Social selling is now part and parcel of every SaaS business. If you want to jump onto the bandwagon, you have to start by doing an overhaul of your LinkedIn profile.
Sure, you may be finding your connections on LinkedIn, but what might overlook is that your prospects are looking at your LinkedIn profile to ascertain that they're doing business with the right person.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to meet new prospects who are willing to buy from you and even become your promoters.
That leaves you with the question, how should you revamp your LinkedIn profile?
Well, this post will guide you step-by-step on how you can improve specific elements of your LinkedIn profile so that you can do more social selling.
But before that, why is social selling important?
The Power of Social Selling
1. Your Competitors Are Already Using Social Selling
Let's face it: your customers are already lurking on social platforms.
Additionally, 70% of sales experts confirm that they are leveraging social selling to attract more leads.
In other words, your competition is also hanging around on social platforms.
That’s why you need to connect with and engage your audience through social selling as much as possible. If you don't, your competition will find a smooth ride on your target customers.
For example, Microsoft boosted its productivity thirty-eight percent after carrying out a social selling program. This is an indication that social selling is the way to go. After all, and billion-dollar companies are leveraging it.
2. Your Clients are Already Familiar With Social Buying
The truth is that your clients are already aware of social selling. Don't worry about being too salesy or sleazy with your marketing.
So it's better to start engaging your potential customers in social selling now. Failure to do so means are missing out on potential sales.
3. You Can Build Stellar Relationships
The reality is that no one likes cold calls. 90% of decision-makers now admit that they don't respond to cold calls. That's a pain in the ass.
There are a ton of social listening tools that your team can use to bring potential clients on board who are already thinking of buying from you. With this, your sales team can reach out to these potential clients at the right time.
In a recent survey that involved both Seismic and CSO Insights, it was found out that social selling increases SaaSs leads. It also discovered that thirty-nine percent of professionals admit that social tools simplified the process of researching contact information.
Ways to optimize your Linkedin profile
1. Use a Professional Profile Photo
You need a professional profile photo on LinkedIn, and there's no shortcut about this.
LinkedIn profiles with professional profile pictures attract up to 40% of InMail response rate. That's a big stepping stone if you ask me.
For your LinkedIn profile, chose a clear photo with a good background. Additionally, make sure that you look confident and smile.
2. Add Value Proposition to Your Headline
There's more to including your headline on your LinkedIn profile. You need to add a value proposition to make you stand out.
You need to ensure that your headline includes how you are going to improve the life of your prospective buyer.
For example, The CCO of HappyPoints shows his expertise in eCommerce and Shopify on his LinkedIn profile.
Vince's profile headline is “We create and make online stores better, easier to use, and more profitable”.
3. Include Your Contact Information
This is basic, but a reminder is always welcome. Most SaaS employees don't include their contact information on their LinkedIn profiles. And this makes it hard for potential customers to reach you. Therefore, make sure that your profile includes either an email address or a phone contact.
4. Sprinkle Keywords in Your Summary
Photo by Diane Alkier
SEO is the future of digital marketing. Honestly, every SaaSs business wants to come top of the search results. And search results don't only mean on Google. LinkedIn has its search algorithm, as well.
So how do you make sure that you appear on top of the searches made on LinkedIn?
You do it by sprinkling keywords into your summary. Now, a ton of people get obsessed with the inclusion of keywords and end up messing the whole thing up.
Make sure that you are naturally placing relevant keywords for your industry in your summary. Remember not to keyword stuff because that's going to ruin your profile and make it feel regurgitated.
For example, if you are a SaaSs business, you'd want to add a few keywords like SaaSs, SaaSs business, SaaSs company, among others.
5. Include Your Experiences
You also need to prove that you are an expert by including your experiences, though you shouldn’t overdo it. Instead, make sure that you are keeping your potential clients in mind. Remember, it must not always be about you when you are leveraging social selling.
You’d want to list down some of your job duties and your experiences. This will create some proof that you are an expert in the industry. It would also help to mention the number of years you have been in the industry and include some of the people you have served.
6. List Your Honors and Awards
Listing down honours and awards will add you more credibility.
If another reputable company recommends you or you have won an award, it’s better to include it in your LinkedIn profile.
Photo by Giorgio Trovato
7. Share Content Related to Your Industry
If you are already blogging and have been published in a few publications, you can add those on your LinkedIn publication section.
Also, you can consistently share content on your LinkedIn profile. Make sure that you have a content plan to help you stay in touch with your target audience.
Regularly creating content will enable you to understand your customers better. Customers can react to the content you create, and this can help you make improvements.
HappyPoints shares tips & tricks with Shopify store on their Linkedin profile
For example, HappyPoints is a Shopify development company, so they share stuff/news related to Shopify and eCommerce.
8. Add Your Qualifications
You have added your education certifications, but that’s not enough. You need to include online certifications you have achieved, as well.
And adding your qualifications on LinkedIn doesn’t have to be a hassle. You can follow these simple steps below:
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From the “Name” field, add the name, of course, you have completed.
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In the “Issuing Organization,” make sure you have included the organization issuing your certification.
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Once that is done, make sure to check the “This Credential Does Not Expire” box. You may also want to include the date when you took the course.
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In the “Credential URL,” include the URL of your course.
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The final step is to save.
9. Don’t forget to include references/promotions
The last LinkedIn profile hack is to include your work/ job promotion history. Have you worked with a company and have you been promoted to senior roles?
This information is vital to potential customers because they can relate your personal success to the services or items you will be selling.
Additionally, it acts as social proof. Customers will believe that you are knowledgeable and they can trust you. So include any references or work promotions you have had in the past.
Wrap Up: Start Social Selling
Social selling is proven, and the sooner you start leveraging it as a SaaS business, the better. Whether you are beginning or you are an established Saas business, nothing should hold you back from social selling.
Leverage the power of social selling and attract more leads. We hope our instruction helps you a lot.
