As a marketer, you certainly know of a number of the prominent social media sites that you can use for generating leads. And in this day and age, I am completely certain you’ve heard of Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Now, if you are a decent marketer, then you are probably using all three avenues as part of your lead generation strategy.
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While that may be a sound approach, there is still room for improvement. There is another avenue that could be doing your networking plenty of good – LinkedIn. But, is it really effective in lead generation? Well, check this. Studies indicate that up to 80% of B2B leads come from LinkedIn, and a whooping 94% (94!!) of B2B Marketers use the LinkedIn platform to distribute their content.
So, Can I Really Generate Business From LinkedIn?
Before all else, lets take a moment and gauge whether this platform has an opportunity that is worth pursuing after.
First off, LinkedIn is the world’s largest database of business professionals. This is already known. But when you actually take a look into the concrete numbers, the magnitude of this opportunity become even more crystal.
According to LinkedIn,
- Their network now has 630 million+ business professionals
- 63 million users are decision makers.
That’s right. 63 million potential targets on LinkedIn are in positions to make decisions on business and buying. There is little doubt as to whether there is a huge target audience or not. If you therefore employ a smart strategy, then generating new business from the platform should not be a problem.
Getting The Right Strategy
Now that you know there is an opportunity, the next stop is figuring out the right strategy. It is really important to determine this, but what exactly is that? But really, any well-planned strategy could work. Nothing is written on stone.
Generally, the right strategy means that it follows these parameters
- It generated leads consistently
- It is repeatable and not time consuming
- It requires no ad spend
- No mass spamming.
LinkedIn Lead Generation Strategy: The Process
We therefore came up with an easy 3-step process that has the potential of generating very positive results without taking up too much of your time or spending any money on LinkedIn advertising. Depending on the workload you have at hand, you can repeat this process 2-4 times each week.
Step One: The Viewing
Firstly, you view your target profiles. Here, you are required to determine who exactly is your ideal lead. With up to 22 different filter categories given on the LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator tool, you can now refine the LinkedIn database into a target list customed to your ideal specifications. These categories include: Geography, Industry, Postal Code, Company, Job Title, Job Function, Seniority, Years in Position, Years at Company, Years of Experience, Company Headcount and Company type just to name some
Its important note that in this process you should only add to your list people that are in second connections to you. Here is why:
- This gives you something in common with your targeted person. Turns out, from psychological standpoint, this makes a major difference. According to a study done about LinkedIn, about 87% of business-to-business buyers had a positive impression of a salesperson who is somehow connected through their network as opposed to 4% when the salesperson was out of the blue.
- It allows you to avoid the mass spamming of other users in LinkedIn who have little to nothing in common with you
Once you have this list, start viewing the profiles of those in the list one after the other and do nothing else. The reason behind this is so that you pop up on the other person’s “Recently Viewed” section. After you have viewed their profile, you then wait and see if they view you back. if they do, proceed to step two.
Step Two: The Connection Request
After you have checked out your target profile, wait and see who views you back. If someone does, take this as your initial sign of interest. From here, the next step is sending them a connection request.
Now this connection request should never be the boring “I'd like to add you to my professional network” standard LinkedIn message that gives no explanation why someone would want to connect with you. So personalize one.
In it, address them in a way that is going to give them a reason to connect with you. Connection requests that are personalized significantly boosts the chances of someone accepting them. Be polite, be professional. Learn a few more tips here writing the perfect LinkedIn connection request.
Step Three: The First Message
After you have sent the connection request, you will have to wait and see who accepts them. Waiting on your target lead to take action lets you avoid spamming anybody who is not interested in interacting with you. When someone finally accepts your connection request, the way to go is now sending them the first message.
In this message, thank your target for connecting with you, then bring up the idea of setting up a time for talk. Do not be overly salesy in the message. Rather, look to be simply up to start a conversation and letting the relationship with them grow from there.
If they do not respond after a few days, it may be appropriate to send a follow-up message but do not be pushy. If they are not responding then it is possible that they are not so interested in interacting with you. Let them get back to you on their own time, if they will.
The Conclusion: Results
After a while, this process is going to exponentially increase your profile views and connections. Furthermore, it is simple and easily repeatable for anyone who is selling in a business to business context. Therefore, if you are intent on generating more leads for your business but you are not using the LinkedIn platform, you are seriously missing out on a major opportunity for growth revenue-wise, and brand recognition-wise
Bonus tips on getting more leads on LinkedIn
1. The Profile
A well-polished and personally branded LinkedIn profile does you plenty good in your endeavors on searching for business leads. So, if you have not made one yet, take some time and perfect your profile. In it, make sure it is crystal clear what you do, what your area of expertise is, and what your strengths are.
Put your focus on the headline and summary and make sure they are quite compelling. This is because, unless you change it manually, this headline is what will automatically be in display as your last job. Follow the link to learn more about this 4 steps to writing your LinkedIn headline and summary.
2. Joining LinkedIn Groups
Groups can be really vital to your personal brand. With LinkedIn Advanced search, you can now find and join groups of like-minded practitioners and potential business partners within your firm and industry at large. By tuning in to the conversations going on in this these groups, you will get to pick up on lot concerning your industry
This way, you are bound to discover the new pain points in the industry and you will also learn of the options of solving those pain points. By actively watching and learning about your industry from afar, you get to have real insight as to how you can connect and help out
3. Answering Questions In Your Area Of Expertise
Since most group members like to use LinkedIn as a discussion board, on any given day you will likely find plenty questions posted on the platform. There is no harm in taking a few moments each day to answer a few of these questions, or even posting a few discussion questions yourself.
Only respond to the questions that are relevant to your area of expertise or those that are in line with something that’s important to you. If you see a question you can respond to, write a detailed and high-value response because you never really know who is reading. Many members usually gain an advantage because of the expertise they give out in a discussion.
4. No More Cold Calls
Because they come with a little bit of trust, connections made via introductions on LinkedIn are a lot warmer compared to a cold call. This is because you are no longer a stranger trying to sell them something. Rather, you have been recommended to them by someone they know, or maybe you are both members in the same professional group.
But sometimes, you may not find a way to connect to someone. Still, it is still better for you to send them a direct message on LinkedIn than writing them an email. LinkedIn generally creates the impression of business. When checking out someone that you think could be a valuable customer, first go through their profile and know what they are interested in. This way, you may find something, or several things, that you have in common with them, and that will help you warm them up as you reach out to make a connection request.
5. Use advanced search filters and use LinkedIn InMail
Advanced search filters are one of the biggest advantages of having a premium or sales navigator account on LinkedIn. The advanced search allows you to search for more than just company and relationship. You can search by location, function, group size, seniority level, and more as discussed before. When used in conjunction to LinkedIn messages (InMail), it makes it even easier for you to contact your protects directly without need of a referral.
Sending person emails using InMail after doing all the relevant research greatly increases your chance of getting a response from every person you reach out to.
6. Regularly post updates
While it may not seem important, frequently posting a update to your LinkedIn profile network will help with your lead generation. You can even take advantage of the updates to share something that is relevant to your network or potential customers.
Every update you post is shown in the live feed of all the people you are connected to. While your “What’s on your mind?” posts aren’t meant for selling, you can share some important information, updates or announcements to add some value to each update.
Through these regular updates, you’ll be able to spark conversations that will open up opportunities for you and your contacts too. In some of these conversations, you will meet prospective partners or clients, or get ideas of other income generating projects.
Last words
You will need to make a time commitment so as to properly implement these tips into your every day routine, but considering the possible rewards for your LinkedIn lead generation strategy, it is worth every effort. Also, it is quite simple to join conversations for a few minutes every day or check in with your professional groups.
Like other social platforms, LinkedIn is constantly evolving. More and more opportunities will be discovered soon, and it takes someone that’s on the lookout to make the most of them. To get you started, we can help you get more views and even get more followers to give your profile some footing, so look though our catalog to find more possibilities for you.
