The idea of setting aside LinkedIn as a tool for job-seeking while considering to ramp up the social media strategy is still relevant. With a user base of 500 million, LinkedIn has established itself as a magnificent tool for sales and marketing which is 277 percent more successful than other social media platforms.
But utilizing LinkedIn to the best of its capabilities has to be an end-to-end process. For instance, you can not just jump into bombarding users with promotional messages. For a LinkedIn strategy to prosper for finding and approaching clients, you need to update your profile, ramp up user activity, and engage with individuals on the platform.
Let’s tackle these essentials and learn how we can leverage LinkedIn to reach potential clients:
Make a company page
Let’s say you are trying to establish yourself as a legitimate brand and want your prospects to see you as a credible source. How do you achieve that? Make a company page.
A LinkedIn page will help you with marking your digital presence and showcase your brand to professionals. Let’s say you run a content marketing agency, so your page should be a way of introducing your brand to the 500 million people on this social networking platform.
Update all the necessary sections but you need to tackle the most important aspects of it as well. For instance, the profile picture, cover picture, summary, etc. are really important for your profile. Further, you need to make sure that you have your LinkedIn headline updated as well. Think of it as a meta title of your profile which will help users decide whether or not they should click on your profile.
Your end goal is to attract prospects to your profile which is what a well-optimized page will help you achieve.
Build your network
The basic functioning of any social media platform is that you can connect with anyone from any part of the world. Though this speaks volumes about the achievements of technological advancements it does little for a local furniture company.
So, be selective about the individuals you are targeting according to your industry. This is why it is important to network with professionals who have similar interests. Further, where the location is a constraint, LinkedIn allows you to use a nearby feature as well. This feature will help you connect with professionals within 50 km.
But why should you focus on building your network anyway? The idea of indulging in cold outreach on LinkedIn is not ideal since nobody likes to be spammed. That is why you are trying to build a common ground between you and a potential prospect. Which is what warm leads represent.
Leverage InMail
LinkedIn is three times more effective than a regular e-mail. InMail is a premium feature that allows you to reach out to practically anyone on LinkedIn. The question is, should you?
It has been established that InMail is relatively more effective than an email but you should not reach out to just anyone. Indulging in such promotional activities will only harm your reputation.
So, only reach out to people who have similar interests as you. For instance, if you run a furniture business, you can find prospects via the advanced search option. You can use filters on LinkedIn based on location, industry, language, etc. and narrow down the search results to professionals who have similar interests.
Join groups
How does joining groups help you? The chances of receiving a response with someone who is part of the same group as you are 21 percent higher than reaching out with no common ground. Hence, joining groups is highly important while approaching clients and finding potential prospects.
The idea of a group on LinkedIn has to be based on a common topic that everyone who is on the list must have an interest in. Since you are in the company of like-minded professionals, you need to establish your authority by sharing tips, articles, infographics, etc.
Keep posting updates on groups so that your name stays relevant among the members and improves brand visibility. These activities will help you build your network and find potential prospects.
Utilize recommendations & endorsements
Recommendations & endorsements are somewhat like testimonials. They help you showcase your profile and services as a credible source.
For instance, you worked with a client who wrote you a stellar recommendation where he talked of great things about your services. Or, an acquaintance you liaised with endorsed one of your mentioned skills.
Seeing these testimonials while scrolling through your profile, a potential prospect is sure to see you as a legitimate partner and imminently help you generate leads.
Final word
To end, LinkedIn is still under-utilized and it is safe to say that it still has not reached a saturation point. So, take advantage of this platform and find potential prospects and reach out to them by employing the tips mentioned above.
