As a sales representative and consultant at Alexander’s I am always looking to increase lead generation. I know there are people out there that can benefit from our print and marketing services, but finding them requires work. LinkedIn is one of the best tools to connect with potential clients. However, like other social networking sites, if you don’t use the site strategically, LinkedIn can be a time-waster rather than a productive tool.  Over 225 million people use LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network. But how many of these millions are getting the most they can out of the service?

At its most basic level, LinkedIn allows you to host your professional identity in an easily searchable and engageable online profile. At a more complex level, the service allows you to join and participate in groups, create and engage in discussions, host a business page and ultimately network in a way that produces tangible business leads.

So if there are leads to be found, how do you find them? Before we answer that question, let’s take a look at what we know about the network:

  • 2.9 million companies have LinkedIn pages
  • More than 2.1 million groups exist on LinkedIn
  • The average user spends 17 minutes on the site each month.
  • 90% of LinkedIn users think the site is useful because it helps them connect with prospective clients, is more professional than Facebook and opens up hiring to people they wouldn’t regularly meet
  • LinkedIn’s lead generation is considerably higher than that of Facebook or Twitter in both B2B and B2C

The fact that 90% of LinkedIn users perceive the site as being useful means you have a huge audience that is predisposed to listening to what you have to say. They believe there is value to be found in LinkedIn. So if you have value to offer, it’s time for you to determine who you can offer the most value, who can offer you the most value, and to start leveraging LinkedIn to get the attention of those individuals.

Here are a few tips to start generating leads:

  • Build a rich personal profile: This is the first step. If you’re going to start engaging anyone on LinkedIn, they need to be able to quickly see that you’re real, intelligent and can do what you say you can do. A quality profile can show them that.
  • Use groups wisely: If 2.1 million groups exist on LinkedIn, all groups must be useful, right? Wrong. At least not to you. Find the groups that match your industry and find the groups where potential leads are already actively conversing. Once you’ve found the right group, start engaging the conversation that’s already happening. If you’re in the right place, you’ll fit right in, and you’ll start to establish some local credibility based on your expertise. Engage, engage, engage.
  • Share content: Establishing credibility is a key part of finding leads. Leads come because you are perceived as an expert in your field. Start sparking discussion by sharing content in groups or in the LinkedIn feed.
  • Reach out to individuals: Once you’ve joined the larger conversation that is happening on LinkedIn, people you’ve never met outside of LinkedIn will begin liking what you share or responding to your comments in group discussions. Reach out to these people! The whole reason they’re on LinkedIn is because they believe there is value to be found on the site. Just like networking in the real world, you are establishing relationships with these people. So once you’ve engaged someone, and they’ve engaged you back, don’t be afraid to take the next appropriate step towards creating a lead.
  • Ask the following before logging on: What is my purpose of being on the site right now? Am I sharing content? Engaging a group discussion? Catching up on industry news? Building on leads? LinkedIn, like many social networks, is a vortex of information that can quickly suck down your time if you’re cruising through aimlessly.

LinkedIn has a great deal of untapped value. If you’re looking for legitimate business leads, don’t just use the site as a glorified business profile, create a strategy, put a few minutes in each day to build your network.

Connect with Alexander’s on LinkedIn, and engage with us. We’d love to hear from you.

 

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