3 Topics Salespeople Should Post About on LinkedIn (Their Company Isn't One of Them)

One of the biggest mistakes that salespeople make when sharing content on social media — especially LinkedIn — is that they only talk about their company or what they are selling.

At first blush this makes sense, but translate it to an offline experience: What do you think of salespeople who only talk about their company and give you a sales pitch every time you see them. At best you try to avoid them, and at worst you are actively annoyed by them.

Should you share information about what you are selling on LinkedIn? Sure, but you should mix it up with other content. 

In fact, there are three other areas that will help you expand your footprint in the mind of your prospects and customers.

1. A Specific Topic in Your Industry Relevant to Your Customers

Branch out beyond your company to your industry at large. Your goal should be to plant a flag in the minds of your prospects and customers as the expert in this area.

Pick a topic within your industry that is a hot button for the people you work with. Focus your sharing around that subject as much as possible. The more specific you are, the easier it is for people to remember.

It's much easier for your audience to extrapolate from specific to general than the other way around. In other words, they're more likely to think you are a logistics expert if you consistently and regularly talk about the effects of driverless vehicles on trucking than if you post about topics from all over the logistics world.

Other examples of specific topics:

• If you are in SaaS software sales: data security, AI and its impact, or integration challenges.
• If you sell office technology: the Internet of Things, cloud storage, or remote working.
• If you sell financial services: the impact of outside legislation, the effect of taxes, robo-investors.
• If you are in marketing: customer privacy (GDPR), lead generation, or SEO algorithms.

2. A Professional Topic Outside Your Industry

When you only post about your company, what you're selling, or your industry, you come across as a one-trick pony. You aren't a one-dimensional person, but it's hard to share that on your profile and activity feed. It can be powerful to share content about a topic that is relevant to the world of work, but isn't directly related to what you sell. This has two beneficial effects.

First, it shows that you have some depth as an individual. As the selling situations that salespeople find themselves in become more and more complex, it's important to demonstrate that you are more than a blank cipher. Demonstrating expertise in one area leads buyers to suspect that you have expertise in others.

Secondly, your prospects and customers might have an interest in the same area. It becomes a topic that creates a bridge between the two of you. And since it is still work-related, it's more effective than bonding over a favorite sports team.

There are a host of topics that you could post about. The key is to choose something that resonates with you. A few examples include:

• The changing theories of work/life balance.
• What business applications of AI (including in the sales process) will make an impact.
• How behavioral economics and productivity hacks can help in the office.
• The best ways to encourage STEM education in under-represented communities.
• Where Amazon is going to put their second headquarters.

3. The People in Your Business Life

At its core, sales is a person-to-person endeavor. The more that you can humanize yourself, the more effective you can be. One of the fastest ways that you can humanize yourself is through photographs of you and the people that you interact with in the offline world.

Photos are a powerful way to share visual information on LinkedIn. Huge portions of our brain that are designed to process and decipher images. That's why it's easier to remember someone's face than remember their name.

 You don't need to turn your LinkedIn feed into an Instagram feed, but a consistent stream of photos is an important part of establishing your brand. You can share:

• Visits to an existing customer. Snap a photo together in your customer’s office. Or even take a picture of yourself in front of the office (with the logo in the background).
• When you attend a conference, trade show, or other industry event, be sure to take photos of you with other participants.
• Your internal meetings, everything from trainings to awards banquets. Grab group photos with your team and share with your network.

Remember, don’t be that person that only talks about themselves at the cocktail party. Use LinkedIn to branch out beyond talking about yourself, your company, and the products you sell.

For more insight into how to get the most out of the LinkedIn platform, download the new guide, “Read Me If You Want to Target the Right Prospects on LinkedIn.”