As the world’s largest professional networking site, LinkedIn boasts over 500 million users in over 200 countries. With new members joining at a rate of two per second, it’s clear that this platform isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
For business owners, LinkedIn provides an invaluable opportunity to connect with potential clients, customers, and collaborators. By optimizing your LinkedIn profile and leveraging the site’s many features, you can transform your LinkedIn presence into a powerful lead generation tool.
Here’s how to use LinkedIn to get clients:
Step 1: Optimize Your Profile
Your LinkedIn profile is essentially your online resume. As such, it should be clear, concise, and free of errors. Include a professional headshot and fill out all sections of your profile, including your work history, education, skills, and interests.
If you have multiple versions of your resume (e.g., one for each industry you’ve worked in), consider creating separate LinkedIn profiles for each one. This way, you can tailor your profile to appeal specifically to the types of clients or customers you want to attract.
Step 2: Join Relevant Groups
LinkedIn groups are a great way to connect with potential clients and customers who share your interests. Do a search for groups in your industry or niche, and request to join the ones that look most promising. Once you’re a member of a group, take some time to get involved in the conversations happening there—this is how you’ll start to build relationships with potential clients.
Step 3: Publish Compelling Content
If you want people to take you seriously as an expert in your industry, you need to publish quality content on a regular basis. Fortunately, LinkedIn makes it easy to share articles, blog posts, infographics, and other types of content with your network. Just hit the “Publish a post” button on your homepage and start sharing interesting and informative content with your network. Not only will this help you attract attention from potential clients—it will also help boost your SEO efforts. (More on that later.)
Step 4: Leverage LinkedIn Ads
LinkedIn offers several different types of advertising options that can be effective for generating leads. For example, Sponsored InMail allows you to send targeted messages directly to the inboxes of users who match certain criteria (e.g., job title, location). And Sponsored Content allows you to place ads directly in users’ feeds—a great way to generate awareness for your brand or product amongst potential leads who might not otherwise come across it organically.
