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With more than 450 million users worldwide, LinkedIn is a very powerful tool for B2B marketing. Leverage your own profile, LinkedIn group membership, published content, and company pages to help your B2B business grow. Below, we’ll share some tips for making new connections, finding leads, and growing sales.
Customize Your Profile
In order to make the most of your presence on LinkedIn, you should customize your page to make it easier for leads to find you. The first step is to make your profile public so anyone can view it. A personalized URL is another key feature that will help your future customers find you. Creating a LinkedIn URL that is recognizable, which you can do by following these instructions, can also help you earn a higher ranking in search engine results.
It doesn’t end when your prospects have found your profile, however. Remember that you need to convey a sense of professionalism, and maintaining an updated profile picture and header image is essential. Consider using a header image that aligns well with your business branding, and choose professional attire for your profile image.
See Who’s Viewed Your Profile
When you are building new B2B connections and generating leads, one helpful tool that LinkedIn provides is the ability to see who has visited your page. Just find the “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” button in the “Profile” dropdown menu. Use this tool to open a dialogue, then send an invite to connect with users who have visited your page. You can also use this tool to compare the strength of your profile to that of your colleagues and competitors.
Join and Create LinkedIn Groups
Joining LinkedIn Groups can give you access to leads in your target demographic and insight into the conversations they’re having. LinkedIn Groups are arranged by industry, so you can join groups that revolve around topics that are relevant to your business. Joining groups makes it easier to message prospective connections and view their profiles because you can open a dialogue and view profiles of other group members, even if you’re not connected.
Alternatively, you could start your own group. When you are the group creator, you can view contact information and profile data for all group members. Moreover, emailing members using LinkedIn announcements helps you start conversations about emerging industry trends, build your reputation, and discover leads.
Be a Thought Leader—Publish Content
Posting original content on LinkedIn helps establish your credibility and influence with B2B customers. Here are some of the ways you can publish content on LinkedIn:
- LinkedIn Publishing
LinkedIn displays your content in the same way you’ve experienced on other social networks. This is your chance to draft and share articles related to your area of expertise on a platform that is already frequented by your potential customers. For extra exposure, take the time to also comment on articles shared by your connections, and use all of this to start a dialogue with your prospects.
- Write Blog Posts
Build your reputation as a thought leader by publishing blog posts on external websites, which you can share on your timeline for your connections to see. Demonstrate your expertise by share industry-specific tips and tricks and emerging trends.
- Share Your Portfolio
Share successful projects using the LinkedIn Portfolio. These can include presentations that landed you a big client or videos that demonstrate success. Direct prospective clients to your portfolio to see your previous work and establish credibility. SlideShare, which is owned by LinkedIn, is also an effective tool for publishing presentations to your LinkedIn profile.
LinkedIn Ads
If you have the budget, LinkedIn Ads are an effective way to generate B2B leads. You can target ads to appear on the profiles of users in specific industries, and you can also sponsor InMail messages with branded content. Examples may include personalized invitations to events and webinars or targeted product promotions to industry-specific profiles.
Create a Company Page
Your personal page is not the only way to generate B2B leads using LinkedIn. Your company page is where people can find out about the services your business provides and publish news and updates. Creating a company page attracts potential customers by giving you a platform to market branded content, such as guides, eBooks, and whitepapers.
LinkedIn is the go-to network for B2B lead generation. Keep these tips in mind, and you will be generating new leads in no time.
Contact a member of our team to help you optimize your LinkedIn page to generate leads and grow your business.