How to scale B2B sales with LinkedIn marketing

By using LinkedIn, companies can increase their B2B sales by 40% or more. Want to learn exactly how to do this? In this article, we'll cover three key strategies to help you attract new customers, build trust, and close big deals on this popular platform. We are in the company Addlium we help businesses increase B2B sales and grow thanks to new strategies for working with the LinkedIn platform.

Why LinkedIn? Because it is an ideal platform for marketing strategies of key customers (account-based marketing). You can communicate with company representatives directly and approach such communication in a personalized way. 

Social Selling: Creating value through communication

Social Selling is a strategy that involves building long-term relationships with customers through LinkedIn. On this platform, it works through the personal profiles of managers, employees and sometimes even customers who act as brand ambassadors.

In other words, Social Selling is an ongoing process in which we use social networking to find and interact with new potential leads.

How exactly to interact?

First of all, it is to provide valuable content, share insights and expertise, then respond to comments, be in communication.

The main task of this strategy is to attract attention, build trust in yourself as an expert or in the company's brand, and then systematically grow the lead from awareness to the stage of forming a need and willingness to start working with you.

At Social Selling, we do not sell directly. Instead, we build thoughtful communication, which in the initial stages often takes the form of educational content. This approach helps potential customers get to know us. If this step is done correctly, the potential customer will usually contact us with a request.

So, this is what a step-by-step action plan for implementing the Social Selling process should look like:

1. Stop all your spam emails
2. Qualitatively study the ICP, delve into the problems of potential Buyer Personas. 
3. Create message threads in which you will not sell, but educate and grow your CA. Publish the most valuable content that will be useful to your potential customers. In my experience, the optimal length of such chains is about 7-8 steps.
4. Automate all possible reach, likes, posts and other activities. 

Business Network: The Power of the Right Connections

Networking on LinkedIn is the key to increasing sales. Meeting key people in your industry can open up new opportunities for partnerships and sales.

According to IDC, 75% of B2B buyers and 84% of C-level executives use social media to make purchasing decisions. Not a bad percentage of decision makers on this platform right? It is important to use these opportunities correctly.

For example, your company will be represented at an international industry exhibition. You actively prepare stands, work out marketing materials, so that you are seen and you are able to establish new business relationships. Before your trip, try to find on LinkedIn the representatives of the companies that will be at the exhibition, choose those with whom it will be interesting to meet, add to your contacts, learn more about these companies and managers. This will help you establish contact even before the trip, and the chances of a successful acquaintance will increase significantly.

Tips for implementing a Business Network:

• Regularly add leads, partners and influencers in your industry to your network. 20 contacts per day will be enough to avoid being blocked
• Participate in thematic groups, publish useful materials there.
• Use the “Recommendation” function to strengthen your expertise in the eyes of customers. Let your clients write you recommendations and you will soon see how it works.

Content Marketing: Engagement through expert content

Content marketing is a key tool for a successful LinkedIn strategy. It helps show your expertise, attract the attention of potential customers and build brand trust. By regularly publishing articles, videos and analytical studies, you create additional value for your audience.

In order for your content to be truly effective and interesting for authors, follow a few important rules:

• Add your own expert opinion, explaining how this affects your industry.
• Cite multiple sources, to confirm the validity of your conclusions.
• Ask open-ended questions, to stimulate discussions with readers.
• Predict the consequences changes in the market to position itself as a thought leader.

When creating content, use the “problem solution result". For example, describe the challenge your customers are facing, offer a step-by-step solution, and demonstrate the results (with specific numbers). Include screenshots or graphs to visualize your ideas, and always include a time frame for the results.

For short publications, the optimal text size is 1300-1700 characters with spaces, and for articles — 2000-2500 characters with spaces. This approach will make your content concise, but informative and attractive to the target audience.

Here are some examples of post ideas:

• Publish articles that meet the needs of your audience. 

For example, you can focus on topics related to the implementation of the latest technologies in your industry, market trends, or recommendations for solving common customer problems. Formats can include analytical reports, product comparisons, expert interviews, or step-by-step instructions. This approach not only informs, but also demonstrates your expertise, creating additional value for your audience.

• Share successful cases to prove your expertise. For example, if your company successfully implemented a project to implement a CRM system for a large client, describe how it affected their business processes: reducing time to complete tasks by 25%, increasing sales efficiency by 15%, etc. Publishing specific results helps to attract the trust of the audience and motivates potential customers to contact you.

LinkedIn is more than just a social network for professionals. It is a powerful platform for the development of B2B sales. With Social Selling, Business Network and Content Marketing strategies, you can significantly expand your customer base, strengthen your brand and achieve your business goals. Remember, success on LinkedIn depends on your consistency, personalization, and ability to provide real value to your audience. Start today — and the results won't make you wait.

And remember: regularity, humanity and expertise are the three keys to success on this platform.

At Addlium, we help businesses grow with LinkedIn. Our experts will develop an individual strategy for you, which will help you stand out from the competition and attract the target audience. Contact us to learn more about how we can help your business.

The author of the article is Dmytro Suslov, CEO of Addlium

Addlium is a marketing company that specializes in building sales processes for foreign markets and offers result-oriented services for B2B companies in various industries around the world. 

Services:

• brand packaging on LinkedIn
• lead generation
• content marketing
• consulting
• staff training