Studies show that sales reps with high social network activity achieve 45% more sales opportunities, and are 51% more likely to hit their sales quotas.
Those are pretty impressive numbers that would motivate any sales professional to optimize his social selling capabilities. But before you go sending out invitations to connect on these social media platforms, make sure that your profile is suited for professional networking and selling.
Here are 13 tips to creating strong social selling profiles:
1. Write a grabbing headline
For all your professional social selling profiles, sell yourself with a grabbing headline. On LinkedIn, for example, you can use the your current job title and company. You can also get creative and very specific. We suggest the latter. Write a concise headline that explains what you do. Don’t just write “sales professional.” Explain the value of your work: “I help B2B companies streamline their operations through automation.” Think of it as your very own professional value proposition.
2. Upload an attractive but professional photo
Try to avoid a photo that looks like it came straight out of your ID. Keep it professional-looking but try to inject some personality and energy. This will make the photo eye-catching.
Invest in your profile photo and consider having a professional take it. Make sure it’s recent. Smile and try to look amiable yet, again, professional but not stiff. The background doesn’t have to be plain but don’t make it too busy too.
3. Personalize your URL
Try to have the same URL in all your social selling platforms. So it’s www.facebook.com/yourname or www.linkedin.com/in/yourname so you can be easily searched.
In your contact info, you can add your company website or blog or even a link to a special company promo you have—it’s instant marketing for your product or service. This is something you can edit as often as you want so don’t feel tied down to the same contact details.
4. Create an engaging bio / summary / about
Think of your summary as your personal elevator pitch. It has to be short and sweet but value-driven.
We recommend you write in the first person. (Think about it: This is like you talking, and isn’t it weird if a person talks about himself in the third person?) Keep it short; we would say 5-7 sentences, 10 sentences tops. Talk about what you do, what you’ve done, how you’ve helped and continued helping clients. Talk about why you’re passionate about what you do and add a call-to-action in the end.
5. Be specific about experiences
On LinkedIn, there’s the Experiences part which is basically structured like a CV. This is standard for most but you can be more specific about what you did in each position and company. Adding one or two bullet points on how you contributed to each company and its clients will do.
6. Zone in on key skills
Also on LinkedIn, people try to list as many skills as possible. We think it’s more efficient (and believable) to limit your skills to 3-5. Provided you really are highly skilled and have vast experience in multiple industries, it’s still best to zone in on key and current skills.
To add credibility, don’t be shy to ask previous and current employers, colleagues, and/or clients to endorse you for these key skills.
7. Ask for recommendations
Take it a notch higher and ask select previous and current employers, colleagues, and/or clients for recommendations. We say “select” because recommendations will require more time and effort.
Reciprocate the gesture for other people and endorse skills and make recommendations too.
8. Inject keywords
Another way to push for your “discoverability” is by optimizing keywords in your social selling profiles. This is important since social engines these days usually generate social media profiles in the top results.
What are your keywords? They’re the words that would best describe what you do and your product/service. Or these could be the words your target market would normally search for. (Try Google Keyword Planner to check.) Then use these keywords in your headline, summary/bio, and skills.
But make sure to use these keywords thoughtfully. Don’t try to stuff them into sentences if it doesn’t make sense to do so.
9. Join and participate in groups
One way to network successfully is to join these business groups and/or pages online. By joining, you expand your contacts, learn from others, and also share what you know. You therefore establish your presence in the group and in the industry.
Do not join every group there is. Limit your membership to the ones that really define your work, skills, and interests. This way, it’s also made clear to people who view your profile where you invest your professional time and knowledge.
It’s one thing to join; it’s another to engage. Make sure you participate in the discussions and activities. Make your voice heard. Ask questions, respond to comments, give feedback, provide input, and share relevant content.
10. Optimize your connections
Be proactive about connecting. This is how you build your network. Invite anyone you’ve had any contact with both personally and professionally to connect. Search for people and/or brands/companies that fit your ideal customer profile (ICP) and send out invitations to connect.
11. Curate your feed
This is especially true in Facebook, where anything and everything goes. If your personal Facebook page is the same as your professional one, make sure to curate your feed. How? Set your settings so that you can approve/disapprove a tag or post before it appears in your timeline. Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want all (or some) clients to see. Be very strategic about the content you allow in your feed in all your social selling accounts.
12. Promote yourself
Don’t be shy and promote yourself, your work, and your product/service. Add your social selling accounts to your email signature and business card. Pin the best content (e.g. a band post on a project you worked on, an award you received, etc.) on the top of your page.
13. Don’t be lazy
We’ve placed this last but this doesn’t make it less important. Don’t be lazy when managing your accounts. Pay attention to details! Edit and proofread your content. If writing is not a skill you possess, ask someone to help you out. Update your pages regularly and add some activity to them. People will not view your profile just once. You will have multiple visits and multiple visitors so make sure that your accounts are up-to-date and engaging.
Think of your social selling accounts/profiles as your new age resume. They should reflect your professional skills and continuous growth. Invest time and energy into them and you will, for sure, see some ROI.
Main photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash
