Examples of Social Selling on LinkedIn
- Author
- Effy Shkuri
- Published on:
- Published in:
- “social selling”
Top LinkedIn Examples for Social Selling
Social selling on LinkedIn is transforming the way salespeople connect with potential customers, with impressive conversion rates of up to 18%. An essential first step in this process is identifying the most engaged and active users on the platform. This is where the “LinkedIn Spotlight” filter—specifically, “LinkedIn used in the last 30 days”—becomes crucial.
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By applying this filter, you can search specifically for users who have been active on LinkedIn recently. These users are likely more receptive to new connections and interactions, making them ideal prospects for your social selling efforts.
In the following section and accompanying videos, I’ll demonstrate four scenarios in which a personal video can help you make a powerful first impression, eliminating the need for a script.
By integrating these techniques, you can develop a personalized, effective, and efficient social selling strategy on LinkedIn, with a higher chance of success.
Check out the step-by-step instructions and practical tips in my video via the link below.
-The Bug, We find a bug and connect on LinkedIn to help the CMO.
-The Fast Lane, a very personal approach in which this person talks about his band “The Fast Lane.”
-People make the difference. An entrepreneur who speaks explicitly about his mission. It’s personal and emotional for him, so it’s a perfect hook.
-The sales “hack,” An IT security sales manager who talks about hacks. We use the word as a bridge word. See how that works in the LinkedIn social selling example. LinkedInsocial selling scenarios
Social Selling Example 1: The “Bug”
No replies to messages and no phone number—so how did I get in touch with the CMO? In this LinkedIn social selling example, I provide a detailed explanation of my approach, in which I try to put myself in the customer’s shoes. The customer journey is crucial for this organization. If it’s important to them, then that’s the starting point. I set out to investigate.
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Social Selling Example 2: The Fast Lane
A creative way to connect with someone is to understand what drives them outside of work. In this case, it was relatively simple, but the trick is to build a bridge from “the other person” to yourself or to the relevant solution. You can pitch whatever you want, but your Rule No. 1 is that you can’t present until the other person is attentive enough to listen.
Social selling via LinkedIn, and that “sounded like music to his ears—a real icebreaker.”
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Social Selling Example 3: People Make the Difference
It’s very hard not to embrace someone who understands your mission and values and knows how to tie them into a compelling pitch. Emotional or deeply personal statements are especially valuable when the entrepreneur speaks about them personally.
This LinkedIn social selling example provides a more detailed explanation of how to use this website as a source of information.
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Social Selling Example 4: The Sales “Hack”
In this fourth example, the word “hack” was relevant and worth its weight in gold for getting into a C-level conversation. This sales manager posts regularly, which makes it just a little easier to look for that hook on a regular basis.
Check out the little bridge here on LinkedIn.
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Conclusion: Social Selling on LinkedIn
This article outlines effective strategies for social selling on LinkedIn, aimed at achieving an impressive conversion rate of 18%. Although these strategies are illustrated with examples, the core of the approach can be summarized as follows:
1 – Customer-Centric Approach: Understanding the needs and interests of your potential customers is essential. By focusing on the customer journey and conducting proactive research, you can build valuable connections and lay the foundation for meaningful interactions.
2 – Personalization: It’s important to take a personal approach when reaching out to prospects on LinkedIn. By identifying shared interests and personal connections, you can build strong relationships and capture the attention of prospects.
3 – Emotional engagement: Sharing your own mission and values can be a powerful way to increase engagement among prospects. People are often drawn to others who are passionate about a cause that matters to them.
4 – Relevance and Timing: Using relevant terms and paying attention to triggers in the content that prospects share can help you initiate valuable conversations. Make sure your responses and outreach are well-timed and relevant.
5 – Social Listening: Actively following company news, updates, and industry insights can provide valuable insights for starting conversations. Responding to interviews and articles by prospects not only shows interest but also offers opportunities to showcase your expertise.
At its core, social selling on LinkedIn is about building genuine relationships and delivering value to prospects. By following these approaches, you can create meaningful interactions that can ultimately lead to valuable conversions and long-term business relationships. It’s not just about sales; it’s also about building trust and lasting connections.
Aftermath
Most Frequently Asked Questions
What is LinkedIn Spotlight?
Spotlights for Sales Navigator is a feature that uses LinkedIn data to categorize your search results in Sales Navigator. With Spotlights, you can easily discover prospects who are more likely to engage with you.
Spotlights are available as a filter on the left side of the search page for leads and accounts in Sales Navigator. Here are some of the Spotlight filters you can use to search for leads:
- The Job Changes spotlight identifies prospects who have changed jobs in the past three months.
- The Shared Experiences spotlight reveals prospects who have attended the same schools, worked at the same companies, or are members of the same LinkedIn Groups as you.
- The LinkedIn Activity Spotlight shows prospects who have posted or shared content on LinkedIn in the past 30 days.
- The "Mentioned in the News" spotlight highlights prospects that have been mentioned in the news over the past 30 days.
- The "Leads that Follow Your Company" spotlight shows prospects who follow your company on LinkedIn.
- The TeamLink Spotlight finds prospects who are already connected to your colleagues.
These Spotlights filters allow you to search more effectively for leads and accounts that align with your sales strategies and goals. They make it easier to find relevant prospects who are more likely to engage with you.
What are some ways to find the "hook" on LinkedIn?
To find a "hook" for making initial contact on LinkedIn, you can use various strategies:
- Common interests: Review the prospect’s profile and look for common interests, such as shared LinkedIn Groups, mutual connections, or interests they’ve mentioned in their posts or activity. This can be a good starting point for a conversation.
- Recent LinkedIn Activity: Check to see if the prospect has recently posted or shared content on LinkedIn. For example, if they’ve posted an article on a topic relevant to your offering, you can mention it in your first message and express your interest.
- News and Updates: Keep track of the prospect’s company and see if there are any recent news items or updates about their organization. You can use this as a conversation starter and show that you’re familiar with their business.
- Mutual connections: If you have mutual connections with the prospect, you can ask one of those connections to introduce you. This can lower the barrier to contact and make the initial outreach go more smoothly.
- Company events or achievements: If the prospect’s company has recently reached a milestone or organized an event, you can use this as a conversation starter and show your interest in their company.
- Personal Messages: Try sending a personal and sincere message explaining why you’re reaching out and how your offer can add value to their situation.
- Referrals: If you have mutual connections, you can ask if one of them can provide a referral for you. Referrals can increase the likelihood of a successful first contact.
Finding a “hook” often requires some research and attention to detail, but it can be the key to making a positive first impression and building valuable business relationships on LinkedIn.
How does SSI work?
SSI stands for “Social Selling Index” and is a metric that LinkedIn uses to measure the effectiveness of your social selling activities on the platform. It’s a score that ranges from 0 to 100 and indicates how well you’re performing in four key categories of social selling on LinkedIn. Here’s how SSI works:
- Establish your professional brand: This category measures how well you’ve optimized your LinkedIn profile and how appealing it is to your network. It includes elements such as having a professional profile photo, an informative headline, a summary that describes your expertise, and regular updates and posts.
- Find the right people: This category assesses how effective you are at finding and connecting with relevant prospects on LinkedIn. It takes into account the number of connections you have, your ability to make new connections, and your use of advanced search features to find your target audience.
- Engage with insights: This refers to your activity on LinkedIn, such as sharing relevant content, commenting on posts, and participating in discussions. The more active you are in sharing and engaging with relevant topics, the higher your score will be in this category.
- Build relationships: This category measures how effectively you build and maintain relationships on LinkedIn. It includes following up on leads, sending personalized messages, and maintaining interactions with your network.
Your total SSI score is an average of these four categories. LinkedIn states that a higher SSI score often correlates with greater success in social selling. It can help you identify areas where you can improve your activities to use LinkedIn more effectively for sales purposes. You can find your SSI score on your LinkedIn dashboard and track it regularly to measure your progress and make improvements.
Effy Shkuri
"Our people make the difference." Really? As a former "digital workplace & IT entrepreneur," I've said this for years about my 25 colleagues. But the reality is we were only considered thought leaders by 5% of our target audience. Even today, this remains a common statement from MSPs and IT service providers. But these words lose their meaning if your expertise does not extend beyond your existing customers and a handful of prospects. I now help IT entrepreneurs with thought leadership in their niche.