LinkedIn hit the scene in 2003 as just another networking site. Fast forward to 2018 and now they have over 500 million users, it’s the #1 channel B2B marketers use to distribute content, and it accounts for over 50% of all social traffic to B2B websites and blogs. Mic drop.
If you’re not effectively using LinkedIn for B2B lead generation marketing, it’s time to start. But just like any other business decision, you want to be methodical and strategic about how you use LinkedIn in order to get the most out of it. Luckily for you, we have compiled 3 strategies that will draw people to your business and ultimately help generate qualified leads, and increase revenue.
Gear your company page towards lead generation with SEO in mind
You must work for great leads; they don’t just happen. Think of your company page on LinkedIn as a pipeline for generating leads to your company website. Rather than simply describing what your business does, create a thought-provoking pitch that speaks directly to your target audience. Remember that the most important part is the first few lines, because that’s all LinkedIn displays until the users clicks “see more”.
Use an image that commands attention and sparks interest. Get creative and have fun with it. Regularly post updates that are aimed at your target audience so that you’ll stay fresh in their minds, and be sure to make these clickable and conversion-focused.
From an SEO perspective, your company page can be a powerful tool if properly optimized. Google will feature roughly the first 150 characters of your company overview description in their search results, so be sure to weave your important keywords into this portion. Putting these targeted keywords front and center will increase your chances of engagement on LinkedIn.
SAP is a great example of a quality company page geared toward SEO:
It’s engaging, and they place the keyword “enterprise application software” in the beginning of the description.
Take advantage of Advanced Search
Advanced Search is LinkedIn’s most powerful tool for effective prospecting. It provides a great way to narrow down your search.
Advanced Search allows you to filter people by location, industry, current company, past company, profile language, school, and nonprofit interests. You can continue to use filters without having to re-do your initial search. This allows you to easily see how the applied filters affect your initial search, providing results that are focused and actionable. In this way, you can gain invaluable insight into a certain group that might be a better fit for prospecting.
Pro Tip: Upgrading your sales team to LinkedIn Navigator can help provide them access to additional filtering options, and a wealth of data and information not available in free version.
Utilize “Showcase Pages”
LinkedIn created Showcase Pages for companies looking to promote individual offshoot brands. These are a great way to connect directly with a more specific target audience—the point being to generate better leads. Who doesn’t want that? According to LinkedIn, “it makes sense to create a Showcase Page when you want to represent a brand, business unit, or company initiative. These pages are intended to develop a long-term relationship with a specific audience.”
HP effectively utilizes Showcase Pages to highlight their business segments such as HP Graphic Arts, HP Labs, and HP Sales Engagement. Here’s their HP Labs showcase page:
Make this page as effective as possible by:
- Putting a keyword in the page name that this audience will relate to; keeping the page name short, so the entire name shows up in the sidebar,
- Making the page conversion-focused, and
- Regularly posting meaningful and relevant updates.
Using Showcase Pages with these LinkedIn B2B marketing strategies in mind is a surefire way to step up your lead generation.
If you are in need of some hands on help with LinkedIn marketing, please contact us today!