If you are an Advanced or Advanced Plus license holder in Sales Navigator, you probably use Smart Links. Today, I would like to expand on this feature to enhance your experience and support you on building your credibility throughout the buyer journey. Smart Link enables you to package your content strategically and position yourself as your potential or existing clients' best advisor, showcase your professional brand, prepare for meetings, and expand your network by being organized and providing relevant information with just one click. More importantly, unlike sharing an attachment or a website link, you can even measure the impact and see who and how long you have opened your files. Below are nine best practices so you can take advantage of this great feature. 

What and when to share Smart Links

1. Organize your resources based on the buyer journey, adding common challenges and solutions, testimonials, and recommendations so you are always prepared to share additional resources before, during, or after a conversation. 
2. In addition to the previous point, you may focus on educating your audience by including whitepapers or links to websites or videos that can further explain a topic. Have you linked rich media to your LinkedIn profile in the 'Featured' section? You can also add that link!
3. Besides sharing your Smart Links in InMails, emails, part of your email signature link, LinkedIn posts, and text messages, you can add them to regular emails or event communications. You may even distribute your agenda before a meeting or add to the chat during a virtual conversation. Take every opportunity to nurture your potential or existing clients where relevant.
4. Before creating and sharing a Smart Link, be clear on whom you are sending the Smart Link to and what's the most significant value for the buyer. 
5. Be bold and re-share your Smart Links before events or meetings if your audience still needs to read your material.

Understand your audience and expand on your reach with multithreading using Smart Link Insights 

1. With Smart Link insights, you can understand how your audience engages with your content and identify the best time to follow up. As a best practice, once you receive a notification that someone opened your Smart Link, send a follow-up immediately to strike while the iron is hot. 
2. You can analyze your buyers' interest and prepare for the negotiation conversations by looking at the insights. 
3. Your potential buyers or existing clients share important links with other decision-makers, which is an easy way to find new leads in the buying circle. As a best practice, save new Leads in a Custom List, research and follow them, and reach out to them to start conversations when the time is right. 
4.  Involve marketing in designing and developing relevant content to distribute to ensure that the sales team communicates company-wide values aligned.