How to generate more leads on LinkedIn

It’s the go-to ‘business’ social media site of our times – and LinkedIn can be a great source of leads, if you know how to use it correctly!

Generating actual enquiries and sales from LinkedIn takes time, but with a bit of commitment, you really can start seeing brilliant results from this platform.

Here are my top 5 tips for using LinkedIn’s features to find potential customers and get them interested in everything you have to offer.

To be clear, in this post, I’m talking about getting more exposure for your business using organic content on LinkedIn – not paid ads. That’s a topic for another day!

(If you’re a new business owner, this blog on LinkedIn tips for start-ups might come in handy.)

1. Make sure everyone in your business has an active presence on the platform

It’s easy for you and your staff to set up LinkedIn accounts with the best intentions, then forget about them as other tasks take over. But posting consistently will help to establish awareness of your brand AND gain more recognition for your hard-working employees. It’s especially important to make sure your owners and executives set up head-turning LinkedIn profiles and use the platform regularly – this will set a great example for everyone else in the team.

2. Commit to building your network

LinkedIn is as much about who you know as what you know. Link up with all your customers, suppliers and colleagues, then take a look at their own connection lists to see if they know anyone who might be relevant to you and your business.

Don’t be afraid to request new connections or even reach out to other professionals who will add value to your network. Just make sure you spend time crafting personalised outreach messages instead of spamming everyone with the same generic spiel! 

3. Keep an eye on who’s viewing your profile

Love it or loathe it, LinkedIn makes sure you’re notified every time somebody looks at your profile, so you can see exactly whose eyes are on your content. (Unless they’ve changed their profile viewing settings, or they’re visiting your page in an incognito browser.) It’s a good idea to keep tabs on who’s visiting your page; you can start a meaningful conversation with them with more confidence knowing that they’ve already taken an interest in you.

4. Keep the content coming

From industry news and updates to personal and behind-the-scenes style posts, there’s virtually no limit to the kind of content you can post on LinkedIn. I’d suggest keeping it business-orientated, though – save photos of your breakfast for Facebook or Instagram.

To stay visible and increase the chances of getting genuine leads from the platform, you need to be posting several times a week. Lots of research has been carried out into the best times to publish, but generally, you’ll get the best reaction if you share posts between 9am and 11am, and you’re likely to receive more engagement on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

If you’re struggling to come up with great ideas for your LinkedIn posts, my team and I can help. We can give you the tricks and tools to come up with killer social media content yourself, or you can hand all the hard work over to us. It’s totally your call.

5. Let your connections know what you’re looking for

This tactic is often overlooked, because people assume it’s too ‘direct’ or too ‘salesy’. But there’s no harm in telling your network precisely who you are, what you bring to the table, and what you’re looking for. I always recommend sending out this kind of post every few months, to stay top of mind among your existing connections and re-introduce yourself to any new ones.

What’s your experience of generating leads on LinkedIn? Does the platform work well for you, or are you struggling to use it to your advantage? I’d love to hear how you’re getting on!