Does LinkedIn feature as a tool for social selling in your marketing strategy?
As education marketers, we’re constantly seeking new ways to find leads and engage with our target audience. While social media platforms offer many options for brand building, LinkedIn really is a powerhouse for professional networking and lead generation. But despite it being considered the number one social media platform for content marketing amongst 96% of B2B companies, many of the businesses we speak to are not using it to its full potential. Are you?
What is social selling?
According to Hubspot: ‘Social selling is the process of researching, connecting, and interacting with prospects and customers on social media networks’. Think about it as modern-day relationship building. Social selling can be a valuable way to engage with your prospects and understand their needs.
In this blog post, we’ll explore how to use LinkedIn as part of your social selling strategy, to build brand awareness and encourage a pipeline of leads without spending even £1 (so we won’t be covering Sales Navigator or Paid Advertising here but watch out for a post on this soon).
Building a LinkedIn social selling strategy
1. Be clear on the ‘why’ and the ‘how’
Sounds obvious, but it’s tempting to go headfirst into a new channel without really thinking about whether it’s even right for your brand (cue the ‘should we or shouldn’t we’ TikTok debate – yes, we’ve had it too!).
As Brian Hardie from The Marketing Centre says in his article ‘Is LinkedIn right for my business?’: “If a business relies on recurring revenue and considers lifetime value as a crucial measure, LinkedIn can serve as a vital platform for fostering engagement, starting from first contact to fostering loyalty among customers.”
Then there’s the question of whether your content resonates with your target audience? Are they even on there? How does this channel align with your wider business plan?
When it comes to your target audience, they are likely to be teachers or senior leaders. Data showing their use of social media and preferred platforms for professional use (i.e. while in school) is not that easy to come by, but thanks to The Edge Foundation’s recent report on The Social Media Habits of Teachers we have some extensive research available. Their report shows that while LinkedIn is one of the lower used channels (Twitter wins hands-down), it’s a healthy place for Headteachers (who are likely to be decision- makers) and they use it to keep up-to-date with news and trends.
Ultimately, being able to answer the ‘why’ and ‘how’ before you even start posting is essential when building a channel.
2. Create an engaging Content Strategy
You know that LinkedIn is right for your audience, but how can you use it for social selling?
According to Hubspot, audiences exposed to brand messages on LinkedIn are 6x more likely to convert. LinkedIn itself reports, 75% of B2B buyers use social media to make buying decisions, so it’s important to develop a thoughtful content strategy that resonates with your audience.
While this isn’t ‘social’ media like Facebook or Twitter, creativity still applies. The context must be considered closely. Always match your marketing campaign to your audience.
We’d suggest mapping out three to four content pillars based around business themes (customer needs or product launches for example). From here, select a combination of content types to bring these to life such as:
- Infographics
- Case studies/success stories
- Top tips
- Short ‘how to’ videos
- Promotions
- Interactive content such as mini games, polls and Q&As.
As the Social Media Habits of Teachers report shows, most teachers use social media while in work to find resources. So, if you can create a free resource aligned with your product offering, then it’s likely to lead to engagement from your target market.
While LinkedIn is seen as a professional, business focused platform, it doesn’t hurt to inject some personality into your channel. After all, people buy from people! This could take the form of behind-the-scenes work such as conferences, away days and charity efforts, or spotlight on the people that make your business who it is today.
The team at Class For Kids live and breathe this and it works well for them. Alongside user-centric content, each week they have an exclusive video-based newsletter on all the things they’ve been involved with – exclusively for LinkedIn followers. This works brilliantly, as their consistent content not only informs, but builds brand trust with their audience.
An example of Class for Kids’ LinkedIn post.
A strong content strategy takes time, consistency is king. Keep posting regularly and LinkedIn will reward your efforts. Users who post on LinkedIn at least once a week get 4x the number of clicks per share than those who post infrequently. But limit it to no more than two posts per day, or your overall engagement will tank. While it’s not an exact science, Hootsuite’s latest figures suggest the best overall time to post on LinkedIn is 9:00 AM on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and avoid weekends.
3. Make your Company Page work harder
A strong LinkedIn Company Page acts as your shop window for potential buyers. It provides you with a space for valuable brand building real estate. But when was the last time you gave it some love?
You want to be aiming for a compelling and visually appealing page that reflects your brand identity and makes your purpose clear. Ensure that your page is up-to-date with relevant information, use captivating and on-brand imagery and concise yet impactful descriptions. Showcase your organisation’s unique selling points and achievements to capture the attention of potential leads.
Kahoot demonstrate this very well with their clear proposition: ‘Our platform makes e-learning, presentations and training engaging’, branded posts and proof points to cement their experience: ‘Trusted by 97% of Fortune 500 companies‘ and ‘Used in over 200 countries’. A well-considered page is also very SEO friendly.
Kahoot’s LinkedIn Company Page Header Image.
4. Leveraging Employee Advocacy
Your employees can be powerful advocates for your brand on LinkedIn. Often their profiles are overlooked in favour of promoting the company page, which is a missed opportunity. Encourage key staff (especially leaders) to have a strong professional profile outlining their skills. As part of your plan, ask them to share your content, engage with your posts, and actively promote your offer.
For leaders, encourage them to post more regularly and contribute to thought leadership or topical pieces. In my role as MD at Ambleglow, I am uniquely placed to post on my first-hand experiences from my years in education marketing and as a leader. I recently posted about the ‘then and now’ of moving to a fully remote working solution, all from a post in my network about a large corporations asking their employees to come back into the office. Not linked to what we sell, but the post highlights the reality of running a business and a team, which many can relate to. Interestingly, this got quite a lot more engagement than posts solely linked to Ambleglow. Again, it goes back to people buying from people.
A recent LinkedIn post of mine.
5. Invest just 10 minutes per day into networking and relationship building
LinkedIn is constantly changing – new people start, and others move on. But by investing just 10 minutes a day into the platform, it can open a whole world of new possibilities. I’ve built some fantastic contacts (who could be a potential customers) through personalised connection requests and engaging in meaningful conversations to build relationships – some I haven’t even had the pleasure of meeting IRL yet! I’ve also learned so much more about my industry.
Dare I admit, I’ve also pruned connections from old roles or who are no longer relevant to my current role. The reality is that your feed becomes hugely relevant with people, topics and news specific to your industry. This in turn makes meaningful contributions a whole lot easier to manage.
By nurturing these connections, you also increase the chances of converting them into leads and potentially forging strategic partnerships. But that doesn’t mean I spam them at every opportunity. As marketers, we know that people will only buy when they are ready. Instead, I keep it authentic and tend to comment on their achievements or send them an article or resource that is relevant. Adding value wins out every time – it creates trust, brand recognition and brings you front of mind when they are ready to buy.
While there’s no hard and fast formula to directly measure social selling against deals closed, these 5 tips will elevate your brand on LinkedIn. Plus, they’ll give you an advantage over competitors who are lagging behind. We’ve developed several LinkedIn strategies with proven results for businesses marketing their products to schools. So if you need help with either getting started or raising your game, then book a free discovery call.
