“One of the strategies I use LinkedIn very effectively is to connect with people who I think might need my services. I’m always very upfront about why I’m connecting with them once we are engaged in a conversation and established a connection. I don’t lead with the value proposition; it’s my second message. This turns some people off, which I’ve learned is OK because I follow the golden rule. I would so much rather someone be friendly and also direct about the purpose of their connection with me. I don’t like it when people passively engage me in a conversation to bait me into a pitch later. I can feel that coming when people communicate that way and it feels like a prolonged false interest in me as a human. We’re all on LinkedIn to do business so I do my best to apply similar principles as I would to a cold call: yes, I want to connect in a genuine way but I’m not calling you just to chat. Why pretend? I like to establish a connection and alignment, then find out if what I have to offer will add value to their business. And if not, there’s a friendly thank you and well wishes. If there is interest and alignment, setting up a discovery phone call is always my goal.”
- Kerri Feazell, CEO at Concurrent Productions
“In terms of using LinkedIn for marketing and lead generation, we make sure to pay attention to the people that we reach out to. We are extremely careful that we are connecting with the right people who we think would have an interest in what we are sharing and offering. Once the connection has been made we share relevant details about our company and make sure that these details can also add value to those whom we are sending it to. Building a notable impression through a professional connection with a personal touch can go a long way with building a mutually beneficial relationship via LinkedIn.”
- Alex Shute, Co-Founder at Upward Exits
“LinkedIn is all about adding connections to your network. I would recommend giving a few minutes daily to add on the connections from different industries and talk to them to know each other and build relationships. On the other hand, be very careful in adding people to your network. The diversity is good and beneficial, but a lot of the profiles are a scam, so make sure you have checked the profile thoroughly before sending them the request or accepting their invitation for connecting. The more people you add, the more broaden your network is, and the more leads you will get. Besides adding people to your LinkedIn network, keep updating your business through your daily posts so people could know what you are up to and what is of their benefit. If they have any queries, make them feel comfortable to connect with you. However, make sure you are not selling through your updates but add value and share expertise instead.”
- CJ Xia, VP of Marketing & Sales at Boster Biological Technology
“The most effective use of LinkedIn to generate leads or market services is to use the power of its networking ability itself. Make connections, reach out to people, find out what they do, pass on other connections and opportunities that might be of interest to them, instigate and take part in collaborations, and encourage the people in your network to do the same for you.”
- Polly Kay, Senior Marketing Manager at English Blinds
“LinkedIn is a great platform to find your target audience, build a relationship with them and then convert them into a client. It all stems from understanding who exactly your target market is. We use Boolean searches to create the best searches of finding our target audience and then we create connection messages. Once they accept your connection request, you have to make sure you are also posting contents that resonates with that market place. This has to be a consistent process. If you are not building your connections, posting and engaging with your timeline every day, you will not see the complete value in LinkedIn.“
- Kelly Andersen, Marketing Director at Wealth Continuum Group