Drive sales with thought leadership.
I often get asked: Can We Use Thought Leadership to Drive B2B-Sales on LinkedIn?
My Answer:
Yes! And no!
Not because it depends. But because you CAN'T if you try too hard to sell, and you WILL if you put the sales-tactics away and focus on real engagement instead.
Here's how you do it (without any selling).
1. Sharing Valuable Content:
Focus on your audience's needs: Create and share content that addresses your target audience's pain points and interests. Offer insightful solutions, industry trends, and educational materials.
2. Quality over quantity:
Prioritize well-researched, informative content over clickbait or overly promotional material.
3. Ditch the clichés:
Avoid generic calls to action. Instead, encourage meaningful engagement and be part of the real conversation. Talk to people like you do in real life. Let them buy. Do not sell.
4. Engaging with the Others:
Be an active participant: Go beyond simply consuming content. Like, comment, and share posts that resonate with you and contribute to relevant conversations.
5. Amplify valuable voices:
Share insightful content from others in your network and contribute to a positive online environment.
6. Building Relationships:
Focus on long-term connections: Nurturing relationships over time is key. Offer helpful advice, engage with your prospects' content, and be responsive to their needs.
7. Become a trusted advisor:
Please say no to people that want to buy things from you when you know that you will not be able to deliver. And please guide them to places that are better instead. A lot of businesses have problems with this. That is why it's such a differentiator.
If you can help people make good decisions, especially when it does not benefit you in any way, then they will come to you for advice. And they will share your advise with others. The visibility you gain will drive sales more than anything else. And this is why you must leave not only the salesy jargon at bay but also all initial focus on selling.
Not trying to sell, but rather to give real and unbiased advice based on what people need (not what you want from them) is the best thing you can do for your sales. If people can trust that you will send them away when they try to give you money if you think they should buy from someone else: then they will trust you when you say that you offer can bring them value.
Remember: Building thought leadership is a marathon, not a sprint. By consistently providing value, engaging authentically, and utilizing the tools available on LinkedIn, you can cultivate trust, attract potential customers, and achieve your sales goals.
My name is Sohrab; I am the founder of Heartspace.AI; we aim to democratize access to PR and thought leadership to bring about a wider, kinder, and wider conversation. I hope this post brought value to you. Thanks for reading it 🙏 .
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