Recent studies suggest that LinkedIn surpasses both Facebook and Twitter for lead generation. That makes sense since LinkedIn is generally referred to as the ‘business’ social media platform. It’s not just for finding jobs or employees, however. There are many things you can do to establish yourself as an expert in your field and begin generating more leads for your business. Here are some suggestions to get you started:
Recent studies suggest that LinkedIn surpasses both Facebook and Twitter for lead generation. That makes sense since LinkedIn is generally referred to as the ‘business’ social media platform. It’s not just for finding jobs or employees, however. There are many things you can do to establish yourself as an expert in your field and begin generating more leads for your business. Here are some suggestions to get you started:
Complete and optimize your profile. People want to know what you can do for them, not just a list of your experience. State your accomplishments, particularly if they have been measured in some way. Did you help a client achieve 30% in sales growth? Were you able to drive 50% more visitors to the website through SEO efforts? What results did you achieve? Also, if you have testimonials or recommendations, share them.
Create Company Page. Create a company page which will allow you to profile the products and services you offer. It will also enable you to share white papers, case studies or other information relevant to your audience. Attach files or pictures (and links) to your company status updates. These will stand out from the rest of the stream and increase visibility.
Update Your Network Status. Regularly go in and post a status update. This is opportunity for you to give your network information about yourself or your brand. You want to be seen as a valuable resource for your prospects, so try to add content that is relevant and interesting to them. These updates will signal that you are a possible expert to whom they can turn in the future.
Join & Participate in Groups. Joining groups allows you to communicate with people outside your LinkedIn network. Identify who your target audience is and determine which groups they are most likely to be members of. Run a search for specific groups using relevant keywords.
Take the opportunity to join discussions in the group, asking questions or sharing your expertise. Don’t use this as a platform to sell your company or you may be banned from the group. If you’ve created a recent blog post, however, that answers a question raised in the group, by all means share the link. Courtesy is the key. You didn’t join to be overtly sold to, so chances are neither did anyone else.
Do An Advanced People Search. Search for titles of people or people at companies that you may want to connect with. You can use this feature to find specific decision makers at companies you’re trying to penetrate. Take a look at what groups they belong to and if it makes sense, join some of the same groups.
Add Connections. You may see that someone you are directly connected to has a connection with a prospect in your target group. Ask your connection if they would consider an introduction between the two of you. Thank them for the connection.
As with other social media platforms, with LinkedIn there is some legwork involved to get setup and to maintain your presence. You will be well served to focus on relationship building while sharing your expertise with your connections.
MarnieHughes is an SEO copywriter, author and online marketer. She works with small and medium-sized businesses to develop their marketing and communications and expand their customer base.
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