“Do business where business is done.”
That’s the marketing copy that LinkedIn has chosen for this season. I’m happy to report that real numbers indeed back it. LinkedIn stands only second in popularity when it comes to B2B marketing. With over 760 million users, the platform is designed to kick-start the entrepreneurial mind and hold on to its visitors through valuable connections.
That’s precisely where LinkedIn strikes gold. While other social media outlets are mostly likes-driven, LinkedIn focuses on helping you reach your target audience with the utmost ease.
But, how do you ace LinkedIn? And more importantly, how do you find the people who’d want to do business with you?
While finding your perfect buyer is easy with the platform’s advanced search, converting them is what makes a business successful, especially when your buyer is another business itself. Here are five tricks, tools, and strategies to help you up your game and bring in those valuable leads.
Spice Up Your Company Page to Reflect Your Potential
To begin the lead generation phase, you need to give your prospects some stronghold to reach out to. Your company page is your first point of contact, a bridge between the social media platform and your own website.
So, don’t just copy your web content and stick it across the page like a noob. Your LinkedIn company page should be intriguing enough to make people want to look further. Reposting your blog links or product page might keep you active, but they do not have the power to deliver that conversion-level engagement.
- Create an aesthetic through banners, visuals, logo and profile pictures consistent with your brand imagery. These images are the stepping stone to your other content. Analyse your competitors and leverage strengths to create an environment that feels unique to your audience.
- 2000 characters. That’s the limit you have to describe your company. Build on the consumer pain points, explain the value and then enlighten them about your services. Remember to keep it simple and sparkling.
- Become a thought leader in your industry by posting blogs, infographics and other relevant content that gives your audience valuable information. Consistency and execution are your best friends here.
Take Ernst & Young, for example. While accounting may be considered one of the blandest professions creatively, E&Y has opted for a rather colourful banner with interesting copy. The visuals match the brand palette and create a seamless look between the company and the banner image. Since the first thing you notice is a question, a user is bound to scroll down searching for an answer.
Optimize, Optimize and Optimize
We are here to be found. LinkedIn is not only about outbound marketing and searching for people endlessly. The social media platform can become one of your biggest inbound lead generation machines in no time.
To be relevant, you need to find out what your target audience is searching for. Stack that against the services you provide, and voila, you have an initial understanding of which keywords to place on your pages.
You only need to apply the same rules of SEO to your LinkedIn page. Whether that be the keyword placement or backlinks through employee connections, optimize and re-optimize your content to become highly visible.
Hootsuite makes it abundantly clear through its headline, description and banner that it can take care of anything related to social media. Now when a business searches for “social media management,” Hootsuite is always ready to stand first in line.
Engagement is a Two-Way Street
First things first, you need to publish content, and you need to publish it regularly. Keeping the informative value high, you can lure potential customers and industry leaders to what you have to say.
But, this only works if you go all out and support them too. Reply, comment and like the content that is posted by others to spark a conversation. The best sales pitches don’t talk about the product. They instead reflect what the people behind the product are capable of.
Build relationships that last. Since most professionals on LinkedIn are decision-makers, these connections are bound to bear fruit in the future.
Plus, by building a strong network, the chances of getting recommendations and insight into your core consumers can be amplified significantly.
Create a Showcase Page
As a business, you may have various divisions that target different audiences. To facilitate such diverse enterprises, LinkedIn offers an extension to your company page known as Showcase Pages.
Showcase Pages create a separate spotlight for your brand, unit or initiative. The key to deciding whether you need a showcase page is asking yourself these three questions –
- Do I have a brand that stands out from the rest of the company?
- Does that brand have its own audience?
- Can I create unique content for them?
If your answer to all these questions is yes, then you’re ready to build a Showcase Page. Click on the admin tools button and get started.
An essential tool for B2B marketing, Showcase Pages allow you to target your audience with the right kind of information. They allow you to develop an interest in your products and build relationships with consumers at the same time.
Adobe Creative Cloud is an excellent example of how to leverage your products as individual brands. It is specially geared towards talking about the software and services offered by the brand. The page shown above captures any prospective consumers that are only interested in the Creative Cloud rather than the whole Adobe ecosystem.
Your Employees Are Your Biggest Influencers
Your employee on LinkedIn is a representative of the company. When they engage, you receive recognition. As a part of your organization, if an employee puts out their opinions and thoughts that align with your branding goals, you should re-share them on your company page to magnify the reach.
This kind of content works well because people like other people. It lends your company a human touch rather than just being an enterprise behind a logo. If one of your colleagues stands to become a thought leader in the industry, your company will ride the wave alongside him to capture the audience’s attention.
When people who work for the company show belief in its mission and vision, it positively impacts your brand perception. Since every employee, whether on a junior or executive level, has their own set of connections, your reach can be augmented through their actions.
Conclusion
Now, you know what, you know why and you know how.
LinkedIn can be one of the most valuable tools in your digital arsenal if used correctly. Working as a B2B sales funnel, it is poised to become a one-stop information desk for everything your company sells and represents. With the right strategies mentioned above, you can use this informative channel as a means to convert your prospects into high-value leads.
While all theories sound good when heard, the real test is in the execution. Remember to execute consistently. Test the different forms of content and recognize patterns over time to establish a marketing strategy you can bank on.
So, step it up and get ready to bring in the business.
