Social Selling is the art of identifying, reaching, and engaging with new prospects on LinkedIn to build genuine relationships. It’s not a quick win but done properly, it’s one of the most powerful additions to your sales strategy.
The key thing to understand: the relationship is built on social – the sale happens offline. It’s also not Social Marketing – Social Selling is about one-on-one connections, and it’s not just for salespeople. Anyone with direct client relationships can benefit.
There are four steps to getting it right:
Position
Your LinkedIn profile is your shop window. Optimise it for your buyers, show expertise and passion, not corporate jargon. Avoid being salesy or sounding like a robot. Use a professional photo and smile!
Identify
Map decision-makers at target companies using LinkedIn’s search, mutual connections, and the “Similar Pages” feature. The average user has 900+ connections – warm leads are closer than you think.
Relate
Post original, insightful content that shows you understand your prospects’ world. Educate, don’t pitch. “Why,” “what,” and “how to” posts perform particularly well. Timing matters too – 8–10am on weekdays is often the sweet spot.
Engage
Build rapport before you even think about selling. Comment meaningfully, tag contacts in useful content, and give more than you get. Once trust is established, take it offline and into your pipeline.
Once you’ve got the four steps down, the LinkedIn algorithm becomes your amplifier -post consistently (2–5 times a week), respond to comments early, and aim for 80% value-driven content. Not many people are doing Social Selling properly yet. That’s an opportunity worth taking.
The Boundary Marketing guide to Social Selling
Is Social Selling part of your sales strategy? Download our guide now to learn more.
