17 profitable things to say on Linkedin

17 profitable
things to say
on Linkedin
Your guide to generating high-
quality B2B sales leads from your
Linkedin status updates
By Tom Mallens & Dionne Buckingham-Brown,
founders of the Social Sales Academy

If you were at a business exhibition full of potential customers,
would you expect to get many leads, opportunities and enquiries if
you sat by yourself in the corner refusing to talk to anyone?
We guess not.
The same rules apply to Linkedin. Whether you've got 5
connections or 5,000, you won't get much benefit if you don't
interact with them through status updates in the home newsfeed,
direct messages or longer blog-style articles
Get your Linkedin updates right and you'll find it easier than ever
to do the most important thing a B2B sales or marketing person can
do with social media; get ideal potential customers OFFLINE and
into qualified, rapport-filled phone calls and face-to-face meetings.
You'll also build your reputation, create awareness of who you are
and what you do and get a quick and easy way to keep in touch with
new potential customers and useful people who can put you in
touch with them. Here are four important points, to bear in mind:
The golden rules of great Linkedin updates
1. Avoid directly pitching your products (it puts people off).
2. Write in the same conversational way that you speak.
3. Get your key message in the first 218 characters.
4. Wherever possible, use happy eye-catching pictures
In a moment, you'll get 17 effective ways to update you Linkedin
status. But first, here's some important background info so you can
find the things that will work best for you first time.
L I N K E D I N
U P D A T E S
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
tom@tommallens.com

When it comes to Linkedin, status updates are the cornerstone of
communicating with your network. Unfortunately, a lot of people
miss the opportunity because they either don't know what to say
and, as a result, say nothing OR what they say is simply ineffective
and doesn't create conversations with people who might become
customers.
You get 1,300 characters (including spaces) to update your Linkedin
status. Once you do, everyone in your network has the potential to
see it. If someone likes, shares or comments on your update, people
in their network will have the chance to see it.
Linkedin's algorithms are still not as restrictive and powerful as
Facebook's, meaning it's far more likely a popular update will be
seen by more people; generating valuable visibility and
opportunities to speak to useful contacts in the process.
Questions? Get free help
from Tom or Dionne at:
SSAUK.acuityscheduling.com
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
dionne@db-b.co.uk

The psychology of Linkedin status updates
In business networking, some people dismiss small talk as a trivial
waste of time. In the same way, many B2B sales people fail to see
the value of regularly updating their Linkedin status.
In reality, small talk in business is FAR from trivial. It's a deeply
seated part of the human communication process that people use to
create rapport, establish trust and find common ground that will
build win-win relationships. Linkedin updates are the small talk of
B2B social media. They might seem trivial but they're a VITAL part
of creating rapport, trust and initiating relationships in a way that
will transition into more productive phone calls and meetings later.
The changing face of the B2B buying process
According to marketing research company Fleishman-Hillard, 89%
of B2B decision-makers now start their buying process with an
online search. While consulting firm CEB says 57% of the buying
process in B2B purchasing now takes place BEFORE any direct
contact with a sales person. Sales people that are active on
Linkedin are far more likely to profit from being involved in those
initial conversations before face-to-face meetings take place.
Before we forget, here's what NOT to do . . .
L I N K E D I N
U P D A T E S
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
tom@tommallens.com

Key rules for successful Linkedin status updates
Write the way you speak
The best updates start profitable sales conversations. So it makes
sense that they should be written in a conversational way. Before
you update your status, ask yourself, is this something I would say
to someone face-to-face? If not, rewrite it so it reads likes
something you would say. You'll get a lot more responses as a
result.
Don't focus on vanity metrics
Not every update you do has to get thousands of likes and shares to
be useful. Just one potential customer or useful contact has to
react for it to be worth your while. Worry less about the vanity
metrics of likes and shares and more about how many potential
customers you can get onto the phone as a result.
Use attention-grabbing pictures
Great pictures grab people's attention and make your updates much
more effective. We're absolutely serious when we encourage
people to take selfie-style pictures on their phone for Linkedin.
Selfies (whether they're of you or a group you're with) give a much
more personal sense of connection with people. Old-fashioned line-
up shots taken by 'proper' photographers often look boring and
uninvolved by comparison.
Get people OFF Linkedin and onto the phone
We stress this in all the Linkedin, sales & social sales training
we run for companies. A great Linkedin update alone doesn't put
money in your pocket. Following up with people you interact with
to get rapport-filled calls and meetings does. Don't forget that.

Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
dionne@db-b.co.uk

This is, arguably, the most effective tactic for your Linkedin
updates. Rather than broadcasting what you’re up to, be interested
in what other people are doing and saying. Like their updates, add a
fresh point-of-view, a supportive comment or share the update with
your network.
In the words of Dale Carnegie in his seminal book How To Win
Friends And Influence People: “You can make more friends in two
months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two
years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
It's amazing how many more people will respond to messages, take
calls, and agree to meeting requests when you've made them feel
good about themselves with positive or flattering comments, than it
is when you're focussed on trying to get them interested in you.
1. COMMENT ON OTHER PEOPLE'S UPDATES
EXAMPLE
L I N K E D I N
U P D A T E S
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
tom@tommallens.com

People love things that are valuable and free. If you can give people
a free, zero-risk way to experience your product (whether they
ever buy from you or not) you can find out exactly which people are
interested in it. Entrepreneur Nigel Botterill once said that while
most people in business buy and then sell, the real masters sell first
and only buy the product they sell once they know it's already sold.
Taking Nigel's advice, we asked if people would be interested in a
free guide to Linkedin messages, then stayed up all night writing it
once we knew there was a demand. Tap into a hidden pain point
that your customers have and you can get similar great results.
2. OFFER PEOPLE SOMETHING VALUABLE & FREE
EXAMPLE
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
dionne@db-b.co.uk

If you’ve bumped into someone interesting or inspiring that you’d
like to build rapport with, mentioning them on Linkedin is a great
way to help yourself and them. Write a positive and supportive
comment that highlights their area of expertise and how other
people in your network could benefit from connecting with them.
If the person is already in your network, you can mention them in a
comment and they’ll receive a notification that you were talking
about them. Be warned, the system that picks up you typing their
name can be a little erratic and occasionally, you may be have to
type it once or twice before it shows their name.
3. THANK AND PROMOTE PEOPLE YOU'VE MET
EXAMPLE
L I N K E D I N
U P D A T E S
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
tom@tommallens.com

In general, most people want to see other people be successful. If
something good happens to you in business, share it with your
network. It doesn't have to be spectacular. You don't have to have
won an award or been promoted.
Even a simple meeting, sale or uplifting anecdote can be turned into
something people will enjoy hearing about if you explain it with a
clear description and, more importantly, an eye-catching photo.
Link something good that happens to you to something other
people want to achieve too and you'll attract plenty of likes and
brand awareness at the same time.
4. SHARE POSITIVE AND UPLIFTING EVENTS
EXAMPLE
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
dionne@db-b.co.uk

Writing blogs, analysing news or sourcing high-quality content to
post on Linkedin can take time – something most people don’t
always have a lot of. If this is you, write a short quote that the
people you want to speak to would find interesting, amusing or
inspiring *and* that you find easy to think of every day.
Aim to write no more than one or two sentences and you’ve got a
quick and easy way to keep your network informed, entertained
and reminded of who you are and what you do.
Some good examples of this are Caroline Woodward’s ’11AM
Coffee Time Tip’, Phil Ingle's 'Stat of the day' and the motivational
quotes we post regularly. We use the Typorama and Crop apps on
our mobiles to create and size images quickly.
5. SHARE INSPIRATION, QUOTES & QUIPS
EXAMPLE
L I N K E D I N
U P D A T E S
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
tom@tommallens.com

Most people love to give their opinions on things. If you ask people
to read your sales pitch, they almost certainly won’t. If you ask
people to give their opinion on it, a lot of them will relish the
chance to tell you where they think you did well and/or badly. The
result for you is the same; they’ve read your sales pitch.
For this reason, asking questions is a great way to start
conversations with your network. Ask them for their opinions,
advice, suggestions, tips or ideas. The value you get from the
responses depends on what and how you ask. Either way, it’s a good
way to create exposure and get people looking at your profile.
6. ASK FOR ADVICE, IDEAS & OPINIONS
EXAMPLE
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
dionne@db-b.co.uk

Sharing what people, places and appointments are in your diary is a
great way to tell a story about you and your business. If you or your
company are out and about visiting interesting people and places,
or working towards an inspiring goal, sharing regular details of
your progress is a brilliant way to generate support for your cause.
(With a little thought, it's easy to talk about your diary highlights
without giving away any sensitive information that could give your
competitors an advantage.)
Voice coach Priscilla Morris, business finance trainer Phil Ingle and
wills and estate planning specialist Raj Singh Rainu regularly share
details schedules with followers. This helps build familiarity to the
point that many people will recognise them and be happy to speak
to them; what author Jeb Blount calls the 'familiarity threshold'.
7. SHARE HIGHLIGHTS FROM YOUR DIARY
EXAMPLE
L I N K E D I N
U P D A T E S
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
tom@tommallens.com

EXAMPLE
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
dionne@db-b.co.uk
Promoting other people is a great way to build rapport with others,
facilitate conversations and raise your profile at the same time,
provided you do it strategically. Helping your existing and/or
prospective customers by sharing their content is a useful strategy
for building goodwill. Another useful tactic is to write *about*
other people that you want to build relationships with.
Finally, look for ways to raise your profile by promoting other
people who target the same customers as you but whose products
and services do not compete with yours. By sharing these people’s
blogs you help your potential customers with valuable advice AND
you help build relationships.
8. PROMOTE OTHER PEOPLE'S CONTENT

If you’re connected with someone on Linkedin, you get a certain
amount of opportunity to interact with them. If you’re connected
on Twitter, that amount goes up. If you’re connect on Facebook as
well, the amount goes up still further. Inviting people to connect
with you on multiple different platforms is a useful way to build
stronger relationships with potential customers.
You can update your Linkedin status to invite people to connect
with you on Twitter (or Facebook, or Instagram or even Snapchat).
Importantly, make sure you give them a direct reason or benefit.
The days of people getting excited at the prospect of following
someone on Twitter for the sake of it are LONG gone.
Business coach Andy Robinson is on Twitter as @AndyInNaples.
He’s created a custom website domain name to make it easier for
people to remember his Twitter handle. Simply go to:
www.AndyOnTwitter.com and you’ll be redirected to his Twitter
account where you can follow him.
9. INVITE PEOPLE TO OTHER SOCIAL SITES
EXAMPLE
L I N K E D I N
U P D A T E S
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
tom@tommallens.com

Is your company changing or starting interesting new ventures,
programmes or projects? If so, let your connections and followers
know what’s going on at a strategic level.
KEY TIP: If you have a sales or marketing team who use Linkedin,
you can announce the change via your Linkedin Company Page and
simply ask your team to like, share and comment on the update so
everyone in their networks see the update too.
For this to work, it’s important everyone on Linkedin in your
company is following your Linkedin Company Page. Make sure
they’ve hit you Company Page follow button. This way, your
marketing department ensures the update is in line with the
company policy and saves your staff time and hassle too.
10. SHARE YOUR COMPANY'S STRATEGY NEWS
EXAMPLE
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
dionne@db-b.co.uk

If you’re continuing to learn new knowledge or skills that make you
better at your job – whether it's through evening classes, online
courses, certifications or training seminars – this could be
something that helps and interests your existing and potential
customers. Sharing news about your qualifications can be
interesting to potential customers if you word it in the right way.
And don’t forget to add them to your Linkedin profile. If your new
qualifications mean you’ve acquired new skills, add these to your
endorsements section too. Far from being a place where strangers
can give you an anonymous pat on the back, endorsements are
important for Linkedin's algorithms to decide what you are and
aren't good at and where, as a result, you should appear in search
results for which particular skills.
11. SHARE PROOF YOU'RE GOOD AT YOUR JOB
EXAMPLE
L I N K E D I N
U P D A T E S
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
tom@tommallens.com

Whatever fancy features and benefits your products deliver, most
potential customers only want to know one thing. What results will
I get if I buy it? Results are what matter. Sharing the results you or
your clients are getting is a great way to highlight the results you’ll
get for any new potential customers seeing your updates and
considering your services.
It doesn't have to be a HUGE new contract or incredible
testimonial, even a relatively small result can make a great update
if you write an interesting caption combined with an attention-
grabbing update.
12. SHOWCASE THE RESULTS YOU DELIVER
EXAMPLE
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
dionne@db-b.co.uk

For better or worse, people make buying decisions based on
emotion, rather than logic. Deliberately tapping into people's
emotions is a well-used sales tactic that helps create desire for a
product and speeds up people's ability to make a decision.
Deliberately tapping into people's emotions is also a great way to
build awareness of who you are and what you do so that people
remember you more easily.
You can use the same face-to-face tactic on Linkedin by posting
deliberately emotive or controversial updates designed to provoke
strong reactions for or against your point-of-view.
If you can express strong opinions about topics relevant to your
products and services, you'll get a lot more opportunities to start
conversations with potential prospects *and* be on their mind
when you follow-up with any prospects involved in the discussion.
13. BE DELIBERATELY CONTROVERSIAL
EXAMPLE
L I N K E D I N
U P D A T E S
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
tom@tommallens.com

EXAMPLE
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
dionne@db-b.co.uk
The days when publishing a few basic tips on social media would
build your reputation and make you a stand-out expert are long
gone. However, consistently sharing genuinely valuable
information still can. Updates where you share insightful advice
(rather than blindingly obvious and useless tips) will help sell
people on the idea of working with you before they even speak to
you in person.
A successful business consultant told me he always gave away his
most valuable information for free because it would help prove his
worth before people had any idea how much he cost. In comparison
to the value, his prices would seem lower. Giving away low-value
tips on the grounds they're free subconsciously associates you with
low value and your prices will seem painfully high in comparison.
14. GIVE AWAY YOUR BEST ADVICE FOR FREE

15. RESPOND TO INDUSTRY NEWS
New information is, was and always will be interesting to people
precisely because it is, err, new. Decent industry news contains
something unusual, intriguing and important for a particular
audience that they won’t have heard before.
Sharing quality news that’s relevant to your potential customers is
a good way to highlight your know-how, expertise and interest in
helping them. You probably won’t be able to find high-quality news
specific to your niche or industry from general news websites like
the BBC, Sky News or Al Jazeera.
In which case, content aggregating sites like Feedly, Fark, Google
News, Buzzsumo and New 360 will help you be first with the latest
high-quality news stories relevant to you and your customers.
EXAMPLE
L I N K E D I N
U P D A T E S
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
tom@tommallens.com

Seen a useful video on Facebook, YouTube or Vimeo? Update your
status with a link to that video. Try to find videos that are less than
three minutes long, to encourage people to take the time to watch
them. You can even mention how long the video is in your update. It
will seem more appealing to watch if people know exactly how long
it will take.
Even better, upload videos direct to Linkedin using its new native
video feature. Remember, Linkedin wants you to stay on its site, so
avoid posting links to 3rd-party sites. If you want to link
somewhere other than Linkedin, post the link in the comments,
rather than the main body of your update.
16. SHARE VIDEOS FROM YOUTUBE OR VIMEO
EXAMPLE
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
dionne@db-b.co.uk

If there’s something you’re trying to achieve in business, why not
simply ask for it in a Linkedin status update? There’s a famous story
about Steve Jobs who wanted to complete a science project for a
school assignment. He wanted to build an electronic frequency
counter and so, he phoned up Bill Hewlett, of Hewlett Packard
fame, and asked if he had some. (It was back in the days when
people's numbers, including Hewlett's, was still in the phone book.)
Hewlett gave jobs the components AND gave the 12-year-old Jobs
a summer job assembling frequency counters on the HP production
line. Granted, in those days, Hewlett’s number was easy to find but
Jobs still had the chutzpah to simply ask for what he wanted. “I’ve
never found anybody who didn’t want to help me if I asked for
help,” said Jobs. If there’s something you want to achieve in
business, simply ask your Linkedin network if they can help.
17. ASK FOR WHATEVER IT IS YOU WANT
EXAMPLE
L I N K E D I N
U P D A T E S
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
tom@tommallens.com

This idea is so obvious and powerful, we're surprised more people
don't do it. Whatever you do or sell in business, people seeing you
doing it successfully alongside happy customers has a powerful and
inevitable positive impact.
Very often, people stall buying decisions because they're not sure
what it will look or feel like once they've purchased. They're unsure
and afraid on a subtle psychological level. So why not take away
their fear by showing them exactly what spending money with you
looks like.
Next time you're doing what you do best, whip out your phone, grab
a picture and show people what you do. You'll be surprised how
many people that like your pictures are good leads to follow-up.
18. YOUR FREE BONUS IDEA!
EXAMPLE
Tom & Dionne
+44 (0)1926 800 428
Dionne@db-b.co.uk

SOCIAL SALES ACADEMY
L E A R N M O R E - E A R N M O R E
ABOUT TOM & DIONNE
After quitting their jobs, Tom & Dionne quickly
learned the most valuable skill in business is
your ability to sell. And they also found Linkedin
is a goldmine of opportunities. They now
help people and companies sell more using the
latest social sales tactics. They've delivered
training for hundreds of SMEs, like Suzuki GB,
Cranfield University and Saint-Gobain.
SERVICES & PACKAGES
The Social Sales Academy is a one-stop-shop for solopreneurs,
consultants and B2B sales people to learn the skills, strategies
and tools to sell in the 21st century. For free help, call on +44
(0)1926 800 428 or go to: SSAUK.acuityscheduling.com
IN-HOUSE, 121 & REMOTE TRAINING
Custom training design and consultancy
Delivery using accelerated learning techniques
Suitable for individuals, groups and online
CONSULTANCY & COACHING
Linkedin & social sales strategy planning
Sales coaching and support
Social sales consulting and advisory support
SPEAKING
Seminars and workshops
Conferences and exhibitions
Interactive, informative and fun!

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