Three Reasons Why Print Sales People Should Use LinkedIn

Do you feel that you are sinking under too much social media activity?

Sometimes it can seem hard to keep up with all the social media tasks that we have to do these days. Before you know it, the list can grow to an endless length.
We have to update our Twitter feeds and our Facebook pages and our LinkedIn status. We have to post on Instagram, upload to Tumblr and pin to Pinterest. Then there’s Google+ and SEO and back to Twitter again.
When everything is finally up to date, the whole thing starts again. And I haven’t even mentioned trying to source the content we need for all this social media activity.
There is a solution to all of this
Part of the issue is that we all have so many social media networks. However, I can easily tell you which network brings me the most business.
It’s LinkedIn.
LinkedIn wins the social media return-on-investment contest by a long, long way. When it comes to forming long-term, strategic business-to-business relationships, there really is no real competition.
Here’s how LinkedIn works for me
LinkedIn is now the biggest driver of traffic to my website. I get thousands of visitors from LinkedIn every month. I find it works far more effectively than search engines.
LinkedIn is also a highly effective prospecting tool. If I need to get in touch with someone, chances are I’ll find them on LinkedIn. I have a far higher success rate in creating dialogue with prospects on LinkedIn rather than cold calling them and trying to get past the gatekeepers they’ve established, such as secretaries and personal assistants.
In fact LinkedIn is now my number one route to new business
I have three sources of business: referrals, partnerships and LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a very effective way for me to find new business. I also find that because of LinkedIn, a lot of people approach me keen to discuss purchasing my services. There’s nothing better than a warm prospects upon first contact!
The other big benefit of LinkedIn is that I find it to be time efficient. I would have to spend much more time on the phone to achieve anything remotely similar to the amount of business that LinkedIn delivers.
So how do you use LinkedIn effectively?
There are three key activities in making connections on LinkedIn.  They are:

1. Creating the right profile
2. Knowing how to find the right people
3. Connecting in the right way

Each of these activities is vital if you are going to create valuable connections.
Over the coming weeks I will be writing an article about each of these activities. You will learn a whole range of important LinkedIn strategies.
Make sure you look out for the forthcoming LinkedIn articles
Remember, LinkedIn is an effective route to print sales. It’s also a way to ensure that you don’t sink under too much Social Media activity.
Editor’s Note: This post is part of a larger series on how to effectively utilize LinkedIn for prospecting and sales:

• Three Reasons Why Print Sales People Should Use LinkedIn
• 3 Rules to Creating A Successful LinkedIn Profile
• How LinkedIn Can Help You Find the Perfect Prospect
• How to Connect Successfully with your Prospect

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Matthew Parker has been buying print for over 20 years. He’s had over 1,400 sales pitches from printers. Now he’s using that experience to help printing companies engage with their customers and sell print more profitably.  Find out more about Matthew on his site. Download his e-book “Ten Common Print Selling Errors And What To Do About Them” for free here.