It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the social media management options out there – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and I’m sure you’ve heard about the popular mobile app, Snapchat. However, as a B2B marketer, there’s one social network you should be focusing on: LinkedIn. According to the 2015 Social Media Marketing Report, LinkedIn is the most important tool for B2B marketers. It’s a great way to make connections, establish thought leadership, and most importantly, generate leads.
Here’s how you can use social media, in particular, LinkedIn to accelerate lead generation:
Create relevant content
Before you send your content out into the world, you need to make sure that it is both relevant and informative. Whether it’s a blog or an eBook, readers should walk away with the information that urged them to read the material in the first place. Don’t be afraid to spice things up every now and then, sticking to the same old format can get pretty boring. So instead of just blogging, incorporate some slideshares, videos, images, and presentations. Prezi is quite a fun way of creating presentations. Also, if you combine your content with sponsored posts, more people will see it, which means there’s a higher chance of lead generation.
Optimise your profile
Your LinkedIn page needs to show your prospects what you do, and what you can do for them. LinkedIn is like an ongoing virtual networking event – so make sure your profile is as optimised as possible. First of all, you need a professional looking profile picture. No one is going to take you seriously without one. Also, make sure to provide your real name. LinkedIn isn’t really a place for nicknames, so maybe save ‘Daniel Danger Smith’, or ‘Danny Boy’ for your personal Facebook account. The main thing prospects are going to be looking for is to see whether you’re legitimate or not, so make sure to fill everything out, including your past jobs and accomplishments.
Be sure to include keywords that you want to be found for within your profile. This will help people who searching for experts within your area as you will be shown within the search results.
Connect with potential prospects
It’s fairly easy to connect with people on LinkedIn. The question is, how do you find potential leads in a sea of over 400 million users? It’s simple. LinkedIn’s powerful search engine will help you narrow down the results. All you have to do is profile the common traits of the type of prospect you’re looking for, and use the search engine to find people and companies that fit the demographic. Once you’ve built up an audience, the ‘People You May Know’ section can be a prospect goldmine, as it recommends similar connections.
Use InMail and Sales Navigator
The InMail feature on LinkedIn allows you to send messages to people you’re not connected to. It helps you contact potential prospects when you can’t find any of their contact information online. If your message is accepted, you'll receive a message in your LinkedIn Inbox with the other party's name and email address, and you can communicate further. Sales Navigator is a tool with an algorithm that gives you lead recommendations that are tailored to your interests. You can also use it to easily save and research leads, and create a sales lead list.
Join groups
Tapping into the power of discussion groups is the best way to cultivate relationships and generate leads. Prospects are more likely to post questions and needs in a group, which gives B2B marketers an opportunity to identify new leads, and create in-depth content to answer their questions. You’re also able to post discussions and participate in other users’ threads. Furthermore, the group allows you to see who the top contributors are, and whether or not any of your contacts are also members.
Social media and content should be shared by your entire team – so getting your team members to use LinkedIn is a great step in social media management. Sharing more of your company's content means more visits, engagement, and link-sharing from others in your network, which essentially results in generating more leads.
At Angelfish Marketing, we pride ourselves in offering exceptional social media management services that help you to reach the right prospects, on the right platforms. Want to know more about generating leads through social media? Download our step-by-step guide on how to leverage social media for B2B lead generation.
If you'd like some help getting your social media up and running or you need some fresh content ideas, why not make use of our social media management services. Get in touch with our experts now for a free initial consultation.
.svg)
