Taking a step back: why social selling?
Before we begin with our tips, we think it's good to briefly consider the context. Why should companies invest in social selling at all? Three key reasons:
With the right tools and techniques, you can conduct much more targeted phone number data and personalized sales. And with clear results! For example, research by Motivaction shows that top-performing sales professionals use social media two hours a day. A whopping 93 percent of them achieve their sales targets, compared to the average of 83 percent. The research also shows that 84 percent of top performers use social selling to build authentic relationships with prospects (compared to the average of 61 percent).
If you know how to use social media effectively, the number of prospects who approach you (for example, because you share a lot of knowledge) will also increase.
Privacy legislation is changing soon. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will take effect on May 25, 2018. Many consider it the definitive death blow to cold calling.
Enough background information. What can you, as a marketing or communications professional, do on LinkedIn to lay the foundation for social selling?
If you know how to use social media effectively, the number of prospects who approach you (for example, because you share a lot of knowledge) will also increase.
Company page present and in order
If your company is getting started with social selling and using LinkedIn for this purpose, a strong LinkedIn Company Page is essential. It's your company's calling card on this platform, but it's also the proverbial glue between your employees and their networks. Any company can set up a Company Page for free. The content shared is publicly accessible.
Provide a clear company description. What does your company do? What is the unique solution/product it offers? For which (type of) customers?
What are the contact details?
Add a custom, relevant background image to your Company Page. This highlights your activities and instantly adds character to your Company Page.
Make sure employees clearly mention the company in their job description/work experience. If done correctly, the company logo will appear and be displayed on their profile alongside the job title. This connects the employee to the company, making search results more relevant, for example. LinkedIn Messenger has also recently been optimized. When you visit a company page, you'll immediately see your connections within that company in the message window, allowing you to ask a question or start a conversation directly.