With an abundance of analytics and marketing tools, LinkedIn can sometimes be overwhelming. However, 94% of B2B marketers are using LinkedIn so it’s time that you start using it effectively and that’s where this post comes in handy.

When researching a social media strategy, there is a ton of conflicting information about what you should be doing as a marketer. This has led to some confusion about which social channels to have a presence on and a few misconceptions. So, let’s look at some important LinkedIn data so that you can shape a LinkedIn strategy based on FACT and not our OPINION.

• 
  LinkedIn has over 630 million regular users
• Over 9 million businesses have a LinkedIn presence
• 76% of executives from Fortune 500 companies are on LinkedIn
• Half of all LinkedIn users report that they’d buy from a company they’ve interacted with on LinkedIn

So we’ve established that LinkedIn is valuable, are you ready to start generating leads on this platform today? Let’s explore your many options!

Optimize Your Personal Profile

It’s important to optimize your personal profile to position yourself as a thought leader in your industry and attract people to your brand with your humanized LinkedIn presence.

This involves filling out your education, work history, skills, etc. Also, don’t underestimate the importance of a professional headshot.

Ask your connections to endorse you so that you have some “social proof” on your profile when it’s visited by prospects.

Be sure to keyword optimize your profile so that you show up in relevant searches.

Spruce Up Your Business Profile

You wouldn’t expect to generate leads with a poor website experience so apply this logic to your LinkedIn page. 

Your brand’s LinkedIn page should be informative and engaging. Informative in the sense that you clearly state what your company does. Engaging in terms of a variety of posts including text, links, images, and videos.

Include your company’s website, logo and important information.

Be sure to post thought leadership content to position your brand as a thought leader in your space.

Connect With the Right People

Your LinkedIn connections should be quality over quantity. Don’t get hung up with making a lot of contacts and instead, connect with people strategically.

• Target consumers: Consult your buyer personas and connect with them on LinkedIn. When you invite them into your network, accompany your request with a short but personalized note.

• Current consumers: Email your consumers and invite them to connect with you on LinkedIn. Then, look at other professionals that they are connected with and connect with them as well.

• Thought leaders: Identify thought leaders in your industry and connect with them. It’s good to get on their radar so that you can plan strategic partnerships with them.

Create Engaging Posts

It’s crucial to maintain a solid presence on LinkedIn. For both, your personal profile and your business profile, you should post at least twice a week.

Posts with images convert a lot higher than posts without. Same with video content. 

Change up the type of content you share on LinkedIn. Here are some ideas:

• 
  Share your blog posts
• Share a thought leaders piece of content
• Share behind the scenes pictures and videos from your brand
• Ask a thought provoking question and have your connections weigh in
• Share industry statistics

Sponsor Your Best Content

Sponsoring updates is one of the best ways to generate leads on LinkedIn. Be strategic in this tactic and sponsor the type of content that generates leads like a white paper or webinar.

Thanks to all of LinkedIn’s very specific filters, you can get your content in front of the right people.

Another plus when it comes to sponsoring content on LinkedIn is that you don’t have to have a big budget. You can put as much money toward your content as you want and even A/B test different messages.

Utilize InMail

InMail allows you to send cold emails to your target consumers. Since you don’t have to be connected with them, you can reach more professionals.

What we like about InMail is that LinkedIn has precautions in place so that members don’t get too many InMails so the messages don’t come across as spammy like traditional email. 

Join LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn does a great job with super targeted groups. There are a ton of groups that align with your industry with a simple search. 

Once you’re a member of a group, be mindful of your posts. Don’t spam the group with your content and requests to share. Instead, occasionally share your content and ask for feedback. Read the content other group members are posting and comment on it. Share group members’ content on your other social channels. Bottom line, give more than you ask. 

Groups are great for networking with your target consumers. Just be sure you engage a few times before you try to pitch them or have them sign up to be in your network.

Want to learn more about LinkedIn groups? Check out their guide on the topic here.

Familiarize Yourself With LinkedIn ads

Creating ads and targeting new leads on LinkedIn is a lot more customizable than ads on other platforms. So, if you’re willing to spend a little bit, you’ll likely be really happy with the ROI.

You can upload your own target leads and the accompanying demographics or you can use LinkedIn’s super detailed filters to target leads with traits like:



• Location
• Job role
• Company size
• Industry
• Education level
• And more!

Keep in mind that you need an appealing CTA. Instead of asking people to fill out a form to get in touch with you, offer them something worthwhile like an eBook. 

Do you use LinkedIn for lead gen? Do you have any tips? We’d love to hear all about it in the comments below!