Are you having trouble getting quality leads for your business? Are you looking for new ways to expand your reach and engage with prospects?
You're in luck! Social media channels, such as LinkedIn, offer a simple and cost-effective way to communicate with your audience and generate new leads. In just a few simple steps, you can be on your way to building a pipeline full of quality leads.
Here are some tips for generating more leads on LinkedIn:
If you are going to be using LinkedIn for lead generation, the first things you'll want to do is optimize your company page for conversions. Here are a few simple things you can do:
For people who aren't familiar with you, your LinkedIn page will be their first introduction to your brand, so be sure to make a good impression.
One of the main reasons social media is such a valuable marketing tool is because it provides companies with an easy, cost-effective way to reach their audience and stay top-of-mind. However, you have to be consistent and learn through trial and error when the best times to post your updates are.
Once you've worked out the kinks in your publishing schedule, be sure to post updates once or twice a day so your business name is constantly popping up in people's newsfeeds. DON'T SPAM. Share things that are useful like relevant news articles, industry tips and even content from thought leaders in your industry to show your audience that you are engaged and knowledgable about recent developments.
You should already have a blog set up for your company, whether it be part of your website or an external one. If not, you should create one NOW.
Whenever you publish a new blog post - which you should be doing at least once a week - share it on LinkedIn. Not only does this create engagement with your social media profile, it drives traffic to your website and increases your chances of being recognized as a thought leader in your industry.
You might also want to consider publishing some articles to LinkedIn Pulse to expand your reach and gain new connections.
The comments section can be a scary place, but don't be afraid to jump in there and join the conversation under the right circumstances. Engaging with your audience like this will go a long way in making them see you as an active participant in your industry.
You can also join some relevant LinkedIn groups and participate in the conversations that are happening there. This is an excellent way to accomplish a few things:
Just don't overdo it and try not to feed the trolls!
InMail is one of the most effective lead generation tools offered by LinkedIn. It allows you to reach out and send messages to people who are not part of your direct connections. Not only does this give you a way to bypass secretaries and assistants, LinkedIn claims that professionals are three times more likely to respond to a LinkedIn InMail than a traditonal email. Just make sure to do some research and find some common ground with your prospect so you don't catch them completely off guard.
Advanced search is another great tool that LinkedIn offers and can be used in conjunction with InMail. It allows you to search for prospects based on criteria such as name, company, alma maters and more to create more focused search results.
You can use the advanced search tool to create a list of contacts and reach out to them via InMail at a later date.
According to a 2013 case study by LinkedIn, decision makers were 79% more likely to do business with a company based on Sponsored Updates.
There is a downside, though. Sponsored Updates cost you money every time someone clicks on the add. However, this is often negated by the fact that Sponsored Updates helps to expand your reach and produce new leads because your ads are visible to users who are not direct connections of your company's page.
For us marketers, social media tools like LinkedIn are a valuable resource that can't be ignored. In just a few simple steps, you can be on your way to filling your pipeline with quality leads for your business. Just remember to be consistent, informative and engage with your audience for maximum effect!