How to Use LinkedIn to Generate Leads | LinkedIn Lead Generation 101
Your business can reach people
who have double the buying power of the average web user, and
it’s all because of LinkedIn. It’s more than a platform for connecting
with your colleagues and looking for jobs. With a LinkedIn lead generation strategy,
you can drive more revenue for your business. A lot of videos and articles out there focus on
LinkedIn lead generation for personal profiles, and that’s great, but it doesn’t tell you
what to do with your business profile. This video is specifically concerned with how you can
leverage your business page to get LinkedIn leads. I have three different overarching areas you can
focus on to improve your presence on the platform. You’ll want to consider:
Investing in ads Improving your reach
Sharing a mix of content So, first…investing in ads.
You can run different types of ads on LinkedIn, all of which have
the potential to drum up new business. But instead of outlining each type, I’m
going to focus on LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms.
The Lead Gen feature lets you include a form with
your ad where people can provide their emails, phone numbers, and other personal information
— some of which is pre-filled for them. You can create your LinkedIn Lead Gen
Forms in LinkedIn Campaign Manager. One way to create a form is to do
it when you launch a new campaign. You can also create a standalone form
template to use in future campaigns. Just select the option to create a
form and fill out all of the details. To maximize your ad’s lead gen potential,
follow ad creation best practices such as: Matching your ad copy to your form copy,
a.k.a. make sure the form is related to the ad Clearly explaining the value people
get from filling out the form Writing compelling, attention-grabbing copy
Using eye-catching multimedia when it’s an option Targeting the right audience You can learn more about using
LinkedIn ads in our video on the topic. Next up, improving your reach on LinkedIn.
You can’t drive new leads if your profile doesn’t attract and excite them.
Start by optimizing your business page. Make sure your page’s logo and cover
image accurately reflect your business. Side note: If you haven’t done this on any of
your social media accounts, now is the time. Check up on your contact info so
potential LinkedIn leads can reach you. This means you should make sure
you’re linking to the right pages, your phone number is up-to-date, and your location
is correct in your profile’s About section. Let’s talk keywords. If you want
people to find your business when they search for terms related to you, you
have to optimize your profile for search. So whether you run a plumbing company or a hotel,
you’ll want to include keywords relevant to your business in places like your tagline, your
description, and in the Specialties section.
The Specialties section is a cool
feature in your About section that lets you showcase what services or
areas of expertise your business offers. In the example from Fiverr, you can see
they list their specialties as logo designs, resume editors, and more related
to their freelance services. Updating your profile for LinkedIn
lead generation doesn’t stop there. When people arrive on your
page, you have to woo them. So when you’re writing your description,
tagline, and filling out everything else, think of the value your business
offers. What can you say that will convince people to contact you?
How is your business making a difference? When someone looks at your profile, one of
the first things they see is your tagline. This is your first opportunity to make a good
impression.
It’s your online elevator pitch. So if we look at Patagonia as an example, their tagline is “We’re in
business to save our home planet.” That pretty much sums up their business
and communicates their mission in a quick, yet powerful way. And now I’m moving on to the last portion
of this video: Sharing a mix of content. Your LinkedIn lead generation strategy should
tie in with your content marketing strategy. All of the videos, blog posts, graphics, and other content you create can
be repurposed to drive leads. Not everything you share has to be solely
focused on closing sales. That’s boring. According to Demand Metric, 70% of people prefer articles to advertisements when
they want to learn about a business. That same percentage of people also say content
marketing makes them feel closer to a business.
Posting more brand awareness-focused,
informational content establishes your business as a thought leader. You
build trust with your audience so they’re comfortable investing in
your business when they’re ready. It’s a great strategy for B2B lead
generation and works for B2C companies, too. And if the educational content is
interesting enough, people will share it, getting your business in front of more people
and opening you up to new opportunities. Don’t be afraid to encourage
shares from your employees, too. You don’t have to completely avoid
sales-focused content, though. Mix in posts that show the impact your
business has on current customers. Show off your awards. Post testimonials from
current customers or employees if you want to recruit new talent. Share case studies that
establish your business as a results driver. There’s no one right or wrong mix of content. If you notice your engagement dips when you share
a lot of sales content, switch out a post or two with something educational.
Post a photo of
your team or a recap video of a company event. Evaluate your social media analytics on a regular
basis to come up with a formula that works. And finally, engage with the
people who comment on your posts, share your content, or tag your business
in their posts. This can help form direct relationships with your audience and add to the
trust you’re building with your content marketing. You don’t need an elaborate response for every
interaction. Ask a question. Thank someone for sharing your post. Commend someone for a great
insight. Little things make a difference. Getting LinkedIn leads requires time and planning. If you want to partner with a team of social
media pros, give us a call or contact us online.
To keep learning about LinkedIn lead generation, B2B lead generation, and everything
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