In order for you to achieve LinkedIn success, and success with other online prospecting, you need to have two things.
- A methodology to deploy.
- Consistency.
Humans are creatures of habit. We look for “systems” that will work for us and once we find that system, we stick to it. Even when we encounter pain with this system, we find it difficult to break the habit. We stick with it, despite the suffering it can cause.
The key to LinkedIn success
Business owners often buy fancy and expensive technology thinking that will solve their problem. But quickly realise it is the DISCIPLINE around using technology rather than the technology itself that is the issue.
The key to LinkedIn success is creating a systematic approach and consistently implementing it. Once you get into the habit of doing that and you start to see results, you will do more of it, until you get too busy. But that’s a nice problem to have, right?
The three activities that you should be doing regularly on LinkedIn
- Share great content that helps your prospects and your customers. There are options on where you share it: in a group or on your news feed.
- Keep an eye on your network. On LinkedIn you are able to create searches and alerts to let you know when anything changes at the companies you are following. Did you know that when executives are new in post, they are 10x more likely to make a buying decision? They are in the process of shaking things up, trying to prove themselves and forge new vending relationships. You can create an alert for when people are new in posts.
- You need to know your ideal prospects job title. Once you know who they are you should be connecting with these people. Do check if they are active on LinkedIn. If they don’t have a profile photo or any content, it’s unlikely they will be engaged enough to respond to your messages. Don’t waste your time.
If they seem like a good fit and you are ready to connect with them, don’t use the standard LinkedIn message. Be careful if you’re connecting from your mobile. It won’t always give you the option to personalise your message. What should you say? Use a simple, friendly message explaining why you want to connect with them and why. Here is an example:
“Dear John,
I notice we share a number of groups and common interests. I’m looking to build my network with like-minded people. I share a lot of valuable content that you might find useful. I wonder if you would be open to connecting on LinkedIn?
Kind regards,
Michelle“
Here I ask permission and give a reason for connecting. I’ve also pre-empted that I’ll be sharing more content they may find useful in the future.
These are just three tactics you can use to increase your LinkedIn success and other online prospecting.
You can read more about this on our Social Selling blog.
For more information about the inbound marketing process, read about our COG™ System.
