Everything you need to know about the LinkedIn Social Selling Index (SSI)

‍Introduction: SSI the indicator that makes the difference on LinkedIn

The Social Selling Index (SSI) has become a key indicator for BtoB professionals on LinkedIn. But do you really know what it is and how it can help you generate more leads and close more deals?

In this article, we are going to unveil this clue that is still unknown. You will discover how it is calculated, why it is important to have a good score and above all the best practices to boost your SSI.

Whether you are a salesperson, sales manager, or marketer, this article will give you all the keys to becoming a social selling pro and getting the most out of LinkedIn.

Ready to propel your BtoB prospecting into the digital age? Let's go!

What is the LinkedIn Social Selling Index (SSI)?

The Social Selling Index (SSI) is a score out of 100 points that measures your effectiveness in building a professional brand, finding the right prospects, sharing relevant content, and building relationships on LinkedIn.

In a way, it's your “grade” as a social seller. The higher your score, the more you are considered to be an expert in using LinkedIn to prospect and sell.

The SSI was created by LinkedIn in 2014 to help salespeople assess their social selling performance and identify areas for improvement. Since then, it has become an indicator closely followed by many BtoB professionals.

How do you check your Social Selling Index?

To know your SSI score, nothing could be easier:

1. Log in to your LinkedIn account

2. Go to this link https://www.linkedin.com/sales/ssi

3. Find out your score out of 100 and your level in relation to your relationships and your sector of activity

Your SSI is updated daily based on your actions on LinkedIn. So you can track your progress over time.

The 4 pillars of the Social Selling Index

SSI is based on 4 main pillars that are the fundamentals of an effective social selling strategy on LinkedIn. Let's see in detail what they consist of and how to work with them.

1. Establishing your professional brand

The first pillar consists in optimizing your LinkedIn profile to make it a real showcase of your expertise and added value. To do this, you need to:

- Have a professional photo and profile background

- Write a catchy title summarizing what you do

- Complete your summary by highlighting your skills and achievements

- List your experiences and training in detail

- Ask for recommendations from your relationships

The goal is for a prospect who lands on your profile to immediately understand who you are, what you do, and what you could do for them. Your profile should create trust and credibility.

2. Finding the right people

The second pillar of SSI assesses your ability to identify and connect with your ideal prospects. This involves:

- The definition of your target (function, sector, company size...)

- The use of LinkedIn Sales Navigator advanced search filters

- Regular consultation of suggested profiles to contact

- Sending personalized invitations with a relevant message

By focusing your efforts on the right people, you increase your chances of transformation. The quality of your network is more important than its size.

3. Sharing relevant content

The third pillar measures your ability to share content that is interesting and useful for your audience. Your posts, articles, and comments should provide value, generate engagement, and position your expertise.

Some best practices:

- Relay quality content produced by your company or experts

- Create your own content (articles, videos, infographics...)

- Vary topics and formats

- Adapt to the interests and needs of your prospects

- Add your perspective and start discussions

By regularly sharing relevant content, you will remain top-of-mind with your prospects and will be seen as a reference in your field.

4. Develop relationships

Finally, the fourth pillar assesses your ability to interact with your network and build lasting and authentic relationships. The idea is to engage in conversation with your prospects in a natural and regular way, without being forced to sell.

A few tips:

- Like, comment and share the publications of your prospects

- Start discussions on topics that interest them

- Offer your help and advice

- Send personalized messages to check in

- Suggest a call or an appointment when the time is right

By creating strong relationships with your prospects, you will increase your conversion rate because people buy primarily from those they trust.

Why is having a good SSI score important?

Now that you have understood how the Social Selling Index is calculated and what you need to work on to improve it, you may be wondering what the practical purpose of having a good score is. Here are some answers.

Sellers with a good SSI outperform

Numerous studies conducted by LinkedIn have proven the correlation between high SSI and better business performance:

- Sales people with a score greater than 70 have on average 45% more opportunities than others

- Sales representatives in the top 1% of SSI are 2.5 times more likely to reach their goals

- Social selling leaders generate 45% more revenue than laggards

Why such an impact? Because salespeople with a good SSI master the art of using LinkedIn to make themselves known, prospect the right targets, create value and build relationships of trust. Essential skills for successful sales in the digital age.

Testimonial from a salesperson with an excellent SSI

To illustrate the concrete impact of SSI, here is the testimony of Jean, Sales Manager at a software company and a frequent user of LinkedIn.

Its SSI score is 87, which places it in the top 1% of its sector of activity. Here is what he gets out of it on a daily basis:

“Since I started working on my personal branding on LinkedIn and putting social selling techniques into practice, I've seen my sales take off.

My posts allowed me to be recognized as an expert in my field. I am regularly contacted by qualified prospects who have seen my content and want to know more.

Thanks to LinkedIn Sales Navigator, I easily identify my targets and I am able to get in touch with decision-makers. People are more open because I engage in a conversation in a personalized way and by creating an authentic connection.

Today, nearly a third of my sales are initiated or facilitated through LinkedIn. It has become an essential prospecting channel!”

Like Jean, more and more salespeople are testifying to the positive impact of social selling on their sales. With a good SSI score, you send a strong signal about your credibility and your ability to generate leads and sales.

10 practical tips to improve your Social Selling Index

Are you convinced of the importance of having a good SSI but you don't know where to start to improve it? Here are 10 concrete actions to put in place today.

1. Optimize your LinkedIn profile : pro photo, striking title, seller summary, detailed experiences, recommendations... Make your profile a real landing page.

2. Define your ideal target : be specific about the people you want to reach (function, sector, company size...) to guide your actions.

3. Create lead lists : use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to segment your prospects by interests, projects, needs... And contact them at the right time.

4. Be active and regular : post content at least once a week. Like, comment, share posts from your network every day. The LinkedIn algorithm values active profiles.

5. Share quality content : alternate between content from your business, your own and other sources. Vary the topics and formats according to the interests of your audience.

6. Take care of your publications : catchy title, airy text, emojis, hashtags, images, videos, links... Get attention and make you want to interact.

7. Start the conversation : ask questions in your posts, respond to comments, start discussion topics in groups, send personalized messages... Create a link!

8. Grow your network : add new relationships every week by targeting the decision-makers in your key accounts. Turn prospects into relationships.

9. Analyze your performance : follow the evolution of your SSI score and your key indicators (profile views, connection requests, messages...). See what works and adjust.

10. Get trained in social selling : follow LinkedIn's advice, read books, do training courses, get inspired by the best... Social selling can be learned and worked on over time.

By applying these 10 tips, you should see your SSI score soar and your sales pipeline fill up. Social selling is a marathon, not a sprint. Regularity and patience pay off!

Conclusion: The Social Selling Index is much more than just a number

The Social Selling Index is much more than just a number. It is a valuable indicator of your mastery of social selling, an essential skill for any BtoB salesperson.

By working on the 4 pillars of SSI (brand, targeting, content, relationships), you will become a social selling pro, with the result more notoriety, qualified leads and deals.

So on track or not on track to reach an SSI of 75 and join the top performers club? Get started now by applying the 10 tips in this article.

Your customer portfolio will thank you!

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