{"id":1597,"date":"2014-06-30T21:44:09","date_gmt":"2014-07-01T04:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/egrabber.com\/blog\/?p=1597"},"modified":"2025-01-01T20:41:30","modified_gmt":"2025-01-02T04:41:30","slug":"300-million-users-cant-wrong-linkedin-lead-generation-tool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.egrabber.com\/blog\/300-million-users-cant-wrong-linkedin-lead-generation-tool\/","title":{"rendered":"300 Million Users Can\u2019t Be Wrong: Using LinkedIn as a Lead Generation Tool"},"content":{"rendered":"

Things have changed immensely in the last decade for buyers of professional services. There was a time not so long ago when the phone book was it<\/em>. Buyers had few ways to research service providers. Short of knowing someone at a firm (or knowing someone who knows someone), or asking for references from the firm, buyers were often in the dark. Today, purchasers of B2B services<\/strong> have the advantage of social media, particularly LinkedIn.<\/p>\n

Research reveals that 70% of prospects prefer LinkedIn<\/a> as their social media platform of choice when checking out professional services providers before purchasing. LinkedIn is growing \u2014 it\u2019s up from 32 million users in 2009 to more than 300 million users as of May 2014. A recent study has shown that LinkedIn is the most used and most effective social media platform in the professional arena.<\/p>\n

Point being, there are clients galore perusing LinkedIn and engaging with service providers on this business-centered social media platform. If you\u2019re not participating, you\u2019re likely losing prospects to more social media savvy firms. With its large and growing base of professionals\u2014not to mention its broad demographic reach\u2014LinkedIn is a firm foundation for your social media marketing efforts. As for how exactly to make this happen, here are 5 <\/span>strategies for making LinkedIn an effective<\/a> lead generation tool<\/strong><\/a> for your firm:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Put Your Best Face Forward<\/strong>. LinkedIn gives you a chance to connect as an individual and as a business. When prospects come virtually knocking, your profile and your company page must both impress. These are arguably as important as your firm\u2019s website. Make your profile complete and specific. In your professional profile, mention your specific talents and contributions, as well as your company\u2019s capabilities and the value it offers. You can tailor your Company page in a number of ways\u2026 showcasing different banner messages and images, and sharing content and updates with either all followers or a targeted audience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Content Promotion<\/strong>. Social media is all about sharing. Your marketing department is likely creating some pretty impressive content marketing pieces. By sharing this content, you grow the reputation and visibility of your firm. If it\u2019s of high quality, your content will likely get passed along by your followers, as well as theirs, increasing your exposure exponentially. Share others\u2019 content as well. As you share industry info, you\u2019ll be a part of the buzz being generated.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Become or Develop a Visible ExpertSM<\/sup><\/strong>. Think of this as personal branding that has a range of benefits for the firm as well. With high profile experts on staff, you\u2019ll attract prospects who follow industry trends and leaders. As your expert\u2019s visibility and reputation grow, so will your firm\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  4. \n

    Partnering Opportunities<\/strong>. You can\u2019t be everything to everyone. If you want to get involved in specific trends or technology but don\u2019t have the expertise or bandwidth, LinkedIn gives you a great way to reach out to those who do. Find ways you can join forces to provide more services over a wider audience. You\u2019re both likely to gain followers and leads<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  5. \n

    Industry Research<\/strong>. If you\u2019re looking to get involved in another industry or specialty, keep an eye on the appropriate firms to gain insight. Follow trends, listen in on conversations, and read content provided by experts in virtually any field. You can also keep an eye on the buzz you\u2019re generating, and see how your firm is perceived by other firms and LinkedIn members. If you\u2019re not keen on how the conversation\u2019s playing out, jump in\u2014LinkedIn gives you direct access, helping you steer the discussion.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Logging in to LinkedIn once a week won\u2019t work. Like all social media marketing efforts, LinkedIn requires daily interaction. Keep your profile updated, seek out new connections, and actively participate in groups with relevant audiences. In short, stay engaged. Consistent engagement will pay off\u2014you\u2019ll strengthen online relationships and generate leads without ever leaving your office\u2014or opening a phonebook.<\/p>\n

    About the Author:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Lee W. Frederiksen, Ph.D., is Managing Partner at Hinge, a marketing firm that specializes in branding and marketing for professional services. Hinge is a leader in rebranding firms to help them grow faster and maximize value. Lee can be reached at LFrederiksen@hingemarketing.com<\/a> or 703-391-8870.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Things have changed immensely in the last decade for buyers of professional services. There was a time not so long ago when the phone book was it. Buyers had few ways to research service providers. Short of knowing someone at a firm (or knowing someone who knows someone), or asking for references from the firm,… 300 Million Users Can\u2019t Be Wrong: Using LinkedIn as a Lead Generation Tool<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":1604,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[416],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-b2b-lead-generation"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.egrabber.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/4074083883_797e6c371f_z.jpg?fit=640%2C450&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.egrabber.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.egrabber.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.egrabber.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.egrabber.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.egrabber.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1597"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.egrabber.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1597\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18087,"href":"https:\/\/www.egrabber.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1597\/revisions\/18087"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.egrabber.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.egrabber.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.egrabber.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.egrabber.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}