A few days ago, Tricycle hosted the event Virtual Coffee with a Coach, where our attendees can have a ‘virtual coffee break’ and ask any question related to thought leadership, social selling, and personal branding to one of our coaches. This time, our Business Consultant Laura Lucchese was asked: “Do you have any tips to increase my SSI number? I’m not sure where to start.”
Social selling is becoming a must-have skill for any salesperson or businessperson looking to stay ahead in an ever-changing digital landscape. The Social Selling Index (SSI) is a LinkedIn metric that analyzes your actions and activities on the platform to assess if you are using it right, giving you a score in four different pillars: establishing your professional brand, finding the right people, engaging with insights, and building relationships. You can check your own score here.
Here are four quick tips shared by Laura that will help you get started on increasing your SSI score:
Complete your profile
Before you start trying to sell to people through your network, you have to make sure that your own profile is up to scratch. By completing your LinkedIn profile to the best of your ability, you can show that you’re a serious and reliable businessperson. There are a few key areas in which many people fall short when creating their profile. Firstly, you should make sure your photo is up-to-date and representative of who you are. Remember to have a well-crafted headline, this follows you everywhere you go on LinkedIn and gives a first impression about you. Do not skip the About section, this is an opportunity to introduce yourself, highlight your biggest achievements and give readers a taste of your personality.
Add a note to your connection requests
Before you connect with someone and begin adding them to your network, it’s a good idea to add a note to the connection request. This means that your invitation doesn’t just come out of the blue and leaves you both with more to talk about. A connection request with a short note lets the person you’re connecting with know why you want to add them to your network. This could be because you have a similar job or you have a shared interest, just to mention a few examples. Whatever you choose to write in your connection request, it should be short and to the point. Make sure you are reaching out to the people that are already interested in you or in your content.
Engage with posts
Don’t just scroll through your newsfeed, but actively engage with your network by liking or commenting on their posts and showing them support. This lets your connections know that you’re around and interested in what they’re doing. It also gives you the opportunity to build better and stronger relationships with your connections. This could lead to more helpful connections and more opportunities to grow and expand your network. You will also be fostering the engagement back on your own content.
Grow your network
Connecting with the right people on LinkedIn is one of the most important ways to create meaningful professional relationships, build your personal brand, and generate more business opportunities. When you add someone, reach out to them sending a customized message and letting them know that you’ve added them to your network. This will give you the chance to start a new conversation. Don’t forget to connect with people before or after any meeting and make this a habit.
Final Thoughts
Social selling is all about building relationships with your customers and potential clients before you even meet them face to face. The more time you spend engaging with your network, the easier it will be to start a conversation with them. Increase your social selling skills by following these tips. From improving your LinkedIn profile to engaging with your network, there are plenty of ways to increase your SSI.
To learn more about this and many other frequently asked questions, watch the full recording of our Virtual Coffee with a Coach (January 2022 Edition) event here. We talked about SSI, profile tips, sharing content and so much more! If you want us to help you answer your questions and get the results you want to achieve on social, register for our next edition!
