LinkedIn has developed into a useful publishing platform and lead generation tool for marketers and salespeople.
Using LinkedIn to generate leads can be a pretty straightforward process if you’re willing to invest a little time sharing your expertise and thought leadership.
1. Connect with people
If you spend a minute or two each working day clicking the “connect” button on the “People You May Know” list that LinkedIn displays in your feed, you will extend your network and get recognition as someone who broadens networks, both of which are important.
Throughout the course of a workday, everyone you encounter or chat to about business is a potential LinkedIn connection.
2. Connect with people you know.
You should only “connect” with people you know.
LinkedIn will catch up with you if you pretend to know individuals you don’t.
Always ask for introductions while meeting new people.
3. Compile a list of potential leads.
Spend five minutes every day researching your contacts’ connections to identify who you don’t know directly but would like to meet.
Make a list of those you’d want to introduce to others.
Begin with the “Recommendations,” as they are most likely the LinkedIn user’s most powerful relationships.
Request recommendations by email or phone outside of your LinkedIn account.
You’ll get a faster response.
You’ll also have the opportunity to rapidly reconnect with your relationships.
4. Connect, reconnect, and assist – this is marketing at its finest.
First and foremost, help.
Start connecting with current and previous contacts, focusing on relationships where trust already exists.
It’s simple to look up someone you’ve lost touch with on LinkedIn.
Then approach them and offer to help them in some way.
You may check what your previous clients have been up to since the last time you visited them — without feeling awkward.
Contacting a former client rather than sending a me-first message allows you to make a positive comment about something they’ve done.
Inquire about any new projects they are launching. Look for ways to help once again.
When you get a new business card from a new contact, look them up on LinkedIn and invite them to join you.
If you’re new to LinkedIn, you can import contacts from Outlook, Hotmail, Gmail, and Yahoo!
Include your unique URL in your email signature, traditional resume, blog, website, and business card so that people can engage with you right away.
5. Regularly provide updates.
Spend a few minutes posting an “Update” or “What’s on your mind?” to your LinkedIn network on a daily basis.
Updates may be used to send a link to an article, blog post, or video that is relevant to your prospective customers and network.
You can also utilize the “Pulse” option on your LinkedIn dashboard.
When you submit an update, it shows in the feeds of everyone connected to your network.
Your updates are not the place to make a sale, but don’t be afraid to provide critical notices or news. With each update, you may provide additional value.
This process of upgrading will spark discussions about opportunities for both you and your connections.
Ideas for prospective clients, possible partnerships, and other revenue-generating ventures will arise throughout these sessions.
6. Join groups.
LinkedIn allows you to connect with people who are in the same industry as you.
Use this as a targeted plan to add value to others, exchange ideas, and broaden your prospect network.
Groups may be quite advantageous to your brand. Use Advanced Search to find practitioners both within your organization and throughout the industry.
You may learn a lot about your industry by listening in on the discussions in these groups.
You could discover new industry-wide pain points and learn about solutions to those pain points.
By observing from a distance, you may learn more about your industry.
This will provide you practical insight into how you can help and connect.
7. Post relevant material to groups and reply to particular requests.
First, decide on the rules for the group.
If they allow it, start building trust in the community by offering relevant content linked to the group’s interests.
This includes relevant blog posts, links to articles you’ve written, postings that quote you, and webinar event notifications.
Maintain sensitive to your group’s dynamics — never try to dominate the conversation.
Your documents should serve as a resource for others rather than a sales pitch for you.
8. Respond to specific questions about your areas of expertise.
Numerous members of the organization use LinkedIn as a discussion forum, and many questions are posted on any given day.
Take some time each day to answer a few questions or to initiate a few conversations.
Answer questions about your area of expertise or something important to you.
If you locate a question you can successfully answer from a top executive with whom you want to conduct business, write a detailed, high-value response.
You never know who is looking at your info.
Many members get their foot in the door because of their knowledge in a particular subject.
9. Form a LinkedIn group.
Starting a group allows you to have complete control over the group’s content and reach.
You may limit the group to individuals you know, or you can make it available to a much broader public.
The idea is to engage your audience and use your thought leadership to make a difference among the people of your company.
10. Use LinkedIn to acknowledge and appreciate the accomplishments of others.
When you come across a news story or a blog post that has great news about a client, prospect, or other important contact, share it as a status update.
Respond with a “@” sign if you recognize the individual.
This guarantees that they are made aware of the mention.
11. Check individual profiles.
Find out if any of your prospective clients have blogs.
Learn about the activities they are attending and the books they are reading.
The beauty of LinkedIn is in its usefulness. How many more sources will emerge before the work history?
This feature allows you to be more deliberate and has additional indications about how you might be able to assist.
12. No more unsolicited phone calls.
Make use of the knowledge to do warm outreach.
A LinkedIn introduction is far warmer than a cold call since it is based on trust.
You are not the stranger seeking to upsell something; instead, you have received a recommendation from someone with whom the receiver has a relationship, or you both belong to the same professional group.
Even if you are unable to find a means to connect with someone, sending a direct message through LinkedIn is superior to sending a cold email since LinkedIn suggests a professional context.
So if you’re studying a potential customer, go through their profile, learn about their hobbies, and see if you have anything in common with them to help warm up your interaction with them.
13. Use Advanced Filters.
One of the most beneficial benefits of having a LinkedIn Premium or Sales Navigator account is the ability to use Advanced Filters in a search.
With Premium advanced search, you may not only search by company and relationship, but also by function, region, seniority level, and group size.
When used in conjunction with Messages (referred to as InMail), you can now contact prospects directly without the need for a reference.
14. Make a written suggestion.
Obtaining LinkedIn recommendations is usually tough, if only because the writer must log in, write, and submit them.
Rather of waiting for someone to recommend you, invest five minutes a day developing and publicizing (realistic) suggestions for your consumers and key relationships.
When your contact accepts the phrase, it will be added to his or her LinkedIn profile.
This will assist you in aligning with your contact, serving as a permanent top-of-mind advertising piece for you and your firm, demonstrating to your network that you cooperate, and increasing the possibility that your contact will look for a way to return the favor.
That could be a hint or a reference.
15. Commit a small amount of time.
The secret to LinkedIn success is to commit a small amount of time each working day—not six hours a day for a week straight, then nothing.
All of this should be done on a regular basis.
The total time commitment every day should be no more than 20 minutes, not including the preparation of your 30-second ad (which you should finish before you even log into LinkedIn.)
You will begin to generate more prospects and referrals through LinkedIn if you invest twenty minutes per day, every day for thirty days.
Then, be consistent.
It will take time to incorporate these tips into your daily routine, but it is simple to join the conversation for a few minutes each day and check-in with various groups.
Also, LinkedIn is always evolving, so keep an eye on it.
As it expands, people will discover new and smarter ways to use it. You’ll want to be there, ready to get in and start producing leads right away.
IMAGE CREDIT: Freepik
