One of the biggest challenges for a sales team is to generate traffic and qualified leads. In the age of the internet, qualified leads are becoming harder to discover due to an increase in competition and a lack of attention span in potential prospects.
For many, LinkedIn is just a “professional Facebook” where you can post all your professional achievements and search for jobs. But, if done correctly, LinkedIn could be so much more than that. Currently, LinkedIn is experiencing a B2B boom, making it achievable for businesses to interact with potential prospects seamlessly. In addition, businesses can build a strong connection with their leads and organically acquire customers through their sales pipeline.
Want to build a powerful LinkedIn profile that will attract customer leads and help you grow your sales funnel? Follow the 3 steps below!
Step 1: Setting Up Your Account
It is time to set up your professional LinkedIn account! When someone visits your account, you want to make sure to give a great first impression as well as guide them towards the right direction in your sales funnel. Read below the first steps on setting up your LinkedIn account.
A professional headshot is crucial when creating your account. This will keep your profile looking professional and make potential prospects trust you. Consider using a high-resolution background, preferably a white or neutral color, that is not distracting to the eye.
Your headline is the text that appears under your display photo and name. Your headline works as a virtual elevator pitch. So you must nail it and come up with something that will catch your prospects' eyes. Your headline will also appear when someone searches for you or under the “People You May Know” section. By default, LinkedIn will display your most recent job title as your headline. It is best to customize this section to something more captivating like making it a “value proposition”. It is crucial to make the headline a one-liner (value proposition) that explains how you or your company can help the potential prospect. This way, the prospect will know exactly what you can offer and what solutions you may provide. A strong headline can give you an upper hand in getting qualified leads.
- Leverage Your Cover Photo
Using your cover photo to your advantage can be a great way to express your message. There are many ways you can use a cover photo to your advantage. Here are two ways that stand out the most. Firstly, use your cover photo to showcase your services. Secondly, boost your credibility and expertise. If your company has been in any magazines or has won any awards, display them in your cover photo. In addition, display your website URL so that it’s easier for customers to find.
Step 2: Optimize Your Account
Now that your professional account is set up, it is time to optimize it. The main goal here is to prove that you are the primary solution to your client’s needs. It is pivotal to highlight how you can solve your client’s problems. This is your opportunity to show your credibility and boost your brand.
- Keep Your Profile Up-To-Date
At this point in the process, your profile has been completely set up. However, the platform does not continue to update your profile by itself, so you will need to keep it up-to-date. To stay relevant and attract prospects to your page, you should post 2-3 times per day, everyday. Test out different types of posts and see what your audience engages with the most. Some examples are links to your blog, content about your industry, and Call to Actions (CTAs) to your website.
A great way to boost your company’s credibility is to get a testimonial. Generally, it would be a good idea to ask satisfied customers to give a testimonial about their experience using your product/service. By showcasing testimonials and quotes from customers, it can lead to a higher conversion rate because of the credibility that has been established.
Step 3: Generate Leads
With an optimized LinkedIn page, you are now able to bring people into your profile and convert them into prospects. There are many ways that you can generate more leads for your sales funnel.
Now that you’ve successfully gotten your prospect to scroll all the way down on your LinkedIn profile, this is your chance to lead them towards your desired action. Use a Call to Action (CTA). You can get a prospect to give you their information in exchange for an enticement. These enticements usually take the form of a free e-book, free trial of your service, a free 30-minute call with you, etc… This is called an Information Qualified Lead (IQL). To learn more about different types of leads, refer to How to Identify Different Types of Sales Leads and Qualify Them. LinkedIn allows you to add two CTAs to your profile.
- Engage with People in your Industry
A crucial part of having a powerful LinkedIn for lead generation is to connect with others in your industry. For example, follow people in your specific industry, join groups, like and comment on posts, and share articles. By doing so, you’re able to keep up-to-date with new processes, jargon, and discoveries in your industry. Interacting with people in your industry will get your name and business out there where potential leads can see and, hopefully, convert to customers. Consistency is key. Constantly interacting with other LinkedIn profiles will provide a boost in credibility and show expertise to your potential customers.
Creating a lead gen form will provide a frictionless way to contact potential prospects. When potential prospects on LinkedIn click on your ad, their profile information is instantly populated into a form that they can submit with a single click. They'll save both time and effort. You'll have more precise and detailed information about your leads.
What you can do with lead gen forms:
- Generate high qualifying leads
- Prove the ROI on lead gen campaigns
- Access and manage your leads
Once you start to bring in qualified leads into your sales funnel, you are ready to hop on discovery calls and guide your prospects down your sales funnel. For successful calls with prospects, try Attention. Improve your overall engagement with our AI technology.
