Convert your LinkedIn connections into leads. Step #4 – Use your chosen keywords in your headline, summary, experience, and content where appropriate. The same goes for LinkedIn. Now that you’ve optimized your profile for search, let’s focus on making it more compelling. Without a network, LinkedIn won’t be of much use to you. You may decide that you’re only connecting with people in your industry or people who would make ideal clients. Step #2: Create connection request templates to connect with your ideal targets. Step #4: Connect with people who engage with your profile. Some examples include: How-to posts Guides Case studies Webinars Also, ensure that you have a compelling CTA at the end of each piece of content that you publish. How do you use LinkedIn to generate leads for your business?
LinkedIn is the underdog of social media networks.
It’s way too formal and not half as hip as Facebook or Instagram.
Sure, it works as an excellent digital resume.
You can keep tabs on your colleagues. You can connect with other professionals. You may even be able to land your dream job.
But generating leads is a long shot, right?
That’s not just me making up stuff. Many people feel that way.
I get it but hear me out.
LinkedIn is a powerhouse when it comes to lead generation.
It’s been an essential piece of my content marketing strategy. In fact, I’ve published over 200 posts on LinkedIn Pulse.
The results have been nothing short of remarkable.
It has elevated my authority, increased traffic to my blogs, and grown my network.
My situation isn’t unique. LinkedIn is ranked as the most effective social media platform by 66% of people.
If you’d like to know how you can reap the same benefits, this article is for you.
I’ll share with you an end-to-end strategy for using LinkedIn to generate leads and drive conversions.
Best of all, it’s only a three step process.
- Position your LinkedIn profile to wow prospects and win business.
- Build a targeted and hyper-engaged network.
- Convert your LinkedIn connections into leads.
We’ll get into the action steps shortly.
First, let’s talk about why LinkedIn is a hidden gem for conversions.
What makes LinkedIn so powerful?
You may have noticed that the traditional sales model no longer has a place in our world.
Cold calls, email pitches, and sales demos don’t cut it anymore.
Instead, we have a far more intuitive way of generating warm leads and influencing sales.
I’m talking about social selling.
With this new sales model, your social network takes center stage.
Do all social media networks have an equal stake in this new sales model?
No doubt, Facebook, and Twitter are big players.
But it turns out, LinkedIn is the clear winner.
In fact, more than 80% of B2B leads generated through social media come from LinkedIn.
That’s no small feat.
Why is LinkedIn so far ahead of the pack?
It’s simple.
Business is the natural order of things on LinkedIn.
Unlike other social networks, the objective is unmistakable. You’re on the platform with the expectation that someone will connect with you for business.
Everyone on LinkedIn is in that headspace.
What does this mean for you?
You have millions of information-hungry prospects waiting for you to educate and inform them.
The best part is, 40 million of LinkedIn’s professionals are decision makers. It means they have no one to consult and will be easier to convert.
But here’s the kicker.
The audience on LinkedIn is a very well-informed and sophisticated one.
You can’t just find a few promising targets, hit the connect button, and say, “Hey, let’s work together.”
That won’t work.
You need to be very strategic and deliberate about the way you initiate relationships with your prospects.
Fortunately, I have a great strategy that you can adopt to convert leads.
Let’s get started.
Part One: Position your LinkedIn profile to wow prospects and win business
Your LinkedIn profile is your sales pitch.
It should do two key things for you.
- Get you found by the right people.
- Make the most compelling case for why people should take you seriously.
Let’s explore these in detail.
To begin, you need to optimize your profile for search to ensure that it gets viewed by more people and more often.
Here’s what I recommend.
1. Have a fully fleshed out profile.
This is too obvious, right?
You’d be surprised by how many people don’t complete their LinkedIn profiles.
It’s important that you fill out every single section.
LinkedIn will assign you a profile strength based on how many sections you’ve completed.
There are five levels:
Aim for advanced strength and above.
2. Ensure that you use relevant keywords in your profile.
Keywords aren’t just a Google thing.
They’re also important for LinkedIn’s search algorithm.
I’m not advocating for keyword stuffing. Rather, you should be using keywords that are descriptive of the skill set that you bring to the table.
What search queries would people type in if they were looking for your solution?
Bare in mind, keyword research for LinkedIn isn’t simply a matter of coming up with a few general search phrases. As such, I don’t necessarily recommend a keyword tool.
Many LinkedIn profiles make the mistake of having broad terms like “General Manager,” “Entrepreneur,” or “Marketing Director” in their LinkedIn title.
The likelihood of someone typing these keywords into LinkedIn’s search bar is almost zero.
So, avoid these generic keywords.
Here’s what you can do instead.
Step #1 – Go to “Jobs” and type in your industry keyword.
Step #2 – Check out all the individual job postings.
Step #3 – Read the job description, responsibilities, and requirements for each job posting. You’ll notice that certain buzzwords keep showing up in several postings. These will serve as your keywords.
Step #4 – Use your chosen keywords in your headline, summary, experience, and content where appropriate.
3. Get backlinks to your profile.
You’re likely familiar with the importance of backlinks as a ranking signal on Google.
The same goes for LinkedIn. The more backlinks you have, the higher your profile will rank in organic search.
This means more views and overall activity on your profile.
Here’s what you can do.
- Link to your profile from your blog.
- Add a link in your author bio when you guest post on other sites.
- Link from your other social media profiles.
4. Optimize your anchor links.
You can add up to three of your websites on your LinkedIn profile.
When you type in your URL, click on the drop-down menu on the right and select “Other.” You can then type in a relevant keyword to describe your URL.
5. Create a custom profile URL.
Your LinkedIn profile will come with a default URL.
It will contain a long line of letters and numbers that mean nothing to your business.
Fortunately, you have the opportunity to create a custom URL for your profile. It’s best to use your full name.
If your name is already taken, you can add a middle initial or any other modifier like I did.
The point of this is to have a URL that someone can immediately recognize as yours. It will be easier to find your profile and to make connections.
6. Have as many connections as possible.
The more connections you have, the more likely your profile will be surfaced by LinkedIn’s search algorithm.
First-, second-, third-, and group-level connections are all evaluated for search results.
So connect with as many people as possible. In part two, I’ll give you a strategy for building a vast and engaged network.
7. Optimize your images.
Google indexes images heavily.
Your headshot, background banner, and other images should be named before you upload them to LinkedIn.
I recommend using your keywords to name your photos. This way, when someone uses that same search query, they’ll find your image and your profile.
For example: If you want to drive content marketing leads, you can name your headshot “Content marketing professional.”
If local SEO is part of your strategy, include your location.
Now that you’ve optimized your profile for search, let’s focus on making it more compelling.
LinkedIn offers several features that can make up your profile.
I’m not concerned with every single one of them.
Some…
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