The sales process has changed.
Buyers are in control. They have more access to information than ever before. They erect barriers to keep sellers out – until they decide when they’re ready to buy. So, traditional sales techniques popular in the previous century don’t work like they did.
The new landscape facilitates buying and selling in the way it should have been done all along…
The buyer first.
To build your business in the 21st century, you need to distinguish yourself by adding value. By positioning yourself as your customer’s hero. LinkedIn is the prime location for building a relationship with your customers and prospects by offering information and education – without strings attached.
But to properly use the platform, you must employ a strategy that equips your brand for success.
In this post, we’ll look at:
- Developing your company page
- Optimizing the profiles of your company’s leadership
- Empowering your employees to leverage their profiles
- Building relationships through engagement
- Creating winning content that builds trust and thought leadership
Your Company Page
While you’ll find far more reach and impact with your personal LinkedIn profile, your brand still needs an “official” company page. Your company page can house your branded content that you and your team will share. Prospects and customers will discover your page when they search for your brand name or for the products and services you offer.
Create a page that represents your brand and allows visitors to quickly find valuable information and connect with your team. Start here:
- Fill in all of the information it requests (description, contact information, specialties, hashtags, etc)
- Add a branded header that communicates your message and is consistent with your website and other social channels
- Show the problem that you solve for your customers
- Customize your LinkedIn public URL with your company name
- Add your short tagline
- Invite your connections like your company page
- Start posting valuable content
Your Company Leadership’s Profiles
If you think LinkedIn is just for job seekers, you couldn’t be more wrong. It’s the home of your online professional presence. It boasts over 740 million active users and continues to grow – in every way. More revenue. More content. More decision makers.
Executives can’t ignore social media or delegate social activity to their marketing or communications department. Execs need to show up, and show up strong. Actively participating on the platform will empower you to:
- Expand your brand
- Distribute valuable and in-demand content to your clients and prospects
- Find great talent – who are likely connected to someone you know and trust
- Be a dot-connector and add value to others by putting them in touch with the right people
- Communicate quickly to people all around the world
Like it or not – if you’re the head of your company, you’re also the face of the company. A poor LinkedIn profile can reflect negatively on your company. To properly communicate your brand’s excellence, optimize your profile:
- Start by filling in as much information as possible
- Add a branded header that’s consistent with your company, city, or industry
- Communicate the problem you’re solving for your customers in your headline and About section
- Add a professional headshot. Include your work history
- List your skills
- And more – Walk through these tips to improve your profile here.
Your Employees’ Profiles
While some employers refuse to allow their employees to engage on social media at work, smart employers leverage their teams and encourage them to engage and share branded content. They’re amplifying the company’s message. They don’t view LinkedIn as a time waster, but use it as a demand generator.
Encourage your employees to update their profiles with the same tips as listed above. Empower them to share company content. You’ll be rewarded with two times the engagement.
Enabling employees to build their personal brands on LinkedIn creates a win for everyone.
Employees’ activity promotes the company, attracts quality candidates, increases employee satisfaction, invests professionally in employees, amplifies the company’s marketing, AND attracts new customers.
Consistent Engagement
LinkedIn is all about relationships. To build solid professional relationships, you have to engage with others’ content. Follow those you’d like to engage with. When their content shows up in your feed, like, comment, and share. The more you engage with, the greater your following and connection requests will grow. And the greater your following, the louder your voice, and the stronger your impact.
If you don’t consistently engage with others, you won’t get the full benefit of the platform. Just as you wouldn’t attend an office party or networking event and sit in the corner quietly watching everyone – you shouldn’t simply lurk on LinkedIn.
Take at least 15 minutes each day to scroll through your feed and identify posts that you resonate with – either from a friend or someone you’ve never met. Share. Congratulate. Encourage. Educate. Ask questions. Start conversations. You’ll find that others reciprocate – and your following will begin to grow.
Taking the Lead – Through Great Content
Create content that helps your audience. There’s a huge demand by consumers for great thought leadership content. By demonstrating your expertise in your field, you’ll enhance your brand, increase awareness, and build a relationship with your ideal prospect.
Your content should focus on making your audience successful. You’re not hard-selling. Your goal is to build a trusted relationship with your audience whether they buy from you or not. Since people buy from people they like and trust, you’ll win their business through your content. Use video, audio (podcasts), written content (1,000 words or more).
Here are a few content ideas:
- How to tips
- Success stories
- Resource lists
- Expert interviews
- Industry statistics
- Opinion pieces
- Job opportunities
Conclusion
The sales process today is all about relationships. It’s about helping your audience. It’s slower but far more effective than cold-calling, spamming, or mass advertising.
Start taking advantage of the power of LinkedIn. You’ll wish you had started sooner. But there’s no better day than today.
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If you’re looking for a partner to help you take your LinkedIn presence to the next level, contact us today using the form below.
