Finding new clients is tough and can eat away at precious time and resources. But with a large user base of over 400 million global professionals, LinkedIn makes it easier to acquire new and broader business opportunities. Moreover, LinkedIn allows businesses to tap into existing connections while effectively reinforcing one’s brand through word-of-mouth marketing.
So whether you just created a profile or have already racked up some valuable connections, you can transform LinkedIn into a secret weapon for discovering a steady stream of new leads and prospects. Here are some ways you can set the groundwork to build more meaningful connections with potential leads.
1) Making Connections
Browsing through LinkedIn profiles allows sales managers to locate users that match a target demographic, whether it’s based on industry, job title, pay grade, or other differentiating factors. Once you’ve located a potential lead through LinkedIn search, making the first contact requires a brief introductory text and a simple click of a button. Critical however to the send is personalizing the message for each prospect. For instance, you may want to mention how you met or why you want to connect. Taking the time to craft a personalized message goes a long way because it increases the likelihood you’ll receive a response and potentially land a new sale.
Another method of creating connections involves taking making use of LinkedIn Publisher. This platform allows LinkedIn users to share knowledge and expertise in their jobs with other professionals. More importantly, posting frequent updates ensures you constantly pop up on your connections’ news feeds. You’ll also receive invaluable data from users that interact with your post. From there, you can identify any users whom you can convert into prospects.
Finally, you can widen your network on LinkedIn by joining a few groups related to your industry, niche, or interests. Here are some great LinkedIn groups that you may consider joining:
- “Healthcare Executives Network” – 297,630 members
- “Entrepreneur’s Network” – 55,867 members
- “Event Planning Professionals” – 69,089 members
- “Digital Marketing” – 1,161,015 members
- “Luxury Real Estate Network” – 101,595 members
- “Human Resources (HR) Professionals” – 230,408 members
Once you’ve earned membership to these groups, start interacting with other members, so you can grow a list of potential clients in an organic way. Sharing your expertise and contributing to conversations allows other members know that you’re a go-to source of information for updates in your industry.
2) Establishing Creditability
In the search for prospects, creating creditability reinforces trust and establishes your position as an industry thought leader. More importantly, prospects tend to answer messages when they view you as credible. You can help speed up the process by relying on word-of-mouth marketing through the recommendation section on your profile. Earning recommendations from past clients and coworkers can bolster credibility because they serve as both a case study and a testimonial. So if you’re pressed for time, start approaching your existing connections and request a recommendation as soon as possible.
3) Building Relationships
Once you’ve reached out to a LinkedIn prospect, you need to cultivate and grow the relationship. The easiest and most personalized way to do this involves interacting with posts. Whether you share, comment or like an update, you’re still helping that user expand his or her reach. Through constant interaction, you’ll capture your connection’s attention and you may even begin receiving private messages thanking you for commenting on their posts. While you continue to grow the relationship, you can slowly begin mentioning business offers such as deals, discounts, and even collaboration opportunities.
Final Thoughts On Connecting With LinkedIn Prospects
LinkedIn is a powerful tool to keep in your marketing arsenal or even as a starting point. But before you start thinking of a possible LinkedIn marketing strategy, remember to avoid blatantly pushing your services to prospects. Since you want to establish a meaningful connection, hard selling and spamming will ruin any chance you had of forming a worthwhile relationship.
By putting these tips practice, your business can accomplish unlimited success with LinkedIn, potentially earning even better results as you go. For more advice on marketing on LinkedIn, contact the social media experts at Premiere Creative today or give us a call at (973) 346-8100.
