Social Selling Index: The Real Value Behind Your Score

Our colleague and team expert, Ekaterina Altbregina, recently shared insights on LinkedIn about the Social Selling Index (SSI) and its real purpose for LinkedIn users. Here’s a quick rundown of her points:

When someone says, "My Social Selling Index is 80, what’s yours?" it’s tempting to ask, "What exactly does a high SSI give you?"

For many, it’s simply a number to compare. But there’s a more thoughtful approach to understanding SSI - it’s a useful indicator, but the value comes from understanding what each part measures.

It’s composed of four key factors:

✅ Establish your professional brand - Tailor your profile to match your audience. Aim for thought leadership by sharing insightful posts.

✅ Find the right people - Use LinkedIn’s search tools to identify and connect with promising leads.

✅ Engage with insights - Discover and share valuable updates to build connections.

✅ Build relationships - Grow your network by connecting with business decision-makers.

By understanding your score in each area, you can see what might be missing in your approach to LinkedIn for career or business development.

For instance, Ekaterina’s SSI is 70%, with her “Engage with insights” score being relatively low. This shows that her posts could benefit from more interactions and discussions, which LinkedIn values more than simple likes.


Additionally, her “Find the right people” score suggests she could expand her search methods, such as using LinkedIn groups, events, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator filters to find relevant connections.

Takeaways:

- A high SSI won’t necessarily lead to more leads.
- SSI is an indicator that highlights areas you can improve to make your Social Selling approach more strategic.

Activity ≠ Effectiveness
Quantity ≠ Quality

Wishing everyone success with their LinkedIn Social Selling efforts!

An SSI graphic from Steve Carroll’s presentation, Senior Account Executive at LinkedIn, was featured at our Social Selling Con 2023. You can watch it here.

The presentation explains the activities that contribute to each component of the Social Selling Index (SSI).

Check your own SSI here: www.linkedin.com/sales/ssi