If you are still not convinced
by how LinkedIn can help you gain qualified leads then consider a 2012 study
conducted by HubSpot. When looking at traffic reported by 5,000 businesses,
those generated from LinkedIn had the highest volume of visitor-to-lead
conversion rates at 2.74%. This rate is triple that of Twitter and Facebook
combined!
If you are now convinced that
LinkedIn is a great social media platform for your B2B data provision campaign,
then here are six ways of maximizing your leverage using this social media
platform:
1.
Jazz up your links: Consider including 3 links to other websites on your
profile page. According to Lorrie Ross, a marketing consultant, these links are
a great way to persuade people to go to your blog, website, Facebook business
page and Google+ page. These links can be placed in the standard dropdowns such
as “company website” or “blog”. If you select “other” you can get creative and
add a colourful description which can potentially tempt new visitors to your
page which is great for B2B data provision.
2.
Get Social: Use your LinkedIn profile to sync with your Twitter page or
any other social marketing tool. By creating an automatic link from your LinkedIn
profile to your blog, you can share thought leadership with potential
customers. It will help you build credibility, sellability and usability. Leads
for B2B data provision are developed by playing nice and sharing titbits of
information.
3. Monitor your visitors: Purchase
a premium membership on LinkedIn to track who might be viewing your profile.
Some of your visitors may be prospective clients who you may want to pursue for
an effective B2B data provision campaign.
4. Start a community: On
LinkedIn, you can start your own community based on your area of expertise or
industry. For example, Kristina Jaramillo is a marketing expert on LinkedIn who
founded GetLinkedInHelp.com based on her videos and blog content.
5.
Increase your
credibility level: To make connections with other
communities, you can provide your input to other groups. One way to do this is
by leveraging material you are in the process of creating. Good examples of
this include press releases, or a spotlight on media attention you have received
from magazines and trusted websites. For example, if your article gets
published somewhere, you can create conversations in particular LinkedIn
communities, which will drive those group members to your content for B2B data
provision campaign. Not only does this get you exposure, it also strengthens
your credibility. It also positions your company as a thought leader and
prospects will want to connect with you.
6.
Direct Sale: Social networking is about sharing knowledge and
expertise, but you may also want to purchase a LinkedIn direct advertisement.
This ad will only be visible to your target audience. You can make a selection
according to industry, company, job title or function, age, seniority, and
company size and even membership in other LinkedIn groups.