Initiate
Initiate new relationships and dialogue by personalizing all of your messages, replies and connection requests. Never EVER send a connection request without a personal note. It’s important to know you are limited to sending 3000 lifetime invites and the simplest way to make every one of them count is by adding that personal touch.
Nurture
Take the time to nurture your relationships on LinkedIn by creating a series of value-based messages. Often times people wonder why with all of the LinkedIn connections they have it doesn’t translate into business. The answer is simple…if you don’t nurture those relationships and provide value…nothing happens!
Connect
Make an effort to regularly build your network and connect with new prospects and strategic partners. Your ability to find prospects or be found by those same prospects is limited to the size of your network. You need to focus on building a network of targeted connections to get the best results when sharing content or interacting with others on LinkedIn.
Take a read through The Guide To Networking on LinkedIn For Business for a comprehensive breakdown on who you should connect with and how exactly to go about it.
Offline
To move your relationship to the next level with a connection, you must move it offline. This is the stage of the social selling process almost everyone struggles with but also the most crucial to your attain your desired end result.
If you’re doing well with the social and lacking on the selling, check out this guide for help.
Dedicate
Dedicate at least thirty minutes a day to your LinkedIn campaign for the best results and you will see a dramatic increase in new leads, prospects and clients. Strapped for time? Try our Social Selling in 30 Minutes a Day Checklist!
Etiquette
Always make sure that you are following good LinkedIn etiquette and best practices or your social selling campaign will fall flat on its face before it even begins. For a list of 20 do’s and don’ts on LinkedIn etiquette review this article.
Become A Social Selling Master
These concepts are all covered in my book, The LinkedIn Code, to help you become a social selling master. The ideas expressed are all simple but that doesn’t always mean that they are easy.
You can get The LinkedIn Code on Amazon in book print and digital formats here.
Do you know or are you part of a sales team that could use some help with their social selling strategy? Do them a favor and share this article with them.
Let us know what your biggest struggle is with social selling in the comments below.
