With over seven hundred million users and the ability to connect with high-level executives from any industry, LinkedIn is a gold mine for increasing sales. The ability to utilize LinkedIn in your lead generation strategy is essential in this increasingly digital age. It’s important to learn how to use it effectively.
Just because there are a wealth of prospective buyers at your fingertips doesn’t mean that it will be easy to convert.
In this article, we will discuss how to research key decision makers in your market and how to request a connection with them that gets accepted. We will also touch upon the next steps after making a first connection. Lastly, we’ll discuss the importance of consistently creating quality content.
How do I turn prospects into buyers on Linkedin?
Connecting with prospects is simple enough, but converting them to buyers is just the opposite. Let’s look at some tips on how to make your prospects into clients.
Include a message when you request a connection
This step is pretty obvious. We all know that Linkedin connects can choose whether to accept our request or not. So, we want to increase the chances of our messages being opened and read.
LinkedIn always suggests that you include a personalized message with a connect request. A personalized message will dramatically increase your odds of your connect request being accepted. This is why many companies use LinkedIn automation tools. Theyenable you to create compelling personalized messages to contacts ahead of time and then schedule them accordingly.
If you include a message in your request, the LinkedIn user will likely read it. Even if he or she is unsure of whether they want to be connected on LinkedIn.
They can tell that you’ve put at least a little bit of time and effort into learning more about them and their company. So, your connection request seems less spam-y. After all, research is key to targeting the best prospects.
While a personalized message is important, you’ll want to keep it professional. You might want to mention an article you read about their company or a blurb about one of their recent presentations. Try to avoid a message that hits on an aspect of themselves outside of their professional life, even if they do share it on LinkedIn. You can also use an AI writing tool to generate connection messages in about 50-80% less time.
Finesse a phone call
Tailor your strategy according to whether your goal is to get your prospect on the phone, or to click on a link to your home page. For most salespeople, there is no substitute for a one-on-one phone call to build rapport with a client.
Decision-makers are usually flooded with InMail messages from companies looking to sell them something. Many salespeople have found that they can stand out from the crowd and get a better response by utilizing the Ben Franklin Effect. Ben Franklin wrote about how asking someone for assistance will affect the helper’s psyche and makes them likely to help them out again.
First of all, prospects are caught off guard when you ask them for help with something that doesn’t involve simply buying their product.
Secondly, we are noticing that more people are eager to be seen as purposeful or to take their time to do what they think is good. This is perhaps because of the “helper’s high” resulting from a rush of endorphins to the brain. Perhaps, it’s because of an increased focus on social justice and personal responsibility. Especially in the difficult year 2020 has proven to be, people want to feel like they can make a difference in the lives around them.
Finally, when someone has given aid to someone else, they believe the person receiving their help is worthy of it. When it comes time to ask the prospect to check out your product or download a free trial, they are more likely to do it. People reason that they help others because they like them, and it’s difficult for them to shake off that likability factor that they’ve now attributed to you.
Remember that depending on the scale of your LinkedIn lead generation strategy, it might not be feasible to arrange a phone call with every prospect. Another alternative is to build your social media presence and attract followers who can be targeted for ads or email lists.
Consistently create compelling content
Of all the strategies, video converts prospects to buyers most efficiently on LinkedIn. Busy professionals often don’t have time to read articles and won’t click on links. So when you’re talking about content, video is the way to go. Be sure to add subtitles to your videos, as most people use LinkedIn with the sound off.
Consistently post on LinkedIn using their platform Pulse, because this will result in every one of your connects receiving a notification. Make sure your content adds value to your follower’s day. Keep in mind that simple, concise, attention-grabbing text is often very effective when a short video just isn’t possible.
Or get them to visit your home page
Organic outreach from LinkedIn is an effective way to connect with prospects and convert them into sales. However, to maximize sales it’s important not to neglect paid social media ads, driving traffic to your home page, and growing your email list.
Once you’ve gotten a prospect to click on your link, the job is far from done. Your home page must have an incredible landing page, preferably with a well-crafted call to action. Lots of user testing and studies on web design have revealed the best practices for how web pages can be designed to make a good first impression and incorporate quality CTAs. A good CTA should come in the form of a pop-up, asking the visitor to provide his or her email address to subscribe to a newsletter, take advantage of a promotion, or to continue to the website.
A well-crafted message is ultimately more important to get someone to click on your link. However, there is less of an ability to personalize the message, especially when it’s an automated one. Creating a generic but attention-grabbing message or post is key here.
Capturing email addresses whenever you can is vital to building an email list for an email marketing campaign. The fact remains that email is still a more effective way to gain customers than social media. In fact, prospects that are part of an email marketing campaign spend 138% more than those who do not receive email offers.
Get engaged
Finally, it’s simply not enough just to post and ghost. You have to remain engaged with your LinkedIn connect’s content as well. You didn’t work that hard to get them to accept your request just to neglect fostering the relationship.
Comment and like on your follower’s posts, and respond to people that comment on yours. Especially now, people appreciate that human-to-human touch even when it’s digital. Remember, no matter what company you are working for you’re ultimately building your personal brand while using LinkedIn. Your connections, content and contributions to other’s posts will follow you throughout your career.
Conclusion
LinkedIn is a vast network and when used properly can be effective in capturing leads and converting them to sales. While we recommend following these tips, it’s always important to remember that each person has their own style. The way people engage with others on LinkedIn may vary from industry to industry. Oftentimes, it is only through trial and error that you will find the best approach that works for you.
