What is a lead gen form on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is one of the most popular social media platforms for professionals and businesses. With over 850 million members worldwide, it provides a great opportunity for lead generation and conversions. One of the most effective ways to generate leads on LinkedIn is by using lead gen forms.

What is a Lead Gen Form?

A lead gen form, also known as a lead capture form, is a web form that allows you to collect contact information and other details from your target audience. This information helps you identify and qualify potential customers or clients for your business.

On LinkedIn, lead gen forms can be embedded into your Company Page, Showcase Pages, or Sponsored Content ads. When a viewer interacts with your content and fills out the form, you receive their contact information directly into your CRM or email.

Benefits of Using Lead Gen Forms on LinkedIn

Here are some of the main benefits of using lead gen forms on LinkedIn:

• Direct access to your target audience – LinkedIn provides targeting options to ensure your forms are shown to the right people.
• High-quality leads – LinkedIn members are largely professional users who are more likely to convert compared to other social networks.
• Lead nurturing – You can use the leads captured to nurture prospects by providing relevant content over time.
• Measurable results – LinkedIn provides statistics on lead gen form views, submissions, and conversions.
• Brand awareness – Well-designed forms highlight your brand and offerings to prospects.
• Cost-effective – LinkedIn lead gen ads are very affordable considering the quality of the leads generated.

Types of Lead Gen Forms on LinkedIn

There are different types of lead gen forms you can use on LinkedIn to capture leads:

Contact Information Forms

These simple forms just ask for basic contact details like name, email, phone number, company, and job title. They work well for bottom-of-the-funnel prospects who already know your brand.

Demo Request Forms

These forms invite prospects to sign up for a product demo, trial, or free consultation. They are great for capturing leads looking to actively evaluate your solution.

Content Download Forms

These forms offer gated access to premium content assets like ebooks, whitepapers, or reports in exchange for contact information. They help attract new prospects.

Newsletter Signup Forms

These forms allow prospects to subscribe to receive your newsletters, blogs, and other content updates. This helps nurture leads with regular communication.

Event Registration Forms

These forms collect RSVPs for your upcoming webinars, events, and training sessions. They are useful for promoting events and generating quality registrations.

Best Practices for Lead Gen Forms on LinkedIn

Here are some best practices to follow when creating lead gen forms for LinkedIn:

• Keep the forms short and concise – only ask for fields that are absolutely necessary.
• Offer a compelling incentive like content or discounts to encourage form fills.
• Segment your audience for targeted lead gen campaigns.
• A/B test different headlines, descriptions and call-to-action for optimization.
• Thank users after they submit the form and follow up quickly.
• Monitor lead quality and continuously improve targeting and messaging.
• Ensure compliance with LinkedIn‟s terms of service and lead gen policies.

How to Create a Lead Gen Form on LinkedIn

Here are the key steps to create an effective lead gen form for your LinkedIn campaigns:

1. Choose Your Objective – What is the goal of this campaign? Lead generation, free trial sign-ups, content downloads etc.
2. Identify Your Target Audience – Which titles, skills, companies should you target? Use LinkedIn‟s targeting to reach the right people.
3. Create Compelling Ad Creative – Design attention-grabbing ad images, headlines and text related to your campaign objective.
4. Set Up The Lead Gen Form – Use LinkedIn‟s form builder to add the right fields and configure lead delivery.
5. Write a Follow-Up Sequence – Create automated follow-up messages to nurture leads after form submission.
6. Monitor Performance – Check form submission rates, lead quality, and optimization opportunities.

Always A/B test multiple variations of your forms to figure out what works best.

Lead Gen Form vs Contact Form

Here is the difference between a lead gen form and a basic contact form:

In summary, lead gen forms help capture and qualify high intent prospects while contact forms just enable web visitors to contact you.

Tips for Optimizing LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms

Here are some tips to optimize your LinkedIn lead gen forms for better conversion rates:

• Place the form prominently in the ad creative so it is highly visible.
• Keep the form short with only highly relevant fields for faster fills.
• Use LinkedIn‟s lead gen metrics to understand drop-offs and optimize form completion rate.
• Add a compelling header and brief paragraph above the form explaining the benefits of filling it.
• Personalize the Thank You message after submitting the form for better experience.
• Test using LinkedIn‟s built-in lead gen forms vs coding custom forms to compare performance.
• Experiment with different calls-to-action like “Request a Demo”, “Download Now” etc.
• Use LinkedIn‟s lead gen lead rating feature to focus on highest quality prospects.
• Follow up quickly with high quality leads to increase conversion rates.

ideas for lead magnets and gated content to use with forms

Here are some effective lead magnet and gated content ideas to use with LinkedIn lead gen forms:

• Ebooks – For example, an “Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn Lead Generation”. Provide valuable education and insights.
• Whitepapers – In-depth guides on topics like optimizing sales pipelines or lead scoring.
• Templates – Such as editable proposal templates, social media calendars, ROI calculators.
• Checklists – Useful listicles like a sales checklist, LinkedIn optimization checklist.
• Presentations – Slideshares on your product capabilities or industry trends.
• Videos – For example, a demo video walking through your product’s capabilities.
• Webinars – Educational webinars or product release previews.
• Free Trials – Limited time free access to your software or premium tools.
• Discount Coupons – Providing exclusive discounts makes an attractive offer.

The key is providing truly useful content that solves your target audience’s needs and challenges in exchange for their lead information.

questions to include in LinkedIn lead gen forms

Here are some recommended questions to include in LinkedIn lead gen forms for better lead qualification:

• Name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Company name
• Job title
• Company size or number of employees
• Industry
• Specific role or department (Sales, Marketing, IT etc.)
• Business challenges or pain points
• Current solutions used
• Timeline for solution evaluation or purchase
• Budget range
• Decision making authority
• Additional comments or questions

Segment your audience to only ask the most relevant questions per lead gen campaign. Avoid making forms too long. Get key qualifying details upfront in the form, and follow up for additional information after initial lead capture.

tips for writing effective LinkedIn lead gen form copy

Here are some tips for writing effective copy for your LinkedIn lead gen forms:

• Focus on communicating the value proposition and benefits of filling out the form.
• Use a compelling, benefit-driven headline that speaks to the target audience.
• Keep language clear, conversational, and friendly to encourage form fills.
• Highlight the exclusive offer they will receive for filling out the form.
• Use urgency and scarcity to create excitement (e.g. limited spots available).
• Make the Call To Action descriptive (e.g. Reserve Your Spot vs Submit).
• Place supporting text above the form explaining why they should fill it out.
• Reassure prospects their information will remain private and secure.
• Thank users after submitting and inform next steps.
• Use qualifiers to screen visitors (e.g. This [ebook] is for [VPs of Sales]).

Always split test different copy variations to optimize conversion rates over time.

common mistakes to avoid

Here are some common mistakes to avoid when creating LinkedIn lead gen forms:

• Asking for too much information upfront and making the form too long
• Using vague or generic headlines that don’t attract attention
• Not clearly communicating the offer or incentive for filling out the form
• Using small or hidden call-to-action buttons that blend in
• Placing the form in an inconspicuous part of the ad or content
• Not having a follow-up sequence in place after lead form submission
• Not thanking and providing value to prospects after they submit the form
• Not segmenting and targeting the audience specifically for each campaign
• Not monitoring lead quality or optimizing over time based on insights
• Not A/B testing form copy, placement and design

By avoiding these mistakes, you can create high converting lead gen forms on LinkedIn that deliver quality leads for your business.

Conclusion

LinkedIn’s lead gen forms provide a powerful way to capture quality leads and grow your business. By following LinkedIn’s best practices, crafting compelling copy, and continuously optimizing your forms, you can generate a steady stream of leads from LinkedIn. Pay close attention to targeting the right audience and crafting an attractive incentive. With a well-planned lead gen strategy, LinkedIn can become a go-to source for inbound leads for your business.