Social Selling
Using professional networks like LinkedIn to research, engage, and build credibility with buyers as part of outreach.
Social selling is the practice of using professional networks, principally LinkedIn, to research prospects, engage with them authentically, and build credibility as part of the sales process. It is not posting and hoping, nor is it spraying connection requests. Done well, social selling adds a human, warm layer to outbound: the rep shows up as a recognizable, credible person before and during outreach, so a cold email or call lands with someone the buyer has at least seen.
Why it matters for outbound
Buyers research the people who contact them. When a prospect checks the sender and finds a credible profile and relevant activity, the outreach gains trust it would not have cold. Social selling also opens a channel that some buyers prefer over email or phone, and it is a natural place to act on trigger events: a role change, a funding round, or a post that signals a relevant priority. As one strand of multichannel outreach, it makes the email and the call work harder.
How it works
Effective social selling is consistent and genuine, focused on relevance rather than volume. The aim is to be known and useful, not to pitch in the first message.
- Research accounts and people for context and timing
- Engage thoughtfully with a prospect activity before reaching out
- Send relevant, personalized connection notes, not generic pitches
- Coordinate the LinkedIn touch with the email and call in one sequence
Outword runs LinkedIn as a managed channel inside the wider motion. Our LinkedIn outreach service handles the research, engagement, and messaging so social selling reinforces every other touch rather than running as a disconnected experiment.
From definitions to pipeline
Outword turns outbound theory into a running motion. Book a call to see what that looks like for your team.