LinkedIn has become an effective tool for generating B2B leads and qualified traffic to company websites over the years.
According to a recent U.S. study, more than 90% of B2B marketers believe that LinkedIn remains the best place today to capture leads. We also learn that nearly 65% of visits to corporate websites come from LinkedIn.
So, among all social media platforms, LinkedIn is consistently the best for B2B lead generation and the professional social network beats all other social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, Twitter, etc.
In this guide, we will show you how to generate leads by adopting an effective LinkedIn marketing strategy.
So, if you want to know how to get leads with LinkedIn, here are 9 tips that will help you optimize your marketing strategy on the professional social networking platform and get the most out of it.
1- Start by creating a company account
Creating your own business page is completely free, and it can be done quickly by following a few simple steps.
To start, enter your company name and upload an image that represents it. Make sure you choose an iconic image that showcases your brand.
Next, you’ll need to create an “About” section that summarizes the purpose of your company and brand.
Include your website address, industry and some additional necessary information just below the “About” section.
LinkedIn will use this information to help increase your visibility by making your page appear in searches by other users of the platform.
After that, don’t forget to share your physical location, because the more your potential prospect knows about you, the better.
This can also help you connect with businesses in your area.
The last item you should add is your favorite LinkedIn Groups. We’ll come back to this later, but these Groups are a powerful lever to get your hands on new leads.
Finally, one last detail, LinkedIn recommends that you don’t forget to include keywords in your “About” section.
Once your Pro Page is set up, consider linking from your website to your LinkedIn Company Page. You can also include a link in your blog posts.
2- Publish high-value content
Once you’re up and running, it’s time to start sharing content.
Content marketing is absolutely vital on any business website or social media platform, and LinkedIn is no exception.
Knowing that more than two-thirds of LinkedIn users consider themselves “news junkies,” you’ll be hard-pressed to find an audience that is as receptive and willing to consume your content.
First, you need to create and deliver high-value content that stands out and meets the needs of your audience.
Several publications published every day will help you reach your audience and interact with your contacts.
Don’t hesitate to use all the different types of publications available on LinkedIn, whether it’s an article, an image diagram or even a video.
In addition to quality content, it is essential to propose a catchy title accompanied by an image to attract readers.
One tactic that can prove interesting is to share the beginning of your content, whether it’s a simple article, your newsletter or a white paper, with a link that will take the reader to the full content on your blog or website.
Regardless of the type of content you choose to publish, it is recommended to have a minimum number of publications on your LinkedIn page in order to reinforce the credibility of your brand.
3- Use the Matched Audiences feature
With LinkedIn, you can create sponsored content, run regular text ads or even send targeted messages with a sponsored InMail.
But don’t miss out on LinkedIn’s Matched Audiences, the perfect tool to retarget visitors who are already in your sales funnel.
Matched Audiences is a recent addition that helps optimize LinkedIn as an advertising platform.
For example, it allows you to retarget visitors to your website, and even add email contacts you want to target with LinkedIn ads.
Nearly 98% of the people who come to your website will not convert on their first visit, so Matched Audiences gives you a second chance to catch up with those visitors who may be potential customers.
4- Search for LinkedIn profiles that interest you
Sometimes all you need to make the first step towards a sale is a simple contact.
To do this, LinkedIn allows you to search for any profile, thanks to a devilishly accurate search tool.
Simply click on the search bar and select “People” from the drop-down menu on the left of the screen.
From there, you can refine your results based on location, mutual connections and even the company they currently work for.
Once you’ve found the person you’re looking for, you can use the paid InMail feature to introduce yourself.
5- Use the InMail feature
InMail is an integral part of an effective LinkedIn strategy. So, of course, this tool is not free, and you will have to pay about 70 € per month to use it, as it is a paid feature.
But believe us, this amount will be quickly amortized.
Because with the InMail feature enabled, you can contact anyone on LinkedIn directly.
This means that the people you’ve found via the search tool and the relationships you’ve made in the LinkedIn Groups you participate in can be leveraged in a more personal setting.
And InMail is proving to be an incredibly effective tool: it has 3 times the response rate of traditional emails.
It even has built-in analytics to help you refine your messages. It’s a powerful way to reach any prospect or influencer, anywhere in the world.
6- Use the potential of LinkedIn Groups
Another way to build lasting connections on LinkedIn is to look for LinkedIn Groups that are related to your industry.
These LinkedIn Groups are great for connecting and interacting with professionals who share the same interests as you.
Within these Groups, multiple conversations are created every day about what’s happening in your industry.
In addition, these Groups are very well organized in LinkedIn’s search results, and you can even see which conversations are the most active to join.
Once you join a LinkedIn Group, you can start conversations with professionals. So, don’t hesitate to discover new groups in your industry, and ask to join them.
7- Create your own LinkedIn Groups
Joining a LinkedIn Group is great, but creating your own Groups is even better for driving engagement with your brand and generating new leads on LinkedIn.
If you can’t find a community that fits your industry, or if you want to provide a dedicated window for your audience to communicate about what you do, creating a Group is a great option.
Owning a LinkedIn Group will help you stand out as a leader in your industry, and also give you valuable feedback on what your audience thinks about your ideas and innovations.
The process for creating a Group is very simple. Start by clicking on the “Create a Group” button in the “My Groups” tab. You will then be directed to a page where you will be asked to enter a title, logo and description for your new community.
Just like your company page, make sure your description is succinct, to the point and interesting enough to generate interest.
You have the option to set up your group as a visible group in search results. It is also possible to create an invitation-only community.
Sometimes a little bit of exclusivity can be useful to add a little authority to your brand image.
8- Use the paid sales solutions offered by LinkedIn
When you have 500 million professionals on your social media platform, it only makes sense to create a comprehensive database that makes it easier than ever for individuals to connect.
That’s exactly what LinkedIn has done with its Sales Solutions platform.
Sales Solutions allows you to target and research new prospects, and even interact with them at the snap of a finger.
It’s a paid service, of course, but LinkedIn claims that its users are landing much bigger deals and more business opportunities are coming their way.
In addition, professionals who have opted into Sales Solutions have seen a 20% increase in their conversion rate and an attractive return on investment.
With Sales Solution, your company will benefit from an account-based marketing approach, and be able to use much more powerful and customizable search tools than those available on the free version of LinkedIn.
9- Follow the LinkedIn marketing blog
To finish with our list of “growth hacking” tips to boost your marketing plan with LinkedIn, let’s mention the importance of the LinkedIn Marketing blog
LinkedIn is indeed building a huge amount of resources via their “LinkedIn Marketing” blog.
This is a custom selection of articles specifically designed to help you improve all aspects of your LinkedIn marketing strategy.
You can go there with your eyes closed for tips on how to make the most of LinkedIn’s existing marketing toolkit.
You’ll also be notified whenever new features are updated.
With a few minutes of daily reading, you’ll be able to absorb new ideas that, when implemented, will boost your lead generation and keep you on top.
