LinkedIn lead generation is the process of identifying, qualifying, and connecting with potential customers on LinkedIn. With over 722 million users worldwide, LinkedIn is one of the most effective platforms for B2B lead generation. However, generating leads on LinkedIn requires having a strategy in place. Here are some tips on how to get started with LinkedIn lead generation.
Define your target audience
The first step is identifying who your ideal customers are. What industry are they in? What is their role or job title? What challenges do they face that your product or service can solve? Outline relevant demographic and firmographic details like company size, location, technologies used, etc. Having a clear understanding of who you want to target will allow you to tailor your messaging and outreach accordingly.
Optimize your LinkedIn profile
Make sure your personal LinkedIn profile is fleshed out and represents you and your business appropriately. Include an up-to-date profile photo, headline, summary, work experience, skills, education, certifications, recommendations, and any other relevant details. This gives people more context about you and shows up prominently in search results. The same goes for your LinkedIn Company Page – complete all sections and use it as an opportunity to demonstrate thought leadership.
Expand your network
Grow your LinkedIn network by connecting with both existing contacts as well as new prospects. Aim to connect with both decision makers and influencers at your target companies. Avoid spamming connection requests and instead personalize invitations. Also consider getting LinkedIn Sales Navigator to unlock additional networking capabilities.
Ways to expand your network:
- Connect with coworkers and clients
- Import contacts from your email and CRM
- Join relevant LinkedIn Groups
- Connect with people who engage with your content
- Search for prospects by job title and company
- Follow companies to see their employees
Publish engaging content
Publish relevant and valuable content to your LinkedIn profile and Company Page. This content should target your ideal customers’ pain points and establish your brand as a thought leader. Content can include long-form posts, articles, infographics, case studies, how-to guides, and more. Promote your best performing content through paid LinkedIn ads.
Types of content to create:
- Industry news and trends
- Product updates and launches
- Expert tips and how-to’s
- Research data and statistics
- Whitepapers and ebooks
- Webinars and videos
Utilize advanced search
Leverage LinkedIn’s advanced search capabilities to find your ideal prospects more easily. You can search by criteria like job title, company, location, school, skills, groups, keywords, and more. Save these advanced searches so you have an always up-to-date list of prospects.
Examples of advanced search filters:
- VP of Sales at Fortune 500 companies in California
- Founders of healthcare startups
- C-level executives in the retail industry with over 10,000 employees
- Marketing managers who are group members of “Content Marketing Professionals”
Send personalized connection requests
When reaching out to connect with prospects, always customize your invitation with a personal note rather than just sending generic connection requests. Reference shared connections, groups, content they posted, or companies to increase open and response rates.
Tips for sending effective connection requests:
- Mention common ground and shared connections
- Explain why you want to connect with them
- Keep your ask clear and specific
- Use a warm and personable tone
- Follow up if they don’t respond initially
Leverage your connections
Tap into the power of your first-degree LinkedIn connections to expand your reach. Ask for introductions to connections of connections (second-degree connections) at your target companies. People are much more likely to accept invites from those they are connected to.
Ways to leverage your connections:
- View your connections by company to ID prospects
- Sort connections by most influential to get referrals
- Join Project Catalyst to facilitate introductions
- Offer recommendations to connections in exchange
- Collaborate with connections on content
Engage in LinkedIn Groups
Join and actively participate in LinkedIn Groups related to your target audience and niche. Groups allow you to connect directly with prospects, establish yourself as an expert, promote your content, and identify influencers.
Tips for effectively leveraging LinkedIn Groups:
- Join at least 5-10 relevant, active groups
- Monitor discussions and provide value contributions
- Share your own content and thought leadership
- Connect with active members and group managers
- Turn online connections into offline conversations
Run targeted LinkedIn ads
LinkedIn advertising allows you to get your content, offers, and messages directly in front of your target audience. You can target by location, company, job role, LinkedIn activity, and more. Test different objectives, placements, creatives, audiences, and bids to determine the most effective strategy.
LinkedIn ad types to consider:
- Sponsored Content – Attention objective
- Message Ads – Brand awareness objective
- Text Ads – Traffic objective
- Dynamic Ads – Conversion objective
Retarget website visitors
Install the LinkedIn Insight Tag on your website to unlock visitor analytics and retargeting capabilities. You can then create ads and target prospects who have already visited specific pages on your site. This allows you to continue nurturing and engaging known interested prospects.
Examples of retargeting ad triggers:
- Visited pricing page
- Watched product demo video
- Downloaded ebook or whitepaper
- Reached checkout but did not purchase
Integrate with marketing automation
Connect your LinkedIn campaign with marketing automation software like Marketo or Eloqua. This allows you to capture LinkedIn prospect activity and behavior data and trigger customized nurture campaigns based on their engagement. Automating follow-ups increases conversion rates.
LinkedIn data you can capture for automation:
- Profile views
- Content views and engagement
- Ad clicks and conversions
- Lead gen form submissions
- InMail open and response rates
Measure results and optimize
Continuously measure the results of your LinkedIn lead generation efforts using campaign analytics. Track metrics like shares, clicks, conversions, cost per lead, and pipeline influenced revenue. Use this data to double down on top performing campaigns and refreshing underperforming ones.
Key LinkedIn campaign analytics to monitor:
- Impressions
- Clicks
- Engagement rate
- Leads generated
- Cost per lead
- Conversion rate
- Pipeline influenced revenue
Conclusion
With the right strategy, LinkedIn can be an incredibly powerful platform for generating quality B2B leads. Focus on targeting your ideal customers, creating engaging content, executing personalized outreach, and leveraging built-in LinkedIn tools. Measure and optimize your performance over time. Integrate with your marketing automation platforms. Soon you will have a predictable system for driving pipeline and revenue through LinkedIn lead generation.
