Using LinkedIn to Drive Prospect and Stakeholder Engagement
LinkedIn Lunch and Learn
1. Making the Most of LinkedIn
to Grow Your Business
How to Use LinkedIn for Networking,
the Development of Leads, Talent
Acquisition and More
August 20, 2015
2. By The Numbers
• 300M+ professionals and 2M+ companies are on LinkedIn
• A 2014 IDC study revealed that:
• On average, social-selling leaders enjoy these
benefits:
– 45% more opportunities created
– 51% more likely to achieve quota
– 80% more productive
(Source: LinkedIn Sales Solutions)
3 out of 4 B2B buyers and 8
out of 10 executive buyers
rely on social media to help
make buying decisions
3. Get Started with Social Selling
• LinkedIn offers Sales Navigator – a
video overview is available at:
bit.ly/sales_navigator
• It integrates seamlessly with your CRM.
It’s simpler than what you’re
probably doing now to
generate leads!
4. PROFESSIONAL PROFILES
• Create a client-focused, client-attracting profile.
• Be sure to list an industry.
• Create a 30 sec. commercial which considers that
“what do you do?” question from the POV of a
prospect in pain who eventually turned into your
happy customer.
There are an average of 53M views
of LI profiles each day – STAND
OUT.
5. 3 LinkedIn Profiles No-Brainers
1. Complete it to 90% and keep it current.
– Include: Professional photo, custom URL,
summary.
1. Add at least one multimedia
presentation.
2. Limit the use of “I”.
6. Call to Action
• Invite your reader to reach out to you.
Example: “Connect with me on LinkedIn if you
want to talk about (X) [where X is the problem
you solve or value you add.]
• Other idea: consider a “freemium” offer.
Example: “To get our free white paper on the 3
common mistakes people make when
handling X challenge, click here.”
7. The Power of 3rd
Party
Endorsements
A recent Forbes article defines “social proof” as a “psychological
phenomenon where people assume the actions of others reflect
correct behavior for a given situation.”
•Social proof on LI is a must have and can take
the following forms:
Downloadable case study
Third party endorsements
(don’t craft the language).
Expect give and take.
8. Keep it Real
• Do NOT do any of the following:
– cut and paste catch words or phrases multiple
times.
– use fake or ghostwritten recommendations.
– exaggerate or mislead.
– name drop.
– pass along links you haven’t read.
9. COMPANY PAGES 101
• 30 sec commercial which outlines what
problem your company solves.
• Ensure all on your team join and post.
• Collaboration between marketing and
sales is critical.
• Include industry news as well as
company updates.
10. GET CONNECTED
• Using Sales Navigator, create saved
leads. (30 day free trial at
http://bit.ly/sales_navigator)
• Monitor buying signals.
• Use the news stream to generate more
leads.
• Feel for warm paths to prospects.
11. Responding Effectively
A recent study from Lead Response Management revealed that a prospect
is 100 times more likely to respond when a seller reaches out within 5
minutes as opposed to reaching out 30 minutes later.
•Research your prospect’s profile and recent
activity for insights.
•Use the “get introduced” feature – or, name
your shared connection (with permission).
12. To Connect or Not To
Connect
Consider this when choosing to add someone to your network with
whom you are unlikely to exchange actual value:
Pros
•You can market to a wider audience
•Access to more people.
•Improve brand recognition and rankings.
Cons
•Watered down networking and junk in newsfeed.
•Harder to keep track of relationships.
•Lose credibility.
Best practice: limit your personal page and open
your company page.
13. LINKEDIN GROUPS
4 Best Practices:
1.Only join groups that match your business
focus.
2.Mind your manners.
3.Remember – no hard sell.
4.Consider creating and managing a LI group of
your own focused on the problem you solve.
14. POSTING
• How often?
– As often as you find content with value.
3x/day – 3x/week.
• What?
– A variety about your industry, resources,
company, quotes, graphics, etc.
• Hint: use PP to create images to upload.
15. 4 WORST PRACTICES
1. Pretending to know someone you don’t.
2. Failing to proofread your profile.
3. Not maintaining a professional standard of
behavior and visibility.
4. Sending long written sales pitches via inmail.
