LinkedIn sits in an interesting intersection of a social media platform and a professional employment tool. But can it be more? In the enVisioning Success podcast episode, How to Leverage Linkedin to Sell, co-hosts Laura and Julia talk about what content creators on LinkedIn need to do to succeed. Today, in this blog, we’re going to look at leveraging LinkedIn as a sales tool and how marketing is a key component if you want good lead generation.
Is LinkedIn Better at Sales or Marketing?
This is somewhat of a trick question, as marketing is a part of your sales pipeline. It’s important to remember that LinkedIn is social media, and while it has its niche, there are primary and secondary uses for each platform. Facebook has its marketplace, Instagram has its shop, and LinkedIn has Sales Navigator. But you’re not here to spend money and can’t sell products directly on this platform, so what you’re really doing on this platform is promoting your personal brand.
LinkedIn as Personal Branding
As we talked about in the last podcast blog, LinkedIn can be both business and personal branding, but it’s important to make that distinction. On LinkedIn, in particular, personal branding can help you better start dialogues and establish yourself with thought leadership-style posts. You need to:
- Polish Your Branding: If you want to post regularly on LinkedIn, make sure your personal and related business profiles are polished and updated. Modernizing your brand is more than just visuals.
- Post Consistently: You should be posting multiple times a week, with thoughtful posts that touch on topics relevant to your industry and in the news. Keeping consistent quality is key.
- Keep Your Clients in Mind: Spend some time thinking about your client and build Ideal Client Profiles and Customer Avatars. Make sure to address their needs and concerns in your posting.
Turning Marketing into Sales
So, how does personal posting lead to better marketing and more sales? First, are you personally in your company in sales, marketing, or both? If you’re one or the other, make sure you’re coordinating your efforts to get the best leads possible. This includes ensuring you have the right marketing, calls to action, and lead forms to pre-qualify leads, meaning less work during follow-up. This can include more than just a brand polish: you might need to update your website and content.
If that’s the case, it might be time for outside help, both to train you up on social media and get you the new website that can help line up leads and provide you with a better sales pipeline.
About the enVisioning Success Podcast
This article is based on topics discussed in enVisioning Success, our weekly podcast hosted by Vision Advertising CEO Laura DiBenedetto and COO Julia Becker Collins. In it, they discuss all things business and marketing, from lead generation to leadership. Find us on PodBean to download from your platform of choice, or subscribe to our mailing list to get new episodes and other news delivered directly to your inbox. Interested in working with Vision Advertising? Learn more about our services and contact us today.
