Just remember: unless you\u2019re selling to other salespeople, don\u2019t spend all day, every day, talking about sales on LinkedIn. To get you started on your social selling journey, we\u2019ve put together a list of our top 11 social selling best practices, including examples of how successful LinkedIn creators leverage the platform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
11 tips to become a pro at social selling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Engaging with people on LinkedIn isn\u2019t going above and beyond in 2022, in fact, it\u2019s table stakes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, the majority of prospecting is done remotely, and almost 75% of sellers<\/a> said they planned to expand their LinkedIn network last year. If you\u2019re ready to get the most out of LinkedIn, here are our best practices for posting content, adding value, and growing your audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The most successful sellers on LinkedIn have thousands of followers. That\u2019s because they consistently post content that\u2019s useful to their audience. Start by creating a LinkedIn promotional calendar that includes posts, articles, and topical content, like related business news. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When designing your calendar, try to make the most out of the content you already have. A blog article from your company about the top 10 best practices on cold calling can be turned into 10 LinkedIn posts over the course of a month. Make sure that your content is meaningful, and not just filler. Leverage your subject expertise without sounding like you\u2019re bragging. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of Salesforce\u2019s top sales influencers, Belal Batrawy<\/a>, regularly posts sales advice that\u2019s actionable and helpful to frontline sellers who need guidance on tricky sales questions. He also mixes in non-sales content, like posts for Black History month and amusing memes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n LinkedIn users will see your headline before they open your profile, so make sure it\u2019s catchy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On a more technical level, the keywords you include play a large part in LinkedIn\u2019s search algorithm. Do yourself a favor and list out what you do instead of what job you have or where you work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are three examples: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cynthia Barnes<\/a>, a LinkedIn Top Voice, is a sales leader with a clear and direct headline: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Champion for Women in Sales | LinkedIn Top Voice | Sales Influencer | Keynote Speaker | Storyteller | Encourager<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your LinkedIn platform is not for speaking at people, it\u2019s for speaking with people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The more you post on LinkedIn, the more views you get. Users from all over the world will reach out to you with connection requests, questions, and to share their own stories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If a potential customer engages with your content or sends you a LinkedIn message, you\u2019ll obviously be quick to reply \u2013 after all, that\u2019s the point of all your social selling. But remember that it\u2019s just as important to respond to people that won\u2019t become customers, at least right now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The more engaged you are with your LinkedIn audience, the further your reach will spread. Ignoring messages from up and coming sales reps communicates that you\u2019re not focused on helping, but only on leads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Comments are even more important. When someone replies to one of your posts, they bring you into their LinkedIn feed. Make the most of that with thoughtful replies and avoid responding to touchy discussions too emotionally. Be professional and avoid getting defensive or dismissive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LinkedIn offers remote networking, which is more important in 2022 than ever before. Your ideal customers and advocates are posting their own content so be proactive and engage with a reaction or comment. Not only does this establish you as a part of their community, but it will increase your connection requests and followers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As with your own posts, keep things professional. If offering helpful advice gets you noticed on LinkedIn, engaging in arguments will too, but not in a good way. Your entire LinkedIn persona is tied to your professional career, so approach every discussion with thoughtful words that add to the conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though you might talk about your product and company, your content should always offer a resource for your audience. If you\u2019re sharing a new company blog post, offer up a personal experience that relates, and ask your readers to share theirs too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Social Selling is about building relationships, not closing deals. Focus on creating interest in your posts, gaining insight into your ideal customers, and moving sales-ready conversations from LinkedIn to email. Then you can dive into how your product can serve this prospect\u2019s unique needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a social media platform, LinkedIn helps you share ideas and spark conversations. It’s not the right place to get into the details of a prospect\u2019s business. Instead, take those conversations off line and set up a phone call or email conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The best way to get leads from LinkedIn into your CRM and email tools is to export them from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Wiza can help you find leads, filter your requirements, and export them easily through our LinkedIn extension<\/a> in just three steps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you need to beef up your LinkedIn network, start by connecting and following people who have something interesting to say and who catch your attention. You should also grab low hanging fruit like your colleagues and company leaders, past colleagues, bloggers, industry influencers<\/a>, and customer contacts.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t forget to follow your competitors. Not only will that help you stay up to date on new products, services, or announcements, but it gives you a better idea of how they sell and how people react to their content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n No one knows what to do with connection requests from strangers who we have nothing in common with and who offer no compelling reason to connect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Always tell people the reason that you\u2019re trying to connect with them. Perhaps you saw an interesting post, or have a mutual connection. A simple message can go a long way, like in these examples: <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/W2vhiaN5Z23dJxNaOLardducIdograY0ttE6Yf4rn2iKTXaLCMFp_lCzd8zxJy7Xh44s0IB-_f2wkLI1M7N3hmi-nefwqObdGCf2Q3FEiNd3Np7gn6PW_CvyTrlz4flQAtCm3sWU\")
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