7 ways how NOT to use LinkedIn for Social Selling

Social media has become valuable for everyone and in recent times, it has grown as a solid online marketing platform.

But, every social media channel has its own features and methodology of marketing.

For instance, “According to InsideView, 41 percent of all B2B companies report generating leads on Facebook, yet a total of 61 percent of business marketers in the United States utilize LinkedIn’s social media platform to generate new leads and sell products (The Drum, 2016).”

Thus, social selling is sailing with great speed on social media, but there is a difference between how Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest do marketing when compared to LinkedIn.

LinkedIn strives on cultivating a professional business environment in comparison to its contemporaries. As such when you’re approaching potential perspective on LinkedIn, you need to put every step caring the below-mentioned tips.

Why Choose LinkedIn?

Before knowing how not to use LinkedIn for social selling, a business should acknowledge the importance of LinkedIn for generating leads.

InsideView says, “only 47 percent of B2B companies use LinkedIn at all compared to 90 percent of businesses using Facebook and 53 percent of businesses use Twitter” stated by The Drum, 2016.

Even though the numbers are lesser, but LinkedIn generates more leads than other social media platforms.

As LinkedIn doesn’t provide interactive resources (instant messaging and easy image sharing) like Facebook and Twitter so it’s found to be unworthy of B2C businesses.

But, the professional look of the social platform helps it in better interaction with customers and the generation of leads.

As such you need to know how not to use LinkedIn for social selling. Here are the 7 examples-

1) Being Aloof

LinkedIn may be a professional social platform, but there are certain things which should be kept in mind.

You should not sound like a professional selling your product to your customers. Rather than you should establish a cordial relation where you look friendly offering a personal touch to the conversation.

Being impersonal would harm your business goal, so try avoiding that.

2) Overlooking LinkedIn Page of a Lead

Sales pitch is good and required when you’re doing the B2B social selling.

But, what to take care of is following the other company’s page.

If you aren’t following the page, this shows a lack of foresight on the professional front of sales executive or the company.

So, prior to messaging or putting sales pitch, you should follow the individual or organization’s LinkedIn page.

3) Posting Negative Reviews about Competitors

When you’re doing the social selling, be positive about your competitors.

Many of the businesses try promoting themselves on LinkedIn by making negative comments or reviews about their customers. This should totally be avoided.

If you do this, in return you’ll lose respect for you.

4) Pushing Away Audience with Content

Don’t alienate your audience with your personal content.

If you’re really looking forward to connect to your targeted audiences on LinkedIn, post useful and informational blogs, and ads that work for them rather than personal content.

Political, controversial and religious topics also have no place on a business page. These posts could work for organizations which are engaged in such practices.

In short, post relevant content on your LinkedIn feed that comprehensively displays the goal of the business and establishes their reputation.

5) Making Overly Sales Efforts

Are you trying to make forceful selling on LinkedIn? If yes, then, stop doing this.

No doubt, LinkedIn holds a reputation of professional marketplace, but “social” still remains the key component for networking and associating with potential customers.

As per the 2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends in North America, LinkedIn is the best social selling platform, as 66% audience rank it over YouTube and other social media platform.

Even such numbers can’t make difference if you bombard sales copy to your targeted audiences.

The entire theme of the platform is to keep socializing and networking.

Readers and potential business prospects are keeners on having educational material rather a sales pitch.

LinkedIn Analytics suggests that most shared content include “why posts,” “what posts” and “how to” articles.

This shows that readers are on a quest for knowledge and gathering useful and relevant information.

6) Ignoring Group Discussions on the Platform

Making more and more connections on LinkedIn should not only be the business goal. Staying connected and being active also are some of the necessities.

If a company or business doesn’t consider this point appropriately, this may harm the efforts of the business done on the social media.

A company should use online group discussions as a useful engagement rather than a waste of time.

The organization should never overlook the importance of group discussions on the platform as you not only involved with other organizations but also gain relevant information.

7) Selling without SSI

Social Selling Index of a company is a critical thing as it helps to enhance exposure and gets more potential leads and consumers across the company’s information.

LinkedIn also says Social Selling Index or SSI gives a measurement of an account’s social selling skills.

LinkedIn evaluates the SSI on the basis of four key points of criteria.

• The first focuses on establishing a professional brand.
• In the second step, add right people to your list.
• In the third step, use insights given by LinkedIn. When you engage with given information it helps to increase a company’s SSI.
• The last step suggests establishing a relationship with your potential business connections.

This helps in making company’s current network strong and establishes the business as a leading magnet.

A company can grow on the social scale by knowing these SSI elements. 

Also, not knowing Company’s SSI is avoidable.

General information about SSI isn’t enough to grow for a company.

A company needs to know their SSI index and if you know this, it will help you rectifying anything dragging the number down.

You can know about your company’s SSI under the sales tab of LinkedIn where an assortment of information is available.

At the top you’ll find your current SSI. Then, as shown in the previous step, it is broken down into 4 different categories.

Each step is rated out of 25, where the total out is 100.

After that you can see, a graph showing details of SSI. With this, a company can figure out its performance and find where to make improvements.

You can also see average SSI for people within the industry and those who are included in account’s network.

Conclusion

LinkedIn being a social media platform works differently from other social channels.

The platform has the completely professional environment and thus, allows businesses to grow substantially.

LinkedIn too has its own measures for scaling the performance of a company’s growth and hence provides some suggestions. Stop following the above-mentioned ways to do social selling on LinkedIn.