ocial Selling on LinkedIn
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2024 6:09 am
There are 645 million users registered on LinkedIn in more than 200 countries , 8% of the world's population, therefore, has a profile on this social network. The distribution of accounts is proportional to the population of the country and also based on its level of development.
An important fact is that in Asia there are about 130 million users, but the most interesting thing is that in countries like China Facebook is not used
We can notice the growth of the platform is growing as every second two new users create a new profile.
In Italy we have 13 million users which would be 37% nigeria whatsapp number data 5 millionf the working age population. Of these 13,000,000, 37% are between 35-54 years old which is equivalent to the most mature and therefore most interesting working profile. 37% are between 25-34 years old, so it is assumed that the profile is in the first 10 years of their working career. 15% are between 18-24 years old, here we can find profiles that have just finished the three-year university or students who have signed up to LinkedIn and use it for activities other than work. Finally, 11% are over 55 years old, here the profile is very mature. [2019 DATA]
Looking at the data above and adding an interesting piece of data provided by HubSpot , which tells us how effective LinkedIn is compared to other social networks, we note how LinkedIn is a social network for those who want to do professional social selling . Because through this platform we can find, as mentioned, professionals of mature working age who can be potential clients or potential suppliers.
When we talk about social selling we can notice how this model has changed in recent years.
The old sales model ( sales 1.0 ) focused on:
Cold calls
Sales demos
Qualify leads (Qualify leads)
The new sales model ( Social sales ) focuses on:
Social Networks
Cultural Education (Educate)
Interaction between professional profiles (Engage)
The Changing Purchasing Processes in the DIGITAL Era
[ back to index ]
Those who operate in B2B as in our case must be able to support a customer from the information part to the final part of commercial relations. To do this we must keep in mind three phases that define the commercial dynamics of a sales cycle. Which are the system of:
Customer Acquisition
Selling: Turning prospects into paying customers.
Follow up: a system that is based either on continuing to nurture potential customers who have not yet become customers or we are talking about up-selling or cross-selling on customers already acquired.
LinkedIn manages to be effective in the three phases mentioned above and therefore in the life cycle of a customer.
What is LinkedIn for?
[ back to index ]
Let's start with the assumption that LinkedIn will never sell for us. However, the platform helps us to:
Increase useful contacts, have a richer pipeline so as to have a greater turnover.
Better qualify contacts, since thanks to the platform we have more information on potential customers, thus having a greater increase in the conversion rate.
Anticipate/create trust so that when you meet the prospect, he already trusts you, to start from a higher level and convert as many leads as possible.
Good “Social” salespeople are not those who spend the day on LinkedIn but those who spend qualified time there and have a precise strategy to “get” the prospect out of the social network and meet him on the phone, in video or in person.
Work Strategy – LINKEDIN EFFECTIVE CANVAS
[ back to index ]
At the base of everything is the possibility of being found by the customer and there are two fundamental aspects to take into consideration, the first is purely technical and that of filling out the profile in all fields (asking for references, encouraging the validation of skills etc.). The other aspect concerns the purely commercial one. Whoever lands on our profile, website, landing page etc. must immediately understand what we do and what problems we provide a solution to. The insertion of keywords on our profile in the various sections is a very important element. Whoever searches for certain keywords with the LinkedIn search tool then obtains specific results, and if we are good at inserting these keywords on our profile we would have a greater chance of being found. Adding a cover image is an aspect that is sometimes overlooked. But on a visual level it is an essential aspect. In fact, if in this space we insert the pay off of what we do, the user can immediately understand where we can help them. It is important to use the featured section to add documents or links that go directly to our website, so as to create that bond of trust with the prospect.
You should work on receiving written reports from other professionals to always work on the concept of trust. This section is like a restaurant review card, if there are several positive reviews it is easier for the prospect to go and eat in that place.
After giving visibility to the profile, we need to focus on the key activity focused on the priority at the operational level. This includes the visibility of the profile and also the proactive construction of networks of the professional network (modeled on our professional needs).
At the same time we have the key resource that includes some fundamental aspects such as competence. This must be very vertical in its reference sector for the production of content. Here it is important to use the LinkedIn navigator which is the tool to do more advanced searches. Furthermore, the time dedicated is also an aspect that must be calculated and respected.
At this point we must consider the positioning applied to the personal brand. We use LinkedIn to create our character. And in our profile there must be a very precise angle of attack compared to competitors and have a whole series of elements that make us preferable to another. Since LINKEDIN is a very competitive environment, it is important to do a strategic work of positioning and coherence between profile and content upstream.
Another important step is the relationship with the network . It is important to interact intelligently with third-party content in our network. We must develop a series of digital strategies so as to establish that relationship of trust that will allow us to get even closer to the prospect. This is possible through advice, comments, birthday wishes, congratulations on the work evolutions to our connection on the platform.
The creation of content that is on a par with the relationship with the network is fundamental because typically to create effective content we must digest and know the concept of inbound marketing . Which consists of proposing content of interest for specific target audiences, optimized and distributed in such a way as to be found by users without interrupting the navigation or use of media by the audience. Encouraging interaction by a target audience thanks to the quality and relevance of the content is the first step to approach potential new customers and cultivate the relationship with those already acquired. There are some questions we must answer when we create content.
Which are:
Does the content I am posting somehow increase my potential clients' perception of me as an authoritative professional in the category I want to excel in? Does this content make me more authoritative? Does it make me closer to the client's problems.
Does the content I am going to post contribute in some way to improving some aspect of the working life of a potential client of ours?
Another vital aspect that is at the top is that of building personal networks in target . We must go and identify all potential customers. This is greatly simplified through the LinkedIn search tool where we can note the size of the potential that LinkedIn has and through this tool we go and search for the potential customers that are closest to our reality.
The operational plan is a non-trivial aspect that concerns dedicated time sections on LinkedIn from PC. It is important to identify and have a list of possible prospects to request connections to work on daily.
Last but not least, the ROI calculation (conversion calculation) is done through a classic formula. With which we estimate the time we dedicate to the platform daily and what this platform generates in revenue.
LinkedIn Dedicated Funnel (Funnel Acquisition Processes)
[ back to index ]
Only phases are used that should be used sequentially anyway to reach the objective, which is always to generate direct contacts with our target audience.
The phases are as follows:
Awareness: this is the moment when I have to make myself known to customers/suppliers on LinkedIn and it coincides both in the connection phase, to create the network, and in the content creation phase. Content written in a certain way that also leads to interactions on the content leads to wider visibility.
Interest: this is the moment when you start interacting with the content. Our content has now not only been seen but has also been appreciated by the target audience thus increasing the level of awareness even more.
An important fact is that in Asia there are about 130 million users, but the most interesting thing is that in countries like China Facebook is not used
We can notice the growth of the platform is growing as every second two new users create a new profile.
In Italy we have 13 million users which would be 37% nigeria whatsapp number data 5 millionf the working age population. Of these 13,000,000, 37% are between 35-54 years old which is equivalent to the most mature and therefore most interesting working profile. 37% are between 25-34 years old, so it is assumed that the profile is in the first 10 years of their working career. 15% are between 18-24 years old, here we can find profiles that have just finished the three-year university or students who have signed up to LinkedIn and use it for activities other than work. Finally, 11% are over 55 years old, here the profile is very mature. [2019 DATA]
Looking at the data above and adding an interesting piece of data provided by HubSpot , which tells us how effective LinkedIn is compared to other social networks, we note how LinkedIn is a social network for those who want to do professional social selling . Because through this platform we can find, as mentioned, professionals of mature working age who can be potential clients or potential suppliers.
When we talk about social selling we can notice how this model has changed in recent years.
The old sales model ( sales 1.0 ) focused on:
Cold calls
Sales demos
Qualify leads (Qualify leads)
The new sales model ( Social sales ) focuses on:
Social Networks
Cultural Education (Educate)
Interaction between professional profiles (Engage)
The Changing Purchasing Processes in the DIGITAL Era
[ back to index ]
Those who operate in B2B as in our case must be able to support a customer from the information part to the final part of commercial relations. To do this we must keep in mind three phases that define the commercial dynamics of a sales cycle. Which are the system of:
Customer Acquisition
Selling: Turning prospects into paying customers.
Follow up: a system that is based either on continuing to nurture potential customers who have not yet become customers or we are talking about up-selling or cross-selling on customers already acquired.
LinkedIn manages to be effective in the three phases mentioned above and therefore in the life cycle of a customer.
What is LinkedIn for?
[ back to index ]
Let's start with the assumption that LinkedIn will never sell for us. However, the platform helps us to:
Increase useful contacts, have a richer pipeline so as to have a greater turnover.
Better qualify contacts, since thanks to the platform we have more information on potential customers, thus having a greater increase in the conversion rate.
Anticipate/create trust so that when you meet the prospect, he already trusts you, to start from a higher level and convert as many leads as possible.
Good “Social” salespeople are not those who spend the day on LinkedIn but those who spend qualified time there and have a precise strategy to “get” the prospect out of the social network and meet him on the phone, in video or in person.
Work Strategy – LINKEDIN EFFECTIVE CANVAS
[ back to index ]
At the base of everything is the possibility of being found by the customer and there are two fundamental aspects to take into consideration, the first is purely technical and that of filling out the profile in all fields (asking for references, encouraging the validation of skills etc.). The other aspect concerns the purely commercial one. Whoever lands on our profile, website, landing page etc. must immediately understand what we do and what problems we provide a solution to. The insertion of keywords on our profile in the various sections is a very important element. Whoever searches for certain keywords with the LinkedIn search tool then obtains specific results, and if we are good at inserting these keywords on our profile we would have a greater chance of being found. Adding a cover image is an aspect that is sometimes overlooked. But on a visual level it is an essential aspect. In fact, if in this space we insert the pay off of what we do, the user can immediately understand where we can help them. It is important to use the featured section to add documents or links that go directly to our website, so as to create that bond of trust with the prospect.
You should work on receiving written reports from other professionals to always work on the concept of trust. This section is like a restaurant review card, if there are several positive reviews it is easier for the prospect to go and eat in that place.
After giving visibility to the profile, we need to focus on the key activity focused on the priority at the operational level. This includes the visibility of the profile and also the proactive construction of networks of the professional network (modeled on our professional needs).
At the same time we have the key resource that includes some fundamental aspects such as competence. This must be very vertical in its reference sector for the production of content. Here it is important to use the LinkedIn navigator which is the tool to do more advanced searches. Furthermore, the time dedicated is also an aspect that must be calculated and respected.
At this point we must consider the positioning applied to the personal brand. We use LinkedIn to create our character. And in our profile there must be a very precise angle of attack compared to competitors and have a whole series of elements that make us preferable to another. Since LINKEDIN is a very competitive environment, it is important to do a strategic work of positioning and coherence between profile and content upstream.
Another important step is the relationship with the network . It is important to interact intelligently with third-party content in our network. We must develop a series of digital strategies so as to establish that relationship of trust that will allow us to get even closer to the prospect. This is possible through advice, comments, birthday wishes, congratulations on the work evolutions to our connection on the platform.
The creation of content that is on a par with the relationship with the network is fundamental because typically to create effective content we must digest and know the concept of inbound marketing . Which consists of proposing content of interest for specific target audiences, optimized and distributed in such a way as to be found by users without interrupting the navigation or use of media by the audience. Encouraging interaction by a target audience thanks to the quality and relevance of the content is the first step to approach potential new customers and cultivate the relationship with those already acquired. There are some questions we must answer when we create content.
Which are:
Does the content I am posting somehow increase my potential clients' perception of me as an authoritative professional in the category I want to excel in? Does this content make me more authoritative? Does it make me closer to the client's problems.
Does the content I am going to post contribute in some way to improving some aspect of the working life of a potential client of ours?
Another vital aspect that is at the top is that of building personal networks in target . We must go and identify all potential customers. This is greatly simplified through the LinkedIn search tool where we can note the size of the potential that LinkedIn has and through this tool we go and search for the potential customers that are closest to our reality.
The operational plan is a non-trivial aspect that concerns dedicated time sections on LinkedIn from PC. It is important to identify and have a list of possible prospects to request connections to work on daily.
Last but not least, the ROI calculation (conversion calculation) is done through a classic formula. With which we estimate the time we dedicate to the platform daily and what this platform generates in revenue.
LinkedIn Dedicated Funnel (Funnel Acquisition Processes)
[ back to index ]
Only phases are used that should be used sequentially anyway to reach the objective, which is always to generate direct contacts with our target audience.
The phases are as follows:
Awareness: this is the moment when I have to make myself known to customers/suppliers on LinkedIn and it coincides both in the connection phase, to create the network, and in the content creation phase. Content written in a certain way that also leads to interactions on the content leads to wider visibility.
Interest: this is the moment when you start interacting with the content. Our content has now not only been seen but has also been appreciated by the target audience thus increasing the level of awareness even more.