Understanding LinkedIn Social Selling Index (SSI)
LinkedIn Social Selling Index (SSI) is a metric that measures how effective you are at implementing a social selling routine. The score ranges from 0 to 100, and LinkedIn updates it daily. LinkedIn users can view their SSI as long as they have a LinkedIn account.
The concept of social selling revolves around using social networks to find, understand and nurture prospective customers. It’s a modern sales strategy that allows you to create and maintain relationships with potential buyers. In a nutshell, it’s about leveraging your own social networks to find and engage the right prospects, build trusted relationships, and finally, achieve your sales goals.
Components of LinkedIn Social Selling Index (SSI)
The LinkedIn SSI is based upon four main pillars or components. Each of these categories account for 25 points towards your final score. They are:
1. Establish Your Professional Brand: This category assesses how well you have presented yourself professionally. LinkedIn looks at whether you’ve posted meaningful and engaging content, whether you’ve shown your expertise by having a complete profile, and whether you’re posting and sharing relevant updates.
2. Find the Right People: LinkedIn considers whether you’re identifying potential leads using effective search and research tools. It’s crucial to find decision-makers who can make a difference to your business.
3. Engage with Insights: This aspect looks at how much you’re sharing content and providing valuable insights. LinkedIn measures whether you’re sharing posts, articles, or other content that provides value to your viewers. It encourages meaningful conversations that lead to sales opportunities.
4. Build Strong Relationships: Finally, LinkedIn evaluates how well you’re fostering and building relationships. It analyses your network to see if you are connected with the right people, and whether those connections go deeper. Building strong relationships is essential for referral business, lead recommendation, and repeat business.
Constantly working on these four parameters will not only improve your LinkedIn SSI score but also will help in creating an effective social selling strategy leading to a substantial increase in the overall sales efficiency.
Significance of LinkedIn Social Selling Index (SSI)
LinkedIn claims that sales professionals who take social selling seriously are more successful. They claim that those who rank high in their SSI:
– Are 51% more likely to hit quota
– Create 45% more opportunities
– Outsell their peers who do not use social media 78% of the time
While these are powerful stats, it must be noted that having a high SSI score does not guarantee more sales. However, it clearly indicates that you’re taking a modern sales approach that revolves around building relationships and providing value. A low SSI score might imply neglect of opportunities to interact with prospects or customers mixed with a lack of professional brand presence.
Essentially, the more efficient you are at social selling, the higher your SSI score will be. It’s a neat way to benchmark your social selling efforts against those in your industry or network. While it isn’t the end-all-be-all of social selling metrics, LinkedIn’s SSI is certainly a helpful tool for understanding how effective your social selling strategies are. By focusing on the four pillars of the SSI, you can ensure you’re taking full advantage of LinkedIn as a platform for finding, connecting with, and nurturing leads.