LinkedIn in sales but not only: The value of the network lies beyond the network.

We live in a time where sales organizations are subject to significant and constant change. Especially in times of a global pandemic, personal sales conversations are limited, and therefore the trend is increasingly emerging that consumers prefer virtual sales and start their information and decision-making process primarily on the internet. This is also supported by statistics: 60% of buyers use all kinds of internet sources to inform themselves about possible solutions to current issues. Discussions on social networks play a crucial role in this. Especially in the B2B sector, purchasing decisions are mainly made on social networks, specifically on LinkedIn. 75% of B2B buyers and 84% of executives consult social media before making purchasing decisions. In B2B purchasing decisions, 50% of buyers turn to LinkedIn. Therefore, it is crucial for sales to engage potential customers with relevant and useful information on LinkedIn during these phases of consumer information and decision-making processes, in order to generate leads. However, generating leads online is often complex, expensive, and time-consuming. Digital Selling offers several ways to identify potential customers and convert them into leads. This process is usually associated with a lot of knowledge transfer and requires the right platforms. LinkedIn, as the largest and most popular business network worldwide, offers companies a cost-effective, fast, and easy way to identify potential customers and prospects, connect with them, build relationships, and ultimately boost their revenue. And in combination with the paid Sales Navigator, lead generation on LinkedIn can be taken to the next level to quickly and easily identify and address qualified leads. LinkedIn is a social media platform, acquired by Microsoft in 2016, specifically designed for the business sector. Started in 2003, the former career network LinkedIn celebrates its 18th birthday and enjoys national and international recognition. The number of users is steadily increasing, and the trend is clear in the DACH region with almost 17 million users: Networking, Social Selling, and Social Recruiting take place daily and online thanks to LinkedIn. Despite the high potential for success of the social media network, there are still numerous mistakes, especially in behavior, but there are also opportunities that can be leveraged. ### How to Better Utilize LinkedIn In a business context, networking is key. Therefore, it is highly relevant to connect on LinkedIn with business partners, acquaintances, and perhaps even new potential customers and partners. But should you accept every person to quickly grow your network? Or just send out random connection requests? Definitely no. Because only a genuine, organically grown network leads to real interaction and conversations. First, a connection request on LinkedIn is required for this, and many things can go wrong with it. The first mistake many make when networking: not attaching a message to the connection request - would you sit down at a table with someone uninvited? Probably not. But that's exactly what happens when you send "empty" connection requests. Then the content. The second major mistake: we post too little, and when we do, it's often personal or sounds like a copy-paste. Always ask yourself here: Can I establish a relevant connection? The motto in Digital and Social Selling is not to sell. It's about building relationships, and that takes time and above all, **respect and consistency**. What about followers on company pages? These are consciously called followers and not contacts, and far too often, the prevailing thought is that many contacts or followers mean a lot of reach. Unfortunately, this assumption is wrong. While you can invite up to 100 people per month to follow your company page, is the content really interesting enough for them? Knowing that only 4% of people create content on LinkedIn, we must also realize that often only 2 - 3% of people on LinkedIn interact. Still too few, and therefore a significant opportunity. **Therefore:** Actively manage and utilize your company page, and involve your employees. The keyword: **Corporate Influencers**. ### LinkedIn and Corporate Influencers LinkedIn is increasingly taking on characteristics of Instagram and Facebook. For some profiles on the business network, it's hard to tell that the platform is intended for business purposes. Instead of using professional portrait photos, more and more people are using selfies, group photos, or personal photo shoots as profile pictures on the social network. But that's not the point: it's about spreading professional content and involving your employees more. Corporate influencers are created when you utilize the people in your company for content creation and distribution. Why? Social interactions are also essential on LinkedIn. As mentioned earlier, writing and commenting on posts are also crucial to boost your network. However, as a company, let's not overdo it and instead motivate our employees. Every interaction indirectly helps. Because only through this can someone see these posts: **Interaction leads to visibility, visibility to dialogue, dialogue to relationship, relationship to business**. More and more people are misusing LinkedIn as a marketing tool or posting every little detail. LinkedIn is simply not designed for that. It is a network for exchanging professional questions and opinions. However, it is by no means a network for marketing your own business, let alone yourself. So let's not focus on personal branding but professional branding. And LinkedIn continues to evolve: There is a blog function, called Articles for companies and individuals (where you can write lengthy texts including links and videos), and for those who can't get enough: you can broadcast, as there is already LIVE on LinkedIn and soon there will be an Audio-only Clubhouse variant. The LinkedIn Marketplace is coming soon, and Stories have been available for a year. LinkedIn is constantly evolving. Are you informed?