What is LinkedIn’s Social Selling Index (SSI)?
The LinkedIn Social Selling Index is a metric launched by the LinkedIn platform that helps users evaluate their social selling behaviors on a scale from 0 to 100. The overall score reflects how effectively users build their professional brand and create meaningful relationships with others.
How to view the social selling index on LinkedIn?
You can view your Social Selling Index using the free LinkedIn plan or Sales Navigator .
- For regular LinkedIn users:
Step 1. Log in to your LinkedIn account.
Step 2. Visit www.LinkedIn.com/sales/ssi.
- For Sales Navigator subscribers:
- Step 1. Click on your sales navigation icon.
Step 2. Find your user dashboard in the upper right corner, click the icon, and then select Social Selling Index.
Step 3. Now you can view a detailed breakdown of your scores.
What is a good social selling index?
A good SSI is over 75, while a typical social selling index on LinkedIn is between 40 and 50 out of 100.
After research, we came up with the elements in a graphic design following social selling index metrics:
As you can see from the screenshot above, my first Social Selling Index score was 48. Not very high, right? But I’ve taken some steps to improve the situation. Here are my results after six weeks:
Yes, 62 is far from perfect, but it’s a promising start. It shows that you can achieve higher scores with just a little more time. With the foundation in place, we can start taking some actionable actions.
Why is high SSI important for your business growth?
Your SSI score indicates the effectiveness of you are the best expert on your business your social selling strategy on LinkedIn. It showcases your expertise and provides more opportunities for lead generation and business development.
1. High-quality potential customer development
According to HubSpot’s 2024 State of Sales Report, social media has proven to be one of the leading sources of quality leads. Additionally, research shows that 46% of social fax marketing media traffic to company websites comes from LinkedIn, and 65% of B2B companies acquire customers directly from the platform.
Source: HubSpot 2023 Sales Trends Report
In the United States alone, the number of LinkedIn users is expected to grow by 10.4 million between 2024 and 2028. That’s a lot of potential for lead generation, isn’t it?
Source: Statista
A higher LinkedIn SSI score generally means more connections, which means more leads.
2. Natural cooperation and communication
Entrepreneurs who excel at social selling focus on building relationships and trust with customers before attempting to sell. The Social Selling Index helps you understand the depth and effectiveness of your connections with multiple prospects, driving more meaningful interactions with them.
Instead of calling random people and trying to sell your product everywhere, create a “safe space” that helps salespeople complete the sales process and keeps customers coming back.
Since users have come to regard LinkedIn as the safest and most reliable platform, you have every potential to do just that and accomplish your goals.
→ Want to know how to grow your network without exceeding the invitation limit? Check out our ultimate guide to avoiding the LinkedIn black room.
3. Personal brand building
B2B leaders are still passionate about building a strong brand in 2024. By staying active on LinkedIn and connecting with others, you can gain the attention of potential customers and partners, thereby increasing your brand visibility.
Source: LinkedIn 2023 B2B Marketing Benchmarks Report
Regularly sharing your professional advice and participating in meaningful discussions may make you a respected opinion maker.
Many people will appreciate your efforts! According to Linearty data, about 60% of LinkedIn users join the platform just to gain valuable industry insights. Providing industry-specific knowledge can foster trust in you and your brand, ultimately leading to better sales.
4. Better sales
Research shows that approximately 73% of buyers show more interest in a sales professional who first connects with them through LinkedIn. When it comes to conversion rates by platform, marketers are seeing up to 2x higher conversion rates on LinkedIn.
Before anyone buys from you, they’re likely to check out your profile first. Your social selling index score can play an important role here, and you’ll need to optimize your profile , post engaging content regularly.