In its nascent stage, LinkedIn was a place to hunt jobs and keep in touch with your colleagues. Fast forward to 2020, it’s considered the most effective platform for B2B lead generation.
To be precise, LinkedIn is 277% more effective for lead generation than Facebook and Twitter, as stated by Hubspot.
Moreover, it is the best platform to find and connect with decision-makers in reputed organizations.
But, how do you leverage LinkedIn and make it work for you?
In the pool of information available, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and not achieve the results you want.
However, in this blog, we will cover the most practical tips for leveraging LinkedIn.
By the time you finish reading, you will not be throwing spaghetti on the wall to see if it sticks; instead, you’ll be taking a strategic approach.
So let’s get to the crux of the matter.
1. Optimize Your Profile
First things first — set up your profile to attract the leads you want.
Think of your profile as your website—a place where your potential prospects would visit to know more about you and the services you offer.
Hence, make it impactful. Here are a few key things to look for when optimizing LinkedIn profile:
- Professional profile image
- A headline that clearly defines what you do
- A compelling About section
- Experience section to showcase your expertise, and
- Certificates to show your credentials
This is your space.
Tell people about yourself, your work, and why and how they can reach out to you.
Here are a few tips for writing a LinkedIn bio that’ll give you a headstart:
- Write in the first person.
- Keep it simple silly – address your readers and tell them what you do and how your services can be useful.
- Don’t forget to add the call to action. It tells readers how they can contact you.
2. Customize LinkedIn URL
Did you know you can customize your LinkedIn URL?
The original LinkedIn URL is generated upon signing up, but you can always change it later.
The benefit of doing so is you become discoverable in search engines.
When your ideal prospect types your name in Google and hits enter, your LinkedIn profile will show up in the first couple of searches.
Here’s how you can change the URL:
Go to your LinkedIn profile; you will find an option Edit public profile and URL on the right rail. After directing to a new page, you can customize your URL. Click Save.
3. Create Valuable Content
Let’s address the burning question: how do you know if your content is valuable?
An ideal piece of content does two things:
- It establishes you as a thought leader.
- It helps your target audience by educating them.
If you want to establish authority, it’s integral you show your expertise through your content.
Talk about your work, experiences, and more.
Moreover, understand your audience, their pain points, and how your services can be a solution. This will help you come up with content ideas.
Finally, the spray and pray technique barely works. To grab more eyeballs and stay on top of your prospects’ minds, show up consistently.
4. Leverage InMails
Stats tell us that the LinkedIn InMail response rate is 3 times higher than the traditional email.
There’s a simple reason behind it: when you send an InMail, the prospect can view your profile without going back and forth.
That’s why building a robust profile is integral.
Remember to keep your InMails crisp, positive, and to the point.
Aim to target your prospects or potential employer and foster connection.
5. Be active on LinkedIn Groups
Another great way to connect with the right people on LinkedIn is by joining groups in your niche.
It’s 21% more likely to receive a response when the prospects are a part of the same LinkedIn Group as you.
This is an effective way to get in touch with the right person. Make sure to connect with the active LinkedIn members to get a higher rate of response.
6. Send Personalized Messages
A highly underrated feature of LinkedIn is its personalized invite.
How often have you received (or sent) a personalized note along with your invitation to connect?
When you send a note while connecting, you increase your chances of getting the request accepted and engaging with them.
7. Build your Network and Engage
As necessary as it is to build your network, it is to engage with them and foster connections.
Answer the queries that you get, and keep your network updated via messages, your post, and comments on other posts.
This not only showcases your authority but also keeps you on your prospect’s radar.
Conclusion
LinkedIn is one of the best professional networking platforms, and we have seen enough reasons why.
To boil it all down: build your profile, connect and engage with the right people, and create valuable content.
Now that you have the right information, implement, leverage LinkedIn, and get more clients!
