Attracting customers is at your fingertips. With just a few clicks you can connect, understand interests and speak with customers you wouldn’t have the chance to meet. It’s platforms such as LinkedIn that create an engaging environment that benefits both the customer and you – the salesperson.
Customers are using LinkedIn to see “who” businesses are and what value it will give. It’s through content and strategic branding that companies lure the right customers in and present what prospects are looking for – a clear understanding of what a company has to offer. This reflects the principals that are inbound marketing.
This methodology is built on creating a personalised experience for your customers. It boosts authentic engagement from them and creates excitement around what you’re offering. It’s at this point, as a salesperson, you can coattail on the increased interest and start pushing one-to-one conversations.
But the priority on company content doesn’t stop there…
Driving a more valuable discussion starts with having MORE content in YOUR back pocket. This additional insight can be shared via a direct message on LinkedIn or as a reply to a comment made on a post to add another valuable layer. This puts you, the salesperson, at the forefront, presents you as the expert and builds trust with your targets.
It’s here that both marketing and sales can fuel that inbound engine. It’s a step towards creating a collaborative and consistent environment for your audience while they are performing online research.
So, where to start? Here are five areas to keep in mind when choosing LinkedIn to support your inbound sales machine:
- List who you’d like to attract
It starts with knowing who you’d like to inform about your expertise and the value your company can deliver. Think about individuals in a company from decision makers to influencers as all will play a vital role in getting to a signed contract.
- Outline conversation points
Once you know who you’d like to connect with, think about what their challenges are and how you can help. Make a list of valuable responses to potential questions or posted content that would open the door to a more authentic conversation.
- Build a content plan
Unfortunately, a comment or direct message doesn’t cut it anymore. Prospects want to learn and perform extensive research before speaking to anyone directly. We’re in an age where customers want to feel empowered and the quickest way to achieve this is through personalised and valuable content that resonates with their everyday challenges and experiences. And content should be shareable. Your customers will want to share the exciting potential that they just read with fellow colleagues and potential decision makers. So, think of the format that would fit that purpose. Go beyond a blog and try:
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- eBooks
- interactive eBooks
- case studies
- infographics
- short videos
- testimonials
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- Push content on company and personal LinkedIn profiles
By adopting a collaborative approach for content creation, both marketing and sales can build a strong content library that will serve multiple uses – company and personal. Having content built for every phase of a buying cycle can provide comfort for your customers and answer all questions they may have. And your profile can’t be just used for sales. It should also be pushing out content as much as the company page and engaging with other posts. Your customer will check your profile after you submit a connection request and if your profile is stale – no posts, no activities or no updates, it’ll be clear that you are only trying to achieve one thing – a sale. Remember, first impressions are important.
- Follow-up communication
If you see an ideal prospect engage with a post on either your profile or the company LinkedIn profile, it’s your time to shine. You should have a general understanding of their challenges and by now have points you’d like to address to provide value and share your expertise. And, have content to share.
To build any engine, it takes a bit of planning, parts and teamwork. Using platforms such as LinkedIn to fuel your inbound marketing success will boost your sales qualified leads – and quickly. With a strong content plan and by spending some time building your personal profile and increasing online conversations, you will save time and be able to respond to genuine interest much quicker.
To find out more about how to incorporate LinkedIn into your inbound marketing efforts, please get in touch.
