What qualifies me to say this?

In 2019, I was a cash-poor, time-rich employee at a digital marketing company. Despite my best efforts and a ton of amazing memories, said company never really understood the need to market the business, which was a tad concerning for a company that claimed to expertly market others. 

So, armed with a bag full of frustration, and a lifetime of bad managers for material, I took to LinkedIn as a complete rookie. With a Gary V YouTube video for inspiration, a dodgy phone tripod and even worse lighting making up my equipment bag…

I started creating some videos. 

I wasn’t selling a product or service. In fact, until a while later I didn’t think I was selling anything at all. Then it hit me like a double points email from Lego the day before payday…

I was selling myself! 

People were following my content because it made them laugh and think. It was relatable and human. It was unlike the usual drivel they were used to on LinkedIn in 2019. Over time, people got to know me, my story, my likes and dislikes. After a while, and with the content habit well and truly built, this created something vital for any social media sales strategy…

Trust.

Selling on Social Media

To be able to drive sales on LinkedIn for free, you first have to realise that LinkedIn isn’t primarily a sales tool. Sure, people try to use it as one with their 78 copy-and-paste cold DMs a day to unsuspecting business leaders who have no need or desire for their services…

But the truth is, it’s an awareness tool, that when used well, turns into a very powerful sales driver. 

Social selling is a much more delicate approach to sales than you might have previously been used to. Comparing it to a traditional, hard-hitting sales process of throwing shit at the wall and smelling what sticks, is like asking a hammer to do the job of a whisk when baking a cake…

It’s going to go badly.

No matter what your product is, the audience you are trying to attract must first feel a connection with it. For that to happen, they must initially connect with the person behind the product through relatable, interesting content that sparks conversation. 

Creating Content that Connects with People

To drive sales on LinkedIn for free, you must know how to emotionally connect with your target audience. A common line I hear all the time with new clients is this:

“I’m not interesting enough to share my story on social media.”

Firstly, your opinion in this situation is irrelevant. It is not your job to determine whether you are interesting. You live with yourself every day so of course you are sick of the sight and sound of you. But your audience has never heard those stories you are sick of telling. They’ve never experienced the adventures you’ve so flippantly forgotten and dismissed. These people are crying out for someone to speak their language and remind them of what can be achieved. 

That person can be you. 

Dive into the memory banks and pull out all the lessons you’ve learnt in life and business. There will be an almost limitless supply if you really put your mind to it. Now break those lessons down into topics for content and see if you can link them to the product or service you sell. This isn’t so you can ram it down people’s thoughts every day, but so that over time, you can master the art of reminding people what you do, without them even knowing you’re selling to them. 

Each one of these stories will educate, inspire and encourage a select group of people. Folk that are yet to work up the courage to bring their own voice to LinkedIn, but are oh so happy to follow a down-to-earth, relatable storyteller such as yourself. These peeps are your brand advocates. They will drive your content forward now and for eternity. 

How do I Generate Sales?

Now, this is where you might expect me to start launching into a full-on sales pitch on the benefits of LinkedIn DMs. But to be able to drive sales on LinkedIn for free, there is so much more to it than slinging a poorly worded sales pitch into as many inboxes as possible with the only criteria being that the recipient needs a pulse. 

Everything we’ve spoken about to this point if executed in the right way, WILL over time drive inbound enquiries and if you have an effective conversion strategy… Sales. 

But, just in case I’ve given you the impression that DMs are the devil, I want to correct that now and tell you how you utilise this incredibly important LinkedIn tool. Because when used correctly, it can accelerate growth dramatically.

With the help of LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and an effective content and engagement strategy, a carefully constructed direct messaging strategy can generate much higher conversion rates than a cold, spray-and-pray approach used by almost everyone on LinkedIn today. Identifying the correct people to target, engaging on their content (if they create any) and then slowly nurturing the connection over time in the DMs can and will lead to sales. I know because it’s worked for us countless times.

As I said earlier in this article, LinkedIn is not a direct sales tool. It’s not like an email marketing list or a paid ad platform. But if used in the right way, and patience is deployed, it can and will be your most powerful sales ally in the growth of your business.