5 Mind Blowing LinkedIn Social Selling Stats

LinkedIn has morphed in the same way email marketing has over the years. Remember sending sales emails back in 2012? The open rate was much higher, decision makers responded more often and you could really warm up a conversation. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe email for sales is dead, but it’s simply not what it used to be. LinkedIn selling is similar as it used to be a place to reach out to your decision makers while other reps slept on the platform. Now, automation has turned your prospects InMail tab into a big spam folder.

With that said,?LinkedIn outreach is still powerful?and the numbers still support that statement. If your reps are targeted and creative, it can produce some huge returns. Here are some mind-blowing stats that show just how effective LinkedIn can be for social selling:

IDC found that 75% of B2B buyers and 84% of C-level executives consult social media before making purchasing decisions.

This is the most mind blowing stat: 3/4 of your targets are taking to social media to get an understanding of what they are buying. This can mean a number of things to you but my gut tells me that prospects go to social media to gain some insight into the likelihood of success in going with your product or service. LinkedIn provides an opportunity for reps to show themselves as experts, display wins with clients facing similar problems and overall win the?trust?of your prospects. This is why I’m such a huge believer in content. Even if the content isn’t incredible from a visual or entertainment perspective, showing your prospects that you’re truly in the game matters.

Sales reps who were introduced by a mutual connection left a favorable impression with 87% of buyers surveyed by LinkedIn.

This is a sales hack that I’ve seen on the other side: as a buyer. There have been a few times where sales reps have asked mutual connections or someone that has left a LinkedIn endorsement on my profile to make a connection. At that point, I feel like it’s almost rude to not respond (until I started seeing the trend often). Even knowing it’s a tactic, it’s hard to not like someone that goes the extra mile to create relationships.

92% of B2B customers are willing to engage with sales reps who have positioned themselves as an industry thought leader.

This is a little more of the same from our first point above but it’s such an important addition. The signal that you send by posting content in the space lets prospects know you are constantly thinking about this problem and not simply trying to sell. If you’re not sure what to post about, try sharing industry news, your thoughts on current trends, or even helpful tips for using your product or service. I’ve seen plenty of people stay active on LinkedIn by reposting a blog from another site and adding their $0.02 in 2-3 sentences above.

41% of B2B buyers view 3-5 pieces of content online before interacting with a salesperson.

This means that you need to make sure that your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date and includes links to any relevant blog posts or articles you’ve written. You should also consider investing in sponsored content so that your target audience sees your message loud and clear.

Finally, sales reps who responded quickly to social media inquiries saw a 9.5% increase in annual revenue.

This stat just goes to show that timing is everything when it comes to sales – so make sure you’re monitoring your LinkedIn notifications closely!

As you can see, LinkedIn is a powerful tool for social selling. If you’re not already using it to connect with potential buyers, now is the time to start. And if you are using it, these stats should give you the motivation to step up your game!