How To Get Reliable Traffic and Leads From LinkedIn

B2B marketing is often very tricky and has a very long decision-making period leading up to the eventual purchase. This means that conversion rates are very low and for most successful B2B businesses they work on the 80/20 rule. This sort of comfortability also means B2B service providers don't always chase leads or build a lead pool to pull from.

Having large accounts to work with are great, you can double down, keep them happy and provide specialised services that keep them with you.

While this sort of business model can be profitable, it does mean that if these key accounts pull the plug or they need to scale down or even close up shop, your business will be left exposed.

Attract new leads

So how do you mitigate this kind of risk? You need to attract new leads, naturally. In my short time in marketing, I've worked with some B2B services, and from my experience, marketing is something they're not willing to do themselves. Leads are still done via word of mouth, the boardrooms and the golf courses. This is how business was done before, but in the digital age, that sort of practice may not be for everyone. Social media has lowered the playing field gifted B2B service providers with an opportunity to extend their reach; it allows for smaller B2B providers to be agiler and the brave few who take to this medium are often rewarded.

Turn to LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a business based social network with its own community, mindset and set of rules and algorithms. Its design is to help those in businesses make worthwhile connections, but it doesn't mean it's a free for all. LinkedIn has its own set of quirks and will require certain strategies for extracting the best results from the platform. So what are these strategies? Well, let's dive in and see!

Make use of keywords

Just like you target certain keywords when optimizing a website for SEO or ads of PPC, you need to do the same when optimizing your LinkedIn. Do some keyword research beforehand and look at the keywords you feel are the most popular and most likely to list you in relevant searches.

Now go ahead and optimise your profile using some of the top keywords. The keywords you have not used can be incorporated into in platform content via LinkedIn Pulse. Create posts using these keywords showcasing your services or just your opinion on these topics.

These Pulse articles will be directly affiliated with your profile and serve as a link building opportunity within LinkedIn.

Network as much as is socially acceptable

LinkedIn is an online space for networking. So don’t just make your profile pretty – you’ve got to use it as a base of operations. In a very similar way to building links in SEO, if you haven’t got any connections on LinkedIn, then you’re far less likely to appear in the search results.

Networking is arguably one of the most important points here. LinkedIn’s search algorithm is based first and foremost on showing people with similar connections and groups.

The larger your audience, the bigger your reach, not only to your immediate contacts but to those who are tied closely to your network. When you produce quality content, LinkedIn tends to give you extended reach into the feeds of these 2nd and 3rd level connections.

Participate in groups

Groups are an excellent way of finding like-minded people in your industry. Spend some time identifying the groups most relevant to your expertise and profession. It also makes you more visible as you can use it to syndicate your posts and content. Another benefit is joining a group with thousands of people will suddenly make you more relevant to them regarding the search results within LinkedIn.

Participate in discussions

Once you've subscribed to various groups you think possible leads would be interested in, it's not time to participate. Groups are often used to solicit opinions from industry professionals or for recommendations. This can be the ideal opportunity to showcase your expertise and even offer your services. You’ve got opinions, so share them. You’ve got expert knowledge, so divulge it. You’ve got a voice, so use it.

Post regularly

This is the part where most of us start to lose the plot since it takes plenty of time to get this one right. I would say take one day to focus on LinkedIn, create all your posts for the upcoming week or 2 weeks and use a scheduling tool to have them post each day. Your posts should also consider a mix of media, links, images, text posts and even video. If you are comfortable in front of the camera LinkedIn video can be amazing for amplifying your reach.

Note:

• Make sure to follow up on any of the comments you receive from your content, show that you care and you're willing to engage with users.
• For scheduling tool options check out our post - Social Media Post Management Systems

Get LinkedIn premium

If you're serious about growing your LinkedIn, then putting some money behind it isn't a bad idea. LinkedIn offers you a range of subscriptions all with their benefits. Pick the one that suits your current situation and pricing and start to take advantage of the platforms added services.

Slow and steady growth

Even with the consistent use of the strategies I've listed, it will be a slow and steady grind to the top. I would recommend you use this as a baseline and drop the elements that don't work for you. 

Perhaps it's commenting and participating in the discussion, don't force yourself to do it just for the sake of it. 

If your passion and expertise in that area don't shine through in every contribution, then it's not worth doing. Be consistent in contributing but also try to retain a certain level of quality.

Tags: linkedin, Social Media