Let’s start with some facts and figures.
- LinkedIn has more than 600 million members.
- B2B marketers report that 80% of their social media leads come from LinkedIn.
- LinkedIn drives more than 50% of social traffic to B2B sites and is considered the most credible source of content.
Among the major social media platforms, LinkedIn has consistently been shown to be the most effective for lead generation. In fact, LinkedIn generates the highest visitor-to-lead conversion rate of any social network at 2.74%. That is more than Twitter (.69%) and Facebook (.77%) combined.
Another study by Hubspot found that LinkedIn is 277% more effective at generating leads than Facebook and Twitter.
The bottom line is that LinkedIn works for B2B lead generation. And, let’s be honest, Leads are what most B2B marketers want from social media. Brand awareness and customer interaction are certainly valid objectives for social media, but leads are the most direct route to a sale.
One reason why LinkedIn is so effective has to do with demographics. A significant percentage of LinkedIn users are influential, senior-level decision makers.
In addition, LinkedIn users turn to the platform for networking and connecting. B2B buyers research suppliers by looking at their LinkedIn profiles and search for suppliers among shared connections.
How to Begin
Of course, generating leads through LinkedIn does not just magically happen. You have to properly leverage your presence on the platform. Begin by creating a compelling personal profile and building your company page.
Personal Profile
Think of your LinkedIn profile as an amped-up interactive business card or resume. The first step is to craft an informative profile headline.
Your profile headline gives people a short, memorable way to understand who you are in a professional context. Think of the headline as the slogan for your professional brand.
Creative headlines attract attention and show the viewer how they can connect with you because of what you can do for them. As an example, consider Dan Stuart’s headline below.
If you choose to post a photograph — and we recommend that you do — select a professional, high-quality headshot of you alone.
The second step is to create a professional summary. Your summary statement should be concise and confident. Reference your status, your value, and qualifications. If you are the company owner, mention your strategic focus and customer promise.
Present your summary statement in short blocks of text for easy reading. Bullet points are great, too.
Company Page
The company page will reflect your company brand and reference your mission, vision, services and the clients you serve.
Lead with relevant keywords and phrases that describe your company’s mission and purpose (LinkedIn members can search by keywords, so include words and phrases that describe your business, expertise, and industry focus).
Be consistent with your brand elements logo, colors, and images and remember to add your company’s tagline.
The Next Step
Once your personal profile and company page are set, it’s time to develop a content strategy, begin networking, and leverage other advanced techniques to increase your reach and generate leads. This is the topic for our next blog.
NWI Business Solutions
At NWI, our unique and effective method of bridging sales and marketing concepts into one comprehensive business development strategy enables us to provide compelling growth solutions for our clients. For help with your LinkedIn strategy, lead generation or other business challenge give us a call.
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