Don't be an 'influencer'!

How to post on LinkedIn without becoming an 'influencer'

Many salespeople I talk to are suspicious of using social media

They are worried about the whole 'influencer' thing

Thinking they have to sell their soul for attention and likes

But it's not like this

Far from it

On with the orange hat to explain why

🟠 Orange Hat Thinking 🟠

Using social media is a great opportunity to

- Build credibility

- Advance buying process

So what should you post?

If you a B2B salesperson let's assume you want to do something that will help you sell

You can work around a strategy of of posting stuff to

- Engage
- Educate
- Entice

Each post type has a different goal

🔶 Engage:

The objective of this post is to start a conversation and build relationships

Examples of engaging posts include asking questions, sharing personal stories or starting a poll to gather opinions

I talk about life in general, rugby... and cats

- What are you interested in?

🔶 Educate:

The objective of this post is to provide valuable information and position yourself as someone who knows their stuff

Examples of educational posts include sharing industry insights, how-to guides or providing useful information to help a customer's thinking

I talk about Collaborative Selling, 'Selling and C-Level' and Ethical Selling

- What can you help people with?

🔶 Entice:

The objective this post is to capture attention and encourage people to take action

Examples of enticing posts include sharing promotions, highlighting new products or services or offering exclusive opportunities to your connections

I promote free webinars, my monthly newsletter, podcasts and the 'Product or Problem Quiz'

- What do you want people to do?

Those are the basics and can be mixed up a little (eg this educational post comes with an engage style selfie)

Want an even simpler way to go about it?

Recording a video on your phone and posting that will set you apart

It''s different to what others are doing.. if they are doing anything

Give a short answer to a question you've heard from a customer the week before (60 seconds)

Just doing this every week gives 50 pieces of content that are useful to all potential customers in a similar position working through a problem

By using video you are allowing people to 'meet' you early on

You are now on their radar as someone worth talking to

If you know some connections who would be interested in what you've been talking send them the post as a DM

Posting can feel quite daunting but it gets easier and becomes a habit

All part of the process to stand out as the go-to-person in your field

A modern way of enhancing your reputation