If you’re a LinkedIn user, you might be put off selling on the platform. Especially if you receive a lot of spam sales messages yourself. But, LinkedIn is hugely powerful as a sales tool.
Here are 5 ways you could be selling on LinkedIn!
1. In Your Profile
Your profile is such an important part of your LinkedIn activity. It serves as the first stage of someone getting to know more about you on LinkedIn. Make sure it’s clear straight away what you do and who you do it for. This starts in your headline (the few lines that sit under your name). Complete your about section with as much clear information about what you do as possible. You can also include a lead capture here to get profile visitors on to your email list. The Featured section offers a great place to share testimonials, case studies and offers.
2. Build The Right Network
If you are connected to friends, family and past colleagues on LinkedIn, chances are it’s not going to drive many sales for you. Get a clear idea of who you want in your LinkedIn network. For most people, this will be their target market, but you may also want to consider people who can refer others to you. Use LinkedIn’s advanced search filters to seek your target network, and send them a connection request with a friendly note showing that you’ve read their profile and why you have an interest in connecting with them.
3. Start Conversations In Private Messages
When a connection request is accepted, send that person a message. You could send this as a text-based message, or use the mobile app to send a voice note or video. Don’t use this message as somewhere to instantly sell. You want to start getting to know your new connection and building a relationship with them. Ask them about something from their profile or about something that’s currently topical in their industry. You could also offer them your free lead capture if you think it is something that would be of benefit to them. As the relationship builds, the opportunity will then likely arise for you to arrange a call with them or to direct them to your offer. But DON’T do this instantly!!
4. Create Compelling Content
You want to maintain as much visibility with your connections as possible, so create and share content regularly on your LinkedIn home feed. Stick to an approximate ratio of 80% relationship-building posts and 20% sales posts. The 80% could include sharing knowledge, opening up discussion, letting people know more about you or entertaining posts that will resonate with your target audience. Aim to be present consistently (e.g. at least 3 times a week). Include call-to-actions with your posts to encourage engagement. The more engagement you get, the more people will see your posts.
5. Engage With Others’ Content
Spend at least 5 minutes a day engaging with other people’s content on LinkedIn. This will help you build a relationship with the person who has shared that content, and may also increase your visibility with those who are reading through the comments. A comment will always have more impact than a simple ‘like’. But if you have nothing meaningful to add to the conversation, don’t comment for the sake of it. This will also help drive people back to your content and should help increase your own engagement.
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