What began as a professional networking site, LinkedIn has evolved into the premier social platform for B2B lead generation. How do you go about using the social networking site to generate leads for your business?
When we first meet with potential clients, their biggest challenge is often finding a consistent strategy for generating leads.
Identifying the problem is always simple, if only the fix were that easy. If you’ve been struggling to generate leads for your business, don’t worry. We’ve all been there before. We all know the struggle.
Lead generation is critical, but finding the strategy or platform that works best for your business can be overwhelming. Your competitors may utilize email marketing, Facebook, or Google Adwords, or perhaps live chat (you may have tried some of these strategies yourself). While there are plenty of methods you can use to generate leads, one of our favorites is LinkedIn (apparently we’re not alone in our thinking, as more than 80% of B2B leads from social media come from LinkedIn).
However, how do you use LinkedIn effectively for this purpose?
Below are some of our best tips on how to use LinkedIn for lead generation.
Update Your Profile
When making a first impression, it’s important to put your best foot forward. Your LinkedIn profile serves as your first impression for potential connections. A complete and up-to-date profile should be your first step when deciding to use LinkedIn for lead generation. It lays the foundation for a successful campaign. An updated profile offers the first glimpse of whatever you’re offering for potential clients. Therefore, all the necessary boxes and lines must be filled with captivating content that will make a good impression of yourself or the brand. If your profile hasn’t been updated since the Obama administration, it’s probably time for change.
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Connect with Your Prospects
When LinkedIn launched in 2003, its mission centered around connecting the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. With that in mind, use LinkedIn for its originally intended purpose.
By clicking the “connect” button on the “people you may know” list, you are extending your network. Making connections opens a lot of doors. The more you connect, the more your visibility increases. Thereby giving you the ability to generate more leads.
Send More Than Just One Message
More often than not it’s going to take more than a simple connection message to spark up a conversation with someone. Look, we’re by no means advocating for you to be that person that spams the heck out of someone they barely know. But, according to Propeller, 80% of sales require at least five follow-ups after the initial contact. A well-thought out, non-salesy sequence of messages that hits at your target’s pain points is the best way to convert those new connections into viable sales leads.
Write and Publish Informative Posts and Engaging Content
Compelling and engaging content can do a lot in educating your target audience about your business. LinkedIn Pulse is a good place to publish all these posts. For people to know about your business, and to generate quality leads, it is important to deliver informative content. Write about what you know about your industry, or repurpose old company blog posts. With topnotch articles, people will start to see you as an expert in your field.
Use LinkedIn Advertising Options
Finally, if you want to generate more leads, then you need to increase your awareness and reach. Sponsored content is one of the most effective ways to do this; it creates a consistent new stream of high-quality connections and leads for your business.
Just like other social media platforms, LinkedIn can be used to generate leads, increase views, and boost awareness about your business. With the tips above, you can take full advantage of LinkedIn to generate more leads for your business. Are you a B2B company looking to generate more leads for your business? Contact us today to learn more about using LinkedIn for lead generation.