LinkedIn MarketingAs B2B marketing budgets become increasingly stretched, sales and marketing professionals are constantly looking for better methods to increase outreach, engagement and lead generation that are effective, efficient and deliver maximum return on investment.

There are many established ways that you can raise your company’s profile and generate leads, such as paid advertising, search engine optimisation, email marketing and cold calling, but one of the most effective ways is by utilising the power of LinkedIn. However, it’s not quite as simple as creating a profile, adding some data and hoping that will do the trick.

With over 660 million users worldwide, LinkedIn can be an effective marketing and lead generation tool if used correctly.  If you use LinkedIn as part of your integrated sales and marketing strategy, then it has the potential to build brand awareness, create interest and start proper business conversations with your perfect target prospects, resulting in more of the right kind of customers.

Using LinkedIn to build your brand and generate leads

Have a look through your contacts on LinkedIn. You’ll find many of them have a profile that contains the bare minimum and their page hasn’t been updated since it was created. To help you get the most out of LinkedIn for your business, we have put together this guide:

  • Make a good first impression.

Choose a business-like, but welcoming profile picture, and add a background photo to grab your target audience’s attention – ensure that they are easy to identify with your brand when visitors look at your page.  While you are at it, you can customise your LinkedIn URL which will make you look more accessible and professional.

  • Use your headline to create impact

Use the headline to create a lasting impression that tells your target audience exactly what you can do for them.  Don’t make it a sales pitch, make it all about results for them.

  • Use keywords to get found when people are searching for your products and services

Keywords can help make your LinkedIn page easier to find both inside and from outside LinkedIn. Carefully choose keywords that you want to be found for and add them to the relevant sections within your LinkedIn profile for maximum optimisation.

  • Add and share articles

Write and share case studies, white papers, updates from professional bodies, as well as commenting on articles in trade magazines.  LinkedIn likes to keep the conversation inside LinkedIn so it’s probably best to repurpose blogs from your website as a post or article on LinkedIn.

  • Post regular company updates

Got some company news to share? Don’t forget to post it on your LinkedIn page, but don’t forget to keep it interesting, relevant and engaging and natural images of real people will work better than stock images.

  • Get your staff to connect with you

If members of your staff have a profile, ask them if they would like to link to the company page – but don’t make them feel like they have to!

  • Create a company page

Create a company page with your branding and a background image that demonstrates what you do quickly and effectively and invite your contacts to follow you.  This will help you to build a list of followers and to present a professional image.

  • Keep your content relevant and up to date

It is important to keep your content fresh, up to date and relevant to ensure that visitors who view your page keep coming back.

  • Join LinkedIn Groups to improve your visibility

Join groups that have relevance to your business, or those that have important business updates.  Make sure that you communicate with these groups to ensure that your business is noticed. You could also create a group so that you can direct the narrative and grow your connections.

  • Share your LinkedIn profile with other social media platforms

Don’t forget other social media platforms. You can add your Twitter account to your LinkedIn profile and then share updates across platforms, thereby growing both your LinkedIn connections and Twitter followers at the same time.

  • Add a link to your company profile page on your website

Add your company profile link to your website to ensure you are easily accessible. You should also add your profile link to your email signature.

Contact us to discover more about improving your lead generation through LinkedIn

The above are just a few of the ways you can make the most of your LinkedIn page for your business growth lead generation.   Stratique helps our B2B clients to find, connect and nurture high-quality business relationships.  If you would like further information, any advice on building an effective LinkedIn strategy, or to find out how we can help you with your LinkedIn lead generation, please contact the Stratique team today for a free and confidential discussion.