A Practical Approach To LinkedIn Lead Generation

How Does LinkedIn Contribute to B2B Lead Generation

Never before have small and medium-sized businesses (SME’s) had the ability to generate new customers through as many unique methodologies as they do today. Of the most influential developments impacting growth into new channels is the direct result of the success of LinkedIn, a medium that didn’t even exist at the turn of the millennium.
LinkedIn yields unprecedented opportunities for businesses of all sizes to attract new users, buyers, purveyors of their products and services, far more than owners and campaign managers are even aware. Most professionals, the actual user base on LinkedIn, don’t know how to optimize and capitalize on its effectiveness for lead generation.

How Do You Generate Leads on LinkedIn?

Do you feel that the marketing vehicles available online only apply to big companies with endless budgets? If so, you’re in the right place. If you are not taking advantage of the lead generation opportunities on LinkedIn, you’re missing out. LinkedIn is the gold standard for generating new business, the uncontested leader of all the social networks for creating rich and rewarding connections that enhance value and return on investment (ROI). Anyone can succeed at building meaningful connections and generating new leads for your business by following a few simple steps. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the daunting task, relax. You’re not alone. The perception is far worse than the reality and is not nearly as complex as it appears.

What is Lead Generation on LinkedIn?

If you currently have a LinkedIn profile, the battle is already half won. This blog includes guidelines, a set of steps that even a one-man show can deploy, can have you on your way to generating new leads for your business in no time. Big or small, experienced or not, we assure you that this time-tested approach will position you for success.

Generating Leads on LinkedIn

Demystifying the Myth: LinkedIn Lead Generation Does Not Discriminate

LinkedIn has remained mystifying to even the most seasoned marketers, especially small to medium-size enterprises (SME’s). Why? Unlike Facebook or Instagram that encourages sharing personal events, LinkedIn encourages networking of a professional nature, sharing corporate information, best practices, and new viewpoints. When was the last time you saw a selfie or a family vacation to Costa Rica on LinkedIn? Have you ever asked someone to refer to a good Italian restaurant on LinkedIn? Not unusual but not commonplace either. LinkedIn’s purpose is to foster relationships and connections related to careers.

Social Media Platform Redefining the Concept of “Networking”

LinkedIn is a career-driven social network. Historically, people thought of networking as a group of industry professionals who met monthly to share recent changes and developments, fosters discussions, topics, and subjects related to their industry. Today, most networking is done online with posts related to business, best practices, insights, and education. You’ll find thought-leadership from authority figures, strategic decision-making concepts, and endless groups made up of professionals in related industries in private chats. The bigger a company, the more employees it has, and the more news is generated, implying greater attention. Quite simply, the larger the company, the more the narrative. By default, the myth that LinkedIn is solely for large companies has manifested itself to a level where small companies feel alienated. This myth keeps many SMEs from pursuing lead generation opportunities afforded by LinkedIn and, thus, missing out on high-quality leads.

A Direct Approach to Generate Leads for Your Business

There is a second myth surrounding LinkedIn that is also frequently overlooked as it relates to SMEs. A bigger assumption is that lead generation is done in mass to attract large numbers of leads. Day in and day out, we hear about big data, paid search, display, email blasts, and Facebook groups to drive eyeballs to ads, banners, emails, mobile messaging, etc. In which business school books does it say that a small business must purchase ad space on any platform in mass to have millions of prospects see their pitch? Where is it written that anyone must buy ads or perform organic strategies to generate new leads for their businesses?

For as far back as advertising response has been measured, it has been well documented that person-to-person advertising is most effective. With the growth of the digital economy, new opportunities have been presented. They go by various names, i.e., referral programs, affiliate marketing, direct sales, etc. They are all designed to accomplish the same results. They are all forms of generating new business leads by establishing one-to-one connections to make some form of B2B or B2C connection. For a small business, two new clients in an entire year could change their trajectory dramatically.

ROI - The Only Acronym That Matters

Digital marketing, customer acquisition, lead generation, performance marketing, conversion rates, paid search, display ad campaigns, traffic - all popular buzzwords that adorn the pages of the press, websites, and just about any and every public medium in the world. We take for granted that this new genre of terminology is well understood and assume that everyone understands what these fancy terms mean and how they impact demand and decision-making in our everyday lives. -suite executives at SME’s what these terms mean they will respond in kind with blank stares. As a result, there is a whole universe of SMEs out there with valuable products and services but are at such a disadvantage due to the lack of education and stigma associated with admitting they just don’t understand.

The reality is that growing your business with the assistance of online channels is not all that different than in prior generations as long as you take the time to understand what it means, how to deploy, and some best practices. At the end of the day, all the acronyms in the world are meaningless unless they fuel growth in your business with a favorable return on investment. ROI is all that matters.

A “C-imple” Approach - Create, Customize, Connect, Contact, Cultivate, Close

All it takes to get started generating leads on LinkedIn is a personal profile. Through your personal profile page, you have established connections. Sometimes these are the same connections on other social media platforms but, more so, LinkedIn connections are professional colleagues, partners, and people with whom you’ve established a working relationship so that you may follow what they are doing in their careers. Many times, as a result of using and maximizing the opportunities afforded by LinkedIn, you are availed avenues to make new professional contacts and connections. You know the old saying, “It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.”

Invest in Premium Membership

If you intend to engage aggressively with LinkedIn for lead generation, we highly recommend a Premium account. Premium account holders have access to greater features and functionality than free members, which will benefit the 3-step approach we are about to unveil. Instead of paying for wasteful ads, invest in a Premium account that will provide a higher ROI than any paid ads could.

LinkedIn Lead Generation - A 3-Step Approach

The 3-step approach is designed to connect you with potential leads directly instead of mass mailing or expensive advertising mediums. You aren’t going to use the expensive tools that LinkedIn offers to blast sponsored InMail messages or send bulk emails with this approach. Instead, you will use the LinkedIn platform to identify appropriate leads and then connect with them directly.

When combined, the three steps produce an invaluable technique for generating leads on LinkedIn. The three-step technique consists of:

1. Perfecting your LinkedIn profile
   
   Whether you have an existing profile or are just getting started, the goal is to create and customize a thorough, informative, and attractive page representing you and your business. In doing so, you want to ensure that your profile presents a suitable first impression. First impressions are the only impressions.
   
   You want new prospects to capture an appropriate overview of you as a professional, your company operations, and your brand’s value. The end goal is to attract new leads, cultivate the relationship, and convert them into paying customers. Your profile page is at the core of all relationships on LinkedIn, the foundation for activities, and ultimately what will drive your business’s attraction and promotion to new customers.
   
   At a minimum, your personal profile should include:
   
   • A multitude of LinkedIn “sections.” The more sections you add to your LinkedIn profile, the more information available for prospects to review, the more people will visit your page and view your profile. Use the ancillary sections wisely, and don’t go overboard. 
     
   • Photos - profile and background photos add credibility and transparency to your profile page and help distinguish you from the many others who don’t bother. When cultivating new business relationships, you want prospects to recognize you and identify you as an authority.
     
   • Personal Headline - Call it a personal brand position statement. How is your role defined in your company’s context, and what makes your skill set unique. The personal headline is displayed on the search engines, so make it powerful. 
     
   • Responsibilities and Objectives in meaningful terms: Stay away from generic statements. Use terms and keywords by which prospects can relate. Are there particular aspects of your industry that only insiders understand? Show your prospects that you speak their language. 
     
   • Achievements, KPIs, Metrics - Take ownership of your successes. Explain your contributions and accomplishments. Demonstrate how your expertise and responsibilities added value.
     
   • Skills and Expertise - Hone in on your strengths. Share those skills that distinguish or differentiate you.
     
2. Identifying Keywords - Which Words are Key to Finding Your Target Audience?
   
   Define keywords in-line with the leads you are trying to identify. What search terms or job titles should you use to find the people you are trying to reach? Keyword targeting is part art, part science. If you are too generic, you’ll attract too broad an audience which is the opposite of what you are trying to accomplish. The more you refine your keywords, the greater likelihood you’ll find the best prospects making your returns higher, faster, and more valuable.
   
   There is a myriad of methods for searching for prospects. The challenge is which tools are effective. With Premium, members have access to an advanced search feature. There are many free tools available online to assist. With 500 million registered users, 60+ million are senior-level executives; there is no shortage of qualified leads.
   
   Think you’re ready to start your outreach? Wrong. If you are starting with LinkedIn for the first time, you won’t have many connections. Before you start step three-link your Gmail, Twitter, WhatsApp accounts to your LinkedIn profile to quickly build your connection base. You can use the keyword LION (LinkedIn Open Network) as your first keyword search. LIONs are individuals who are open and willing to accept invitations from anyone who asks. They are not going to become leads for your business, but they do allow you to grow your profile page to make it more appealing in the eyes of your future, more targeted prospects. LION gives your profile some needed depth and breadth to establish credibility. You should have a base of 100-200 at a minimum.
   
3. Invite Prospects to Connect.
   
   Once you’ve established a base of connections, you have two options for sending invitations, both effective but on opposite ends of the communications spectrum.  The goal of step 3 to connect; that’s it, that’s all.
   
   • Quantity Approach “Spray and Pray”: this approach is the bulk approach where, given any keyword, you invite all individuals that return in the search results. Keep in mind that you can use the various filter options to drill down to a more targeted segment with your keyword. This is a numbers game designed to give you more reach quickly.
     
   • Quality Approach - Customize and personalize. With this approach, you take more time on each invitation to personalize and customize each user’s message and go into more detail. Needless to say, you spend more time on each lead, but the benefit is that it does lead to higher response rates.
     

Once an individual accepts your connection request, you are free to respond with a short “thank you” note as an ice-breaker. Alternatively, you can use an approach developed exclusively by eCuras, the “Synergies” approach. A Synergies message would look something like this:

Hi [first name]

I wanted to thank you for the connection. We [concise one-sentence pitch]. Is there a current project that I can help with or other synergies that we can explore?

I look forward to hearing from you.

[When signing off, do not include links. You don’t want to appear promotional; this message is designed to be personal and authentic.]

Next Steps?

The 3-step process is an absolute prerequisite in the lead gen process, but now that you have the names, it’s what you do with them that counts. Your first message should focus on introducing yourself and starting a conversation. Keep it brief, no more than 5-6 sentences, be clever, be sincere and keep it warm and friendly. The first message is not the time nor the place for hard-sell tactics. You will have other opportunities to send messages again in the future. Depending on whether you are a Premium member, you will have access to different features, including 10 free InMail messages a month. InMail should be reserved for the most exclusive of contacts.

LinkedIn Lead Generation - A Journey Not A Destination

Lead generation on LinkedIn is a journey, not a destination. Periodically, you will want to freshen up your profile, review your keywords, etc. If your profile has not changed in six months, you’re doing something wrong, as you should always have new and exciting highlights to add to your profile. Have you taken a course? Engaged in a new strategy? If you’re active in your career, your LinkedIn profile should reflect the same.

Future Lead Gen Opportunities

Your business will gradually grow to a level where commencing a paid effort will make sense. Until you have factual data and/or evidence to support investing in an intense approach to lead generation on LinkedIn or anywhere, it is highly recommended that you commence with a balanced approach. If you’re not already familiar with marketing, you will hear much about inbound vs. outbound methodologies. In layman’s terms, inbound would be an agent of “pull,” whereas outbound, a technique of “push.” An inbound process seeks to draw, or pull, a prospect into your sales funnel by guiding them. Contrarily, an outbound scheme would push the offer to the prospect wherever they may already be viewing on the site/page. Understanding inbound and outbound concepts is a key element in online marketing. The 3-step approach is clearly an outbound tactic as you are pushing the introductory message out to the lead.

And, finally, a review of lead generation on LinkedIn would be incomplete without mentioning LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms. While Lead Gen Forms are free to use, they are part of the “paid” advertising suite as they can only be used in conjunction with native ads.

What is a Lead Gen Form?

A newer tool to the LinkedIn lead generation suite is “LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms,” which has proven to be a useful and effective medium for marketers to fuel the sales funnel. Lead Gen Forms are available for sponsored content campaigns.

Lead Gen Forms add a call-to-action to sponsored posts asking users to register or download a case study or eBook or any other defined action you are looking to accomplish. When the member clicks on the CTA, they’ll be presented with a sign-up form. Instead of filling out the form themselves, LinkedIn will automatically populate each field with their personal profile details. There is nothing more annoying than filling out those forms, especially on a cell phone. Lead Gen Forms remove the pesky details and make the process faster and more convenient for the user and the marketer. The user will do nothing more than confirm their email and click “submit.” Next, they will see a thank you message and a link to your content or website.

The creation of LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms was a game-changer in online lead generation. It’s difficult enough to persuade a prospect to share their contact information. Combining that with data capture forms that are annoying is quite beneficial, especially considering the target audience is the busiest decision-makers. How many CEOs would you imagine would stop what they are doing to complete a data capture form? Your most valuable source of leads is the group least likely to complete the information you need. The more variables you can remove from capturing a user’s details, the more leads you will generate and the lower the cost. Given that LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms are optimized for mobile, and 57% of all LinkedIn engagement occurs via mobile, you can imagine the impact this tool has had on B2B marketing worldwide.

Measuring Success - Solutions Lie in the Data

Without question, learning the tools of the trade is resource-intensive, particularly resources of time. It is well worth the investment. Why go through the effort of mastering a full suite of campaign tools if you can’t measure their results? LinkedIn makes it a cinch for marketers to measure results, contemplate successes and failures and optimize their approach? The beauty of online marketing vs. traditional offline marketing is that redirecting efforts, rechanneling resources can be done expeditiously and without losing time or money in the process. LinkedIn provides a superior tracking and analytics suite that makes measuring success efficient.

Calling in the Experts - When to Hire a Digital Marketing Agency?

As a result of the digital economy’s growth, new online marketing agencies are opening by the dozens. Don’t be confused; quantity doesn’t mean they provide quality results. Finding a reputable can be difficult. We cannot emphasize the importance of working with a firm with direct experience and can demonstrate measurable results. It’s challenging for a small company to create, manage and support a complete LinkedIn lead generation program alone, but agencies can be expensive.

Stories about small companies hiring an agency for support. If you are like many of our clients, you have hired agencies that swoop in with their teams of 20 somethings who promise that your CR, AOV, ROAS, MAU, ARPU, CAC, LTV, and a host of other meaningless acronyms will improve and their expertise in SEO will have you on the top of page one of the SERPs in no time. Several months and many thousands of dollars later, you find yourself exactly where you started. There are, however, diamonds in the rough.

eCuras, A Different Kind of Agency

eCuras, a distinguished full-service digital marketing agency celebrated for being an agent for change for small and medium-sized enterprises, has developed a set of proprietary techniques and methodologies for SMEs to take advantage of online marketing opportunities that were previously unavailable to them. Based in New Jersey and serving clients worldwide, the firm offers tools and services designed to simplify the web and make digital life for small business owners more manageable.

eCuras was created by a team of accomplished marketing leaders who decided it was time to minimize the complexities of online marketing for small businesses by creating a new breed of digital agency that eliminates technical terms and presents solutions in a language that real people understand. In doing so, eCuras has become an agency of choice for small businesses. They have developed a system easy to launch, simple to manage, and effortless to modify. The 3-step technique explained here, employed by eCuras, generates returns 10x higher than traditional lead generation campaigns.

eCuras enjoys lead generation for LinkedIn, specializes in web design, full-scale e-commerce site development (website development company New Jersey), domain hosting, graphic design, programmatic solutions, and SEO and other online marketing disciplines.