LinkedIn differentiates itself from other social networks by providing features that salespeople can use to expand their network, form relationships, and increase sales.
This social network isn’t just for job seekers anymore. Here are a few ways you can use LinkedIn to make more sales in 2014.
Research Clients
LinkedIn makes it easy to research both potential customers and your competitors. Profiles are already segmented. You can search for CMOs and avoid having to sift through the profiles of lower-level employees.
The information you gather from a person’s profile—whom the person is connected with, what jobs he's had in the past, what organizations he's involved in—can provide a perfect opportunity to get your foot in the door. You can pinpoint what customers value most before even speaking with them.
Communicate Creatively
Staying in touch with customers throughout the sales process has always been important. LinkedIn now allows you to communicate with customers in new, creative ways.
You can reach out to them with a direct message offering to answer questions or concerns. You can easily link to other resources. You can also put together creative, easy-to-digest messages using tools like Slideshare or YouTube to capture their attention with something other than a case study or press release.
Some customers need a little space to make decisions. Now you can give them that physical space and still stay in touch online.
Create An Industry-Specific Group
Creating a group builds communities around specific topics. It drives traffic to your profile, brings together like-minded people, helps you network, and presents an opportunity to provide value to your customers. Host interviews, webinars, articles, and other resources, and build your expertise, so when a customer has a problem, he or she knows exactly where to go for the answer.
Take advantage of the information and opportunities LinkedIn provides, and start the year off right by trying some of these strategies.
How have you used LinkedIn to make more sales?