linkedin social selling index score

BLOG

12 Hacks To Increase Your LinkedIn SSI Score

Jamie Shanks
Jamie Shanks

While there are opinions around the validity of LinkedIn’s Social Selling Index (SSI) Score, I can definitively say my SSI accurately reflects my progression as a social seller. I am now at the point where I’m growing my network rapidly, connecting with the right people, and creating new opportunities from social on a weekly basis. In fact, since I began my social selling journey at Sales for Life, my LinkedIn SSI Score has gone from 63 all the way to 96!

But why is your LinkedIn SSI score so important in the first place?

What is the LinkedIn Social Selling Index Score?

The LinkedIn Social Selling Index was created as a formula to quantify how well your team has embraced social selling on a scale from 1 to 100. According to LinkedIn, social sellers create 45% more opportunities than peers with a lower SSI, and they are 51% more likely to achieve quota. LinkedIn also states that 78% of social sellers outsell peers who don’t use social media.

The SSI is calculated using the four elements of social selling:

  1. Establish your professional brand: How complete is your LinkedIn profile? Was your profile made with your customer in mind? Are you publishing meaningful posts to become a thought leader in your industry?
  2. Find the right people: Are you using efficient search and research tools, such as the Advanced Search or Lead Builder functions, to identify better prospects in less time?
  3. Engage with insights: Are you creating and growing relationships by sharing content & engaging other people’s posts?
  4. Build relationships: Are you strengthening your network by building relationships with senior leaders & decision makers?

12 Ways To Increase Your LinkedIn SSI Score

1. Fill out your profile to 100% completion.

Make sure to have a summary, a headline, a job title, and experience. Include your job duties & descriptions, projects, certifications, education, volunteer work, skills & endorsements, and other relevant information that can boost your professional brand.

2. Make sure you have a professional-looking profile photograph.

It doesn’t have to be a headshot from a pro photographer—you can take it yourself at home. Here’s what you should avoid in your LinkedIn photo.

3. Curate your content.

All the content in your profile should showcase the value you bring to potential buyers. Remember, LinkedIn is no longer just an online repository for resumes. Everything you publish must speak to your buyers.

To create a picture-perfect LinkedIn Profile, take a look at our Ultimate Cheat Sheet.

4. Search smartly.

If you have the free version of LinkedIn, use keywords and Boolean operators when conducting an Advanced Search on LinkedIn to ensure you get the most accurate results for new prospects.

5. Find the right people.

For LinkedIn Premium users, utilize the different filters available in Advanced Search to easily access senior leaders & decision-makers within an organization. Also, take advantage of Saved Searches for trigger-based selling, so you get weekly or daily updates on new prospects.

6. Use Lead Builder.

The Lead Builder function on LinkedIn Sales Navigator takes the Advanced Search to a whole new level. It allows you to use any filter you want to locate prospects within an organization, and then save those leads in one place under the named account.

7. Engage with insights.

Start engaging by liking & commenting on content that your connections are sharing in your home feed. Do this on a daily basis to share your professional knowledge and prove you’re a subject matter expert.

8. Share company content.

Share your own company content and third-party content with your connections, through InMails, and within your industry-specific groups. Your buyers are searching for answers to their problems, so share key insights to get onto their radars.

9. Publish your own posts.

Publish your own content directly via LinkedIn Publisher. It’s one thing to share content that other people have created, but publishing your own posts is a great way to showcase your expertise to the market.

10. Connect with your prospects.

As Jill Rowley phrases it, “Always Be Connecting!”  This is especially true on LinkedIn. After having a two-way engagement with a prospect, be sure to add them as a connection to your professional network.

11. Grow relationships within your accounts.

Connect with multiple senior leaders and mobilizers within each account you’re going after. Why limit your chances of penetrating a new account by only connecting with one stakeholder?

12. Nurture your connections.

Actively follow their LinkedIn activity, engage the content they share, and make an effort to touch base with them on a weekly or monthly basis. Make an effort to show a genuine interest in your connections, and they’ll respond more warmly towards you.

The Bottom Line

Regardless of how important you perceive LinkedIn’s Social Selling Index Score to be, making efforts to increase it will only translate into more sales opportunities. If you’re practicing any of the above points on a daily basis, you’re well on your way to becoming a better social seller.

Follow Us

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get our latest blogs direct to your inbox

Subscribe

Subscribe to receive more sales insights, analysis, and perspectives from Sales For Life.

The Ultimate Guide to Social Selling