Using LinkedIn Lead Generation to Boost Business

Using LinkedIn Lead Generation to Bolster Your Business

LinkedIn is the most powerful social media platform for businesses. If your social media strategy only includes a few platforms, this one should top the list. Done correctly, a business presence on LinkedIn will generate more leads than any other method currently being used to bring in clients.

This article covers a series of five practical steps that can be taken to improve your LinkedIn lead generation techniques in very little time.

Step One: Optimize Your Profile

Developing a LinkedIn lead development strategy starts by knowing what your keywords are. Consider what it is that you do for your clients and basing your description around that. Writing about what you do for clients will not be as effective. Use strong sentences full of keywords in your description. Google only shows 156 characters of this description in searches, so it is best to save the best sentence for the top.

An optimized LinkedIn profile cannot generate leads for your business if there are no links to it from your website and vice-versa. Make sure to take advantage of the specialty section of the profile. Put the keywords that users can search for your company under.

Step Two: Create a Company Page

A company page is vital to a LinkedIn lead generation strategy. It is a modern day word of mouth so to speak. Once a company page is created, it is much easier to promote your company and brand. People are always more willing to try products and services that have a solid track record. Every time someone endorses a product or skill, those connections become visible. With visibility comes more leads. But just like with a personal profile, a company page needs to be optimized too.

The page should have:

• A company banner
• Logo
• Description
• Specialities
• Details

Encourage employees to connect with the page and try to boost followers. Boosting followers can be accomplished by adding a LinkedIn share button with your content or sharing videos on YouTube. Amplifying actions with visual content tends to be slightly easier. An incomplete profile results in LinkedIn lowering your search rankings and ignoring your keywords which do not equal leads.

Step Three: Create a potential customers list

Now that a profile and company page has been created and there is content to work with, it is time to come up with leads. Set a goal of having 500 to 1000 leads. This may seem like too lofty a goal, but by using the platform’s search and filter features, it is not difficult to find LinkedIn leads. Concentrate on searching for people who are at the same level as you are. If you are a manager, look for managers.

Other ways to generate leads can include:

• Reaching out to people in new jobs- Those in new roles are more likely to want to try a new product or service.
• The “People Also Viewed” sidebar- LinkedIn is very good at making connections using its algorithm. So when you view a possible lead, this sidebar will show you a relevant group of people related to this lead. So one lead can easily translate into several more just from one view.
• Assess the competition- Competitors often know a product or service better than a completely new lead. Finding LinkedIn leads has never been as easy as looking through a competitor’s network to see who they have connected with recently.
• Browse skill endorsements- Look at a potential lead’s skill endorsements and see who else has been endorsed for those skills. People who have the same or similar skills tend to stick together, so this is a great way to build up your list.

Step Four: Connect with Members

Connection with the leads you find is important. This connection is where some marketing skills may come into play. Connecting with members begins by setting aside some time during the day to follow leads and prospects. This time provides you with the necessary fuel to write relevant comments related to updates that are posted.

Do not forget to take the time to write recommendations yourself. LinkedIn lead generation only works if you are also invested in putting your company out on the network to get leads. These updates get posted in the feed of your connection. It is important to remember that these updates should not sell anything. Instead, they should demonstrate the expertise you have and value that you provide.

Taking a few minutes out of each day to celebrate the accomplishment of others is another way to connect. These also show up as updates in other people’s feed.

Writing recommendations for people in your network is a perfect way to connect and generate leads. These connections should be based in reality. Once your contact approves the recommendation, it will show up on their profile and show that you have worked with this person. It represents a positive for the company too.

Step Five: Engagement

The final step in the LinkedIn lead generation journey is to engage with members. Building a brand by optimizing your profile, company page, and connecting with members is a good start. But engagement is just as central to generating leads. One of the best ways to engage is to take advantage of LinkedIn Groups.

Joining different LinkedIn groups and offering relevant insights or comments at regular intervals will help give you some clout and demonstrate your knowledge or expertise.

You can contribute by:

• Responding and contributing to group questions.
• Sharing your own experience or content to solve a particular problem or pain point. While it demonstrates your expertise, sharing also can elicit what others think.
• Ask your own questions and learn how the industry addresses these issues.

Lucid Advertising will help you reach your LinkedIn lead generation goals. Knowing your customer is vital to boosting lead volume. Schedule a consultation today to learn about Linkedin and all of the services we offer.