LinkedIn isn’t just increasing in importance; it is the most effective social media platform for B2B sellers.
Luckily, there’s still plenty of time for you to take advantage of this tool to fuel sales for your business.
The First Steps
The best way to get started is to review your profile and create a plan to contribute to LinkedIn regularly.
Your LinkedIn profile is the keystone of your social selling strategy. Set aside an hour and examine your profile from the perspective of a potential client. Make sure you have the following crucial elements:
- A current profile photo that reflects the persona you want to portray. Consider whether you want a formal headshot in a suit to portray wisdom, or a more casual shot outdoors to build approachability, for example.
- A compelling headline that isn’t just your title. Highlight the problem you solve for your ideal clients.
- A banner photo that matches the branding of your organization or showcases your skills. This is crucial real estate at the top of your profile, so make the most of it.
- A custom URL of your name so you’re easier to find.
- A summary that incorporates keywords and skills that match the services you’re promoting.
Kelly Stone
If you’re not sure how to get started on these sections, take a look at other profiles in your space. Evaluate how they’ve set theirs up. How many followers do they have? Are they getting engagement?
Build Your Cadence
From there, consider how you want to add value to your LinkedIn network. Consistency is key, so commit to sharing content at least three times a week to stay relevant.
Consider celebrating milestones, weighing in on trends in the industry or sharing photos from events to stay in your network’s feeds.
Broaden Your Connections
Next, grow your network. As you attend events or seek to make new connections, send custom invitation messages via LinkedIn that provide context about why you’d like to connect. This provides valuable personal notes to track back to how you know someone.
Avoid pitching in the first messages as most individuals receive many of these messages per week and will no longer value the connection as a result.
However, the most important thing is to get started, too many in our industry don’t use tools like LinkedIn to grow their businesses. Relying on referrals is a good strategy to start, but if you’re looking to scale, LinkedIn is a perfect way to get visibility and attention for you and your business.
Kelly Stone is CEO and co-founder of Ironstone Strategy. She’s a channel marketing leader with experience in digital, social, event, and traditional marketing strategy. Learn more awesome details about Stone at channelWise.
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