LinkedIn is a much more powerful marketing tool than many people give it credit for. But to use it to its fullest, you need to build a solid list of connections.
For years, many marketers have underestimated the true potential of LinkedIn.
As a social media platform, many see it as little more than a place to create an online CV. Sure, you have some industry influencers posting interesting content. But by and large, LinkedIn is the place to go to network and open up new job opportunities.
That’s a misconception you may need to overcome.
When used well, LinkedIn can be one of the most powerful marketing platforms available. That’s especially the case for those who offer services to businesses or business owners.
The stats bear that out too.
According to an article published on HootSuite, 80% of B2B leads generated via social media come from LinkedIn. And on top of that, LinkedIn’s InMail system has a response rate 300% higher than email.
The point is that you can’t sleep on LinkedIn as a marketing platform anymore.
You need to start building campaigns and creating content that will result in more leads for your business. But before you can do that, you need to build a strong list of connections who will see what you share.
That’s where this article comes in. We’re going to look at some of the techniques you can use to get more connections on LinkedIn.
Technique #1 – Always Personalise Connection Requests
Sending a connection request to somebody on LinkedIn is as easy as pressing a button. But if that’s all you do, you’re not going to get many people to accept your requests.
The connection button just sends a generic request with boilerplate text.
Remember that most people active on LinkedIn receive several connection requests per day. Furthermore, LinkedIn places a cap on how many connections you can have. As a result, prospects are often very selective in terms of who they let into their networks.
A connection request that has no context attached to it will usually get ignored.
To overcome this, make sure you’re sending messages with each connection request. More importantly, make sure that you’re personalising these messages. Use the prospect’s name and explain why you want to connect with them, specifically.
Technique #2 – Figure Out Your Target Audience (So You’re Connecting with the Right People)
Taking a scattergun approach to building your list of connections isn’t the best idea.
You could send out thousands of connection requests to everybody who crosses your path. However, the majority of the people who accept aren’t going to fall into your target audience. That means any content you share with these people isn’t going to help you generate more leads. Your list will be full of people who will never enter your funnel in the first place.
The key is to establish what your target audience is – before you start building connections. Create an audience avatar and use that to determine who you connect with. Get selective about who you add to your list, so you don’t end up with thousands of tire kickers you can’t sell to.
Put it like this…
Is it better to have 1,000 connections who all have an interest in what you do…or 10,000 connections, of which only a few hundred might become customers someday?
Don’t fall into the trap of allowing your connections to become a vanity metric. Building a targeted list will lead to much better results from your campaigns.
Technique #3 – Post Content and Status Updates Regularly
Convincing somebody to accept your connection request is only the first part of the process. You also have to do what you can to ensure that the prospect wants to stay connected to you. That means you’ve got to share content and status updates regularly.
Frequency and quality are the key words to remember here.
If you’re an infrequent poster, you’re giving your connections no reason to keep track of you. The few things you do post will get lost amongst everything else that they see. Eventually, they’ll forget about you altogether.
They won’t be engaged anymore, which means you can’t make any offers to them.
When it comes to quality, the key is that everything you share has to offer value. Your content needs to speak to your connections about the pain points that they have. The goal here is to show them that you’re an authority within your niche. This creates trust, which makes it more likely that they’ll talk to you when the time comes to make an offer.
Posting high-quality content regularly has another advantage, beyond helping you retain connections.
Good content gets shared by your connections.
This exposes you to people you haven’t connected with yet. You may find that these people start asking to connect with you, which can help you build your list faster.
Technique #4 – Join Groups
People on LinkedIn form groups based on the subjects and niches that matter to them.
These groups offer a place for like-minded people to come together and talk about whatever issue the group relates to.
Regardless of your niche, you’ll find that there are plenty of groups you can take part in. And each of these groups offers you the chance to gain exposure and establish yourself as an authority in your niche.
There are a few things to keep in mind with these groups.
First, don’t join a group and immediately start pitching to its members. That’s a good way to get kicked out. Instead, focus on offering value so that people will see you as a trusted authority.
Second, be picky about the groups you join. LinkedIn allows you to join a maximum of 100 groups. You need to ensure that every group you join has the potential to provide you with new connections and leads.
Technique #5 – Connect with LIONS
A LION is a LinkedIn Open Networker.
These are members of LinkedIn who have opened their entire networks up for other people. You can almost think of them as the middlemen of building connections.
A LION will accept invitations to connect from all sorts of people, including you. And because they maintain an open network, you’ll have access to all the people that they connect with.
Ideally, you’ll connect with LIONs who specialise in your niche.
With a few LIONs in your list, your searches in LinkedIn will bear more fruit. You’ll see a lot more potential connections pop up, which means you can build your list faster.
Technique #6 – Promote Your LinkedIn Profile Everywhere
You don’t have to rely on LinkedIn to promote the fact that you have an active profile.
There are plenty of other ways to let people know that you’re looking to make connections on the platform.
For example, you could add a link to your LinkedIn profile in your email signature. Now, the prospects in your email list have the option of connecting with you on LinkedIn as well.
Add the link to your business cards and any marketing materials you produce too. Again, it’s all about letting people know that you’re on the platform and you’re ready to connect.
While this likely won’t lead to a flood of connection requests, you’ll still get some people who will see your stuff and want to find out more.
The key here is that you have a profile worth connecting with.
Make sure you share plenty of information about what you do and who you help. You only have one chance to make a first impression when somebody lands on your profile. Any information on there that doesn’t add value needs to go.
You also need to create attractive and professional-looking profile and cover images for your profile. That’s an area where Automation Agency can help, so send a ticket to our Concierge Service.
More Connections = More Leads
LinkedIn has become one of the most powerful marketing platforms for those in the B2B sectors.
To wield that power to its fullest, you need to focus on building a strong list of connections. However, that doesn’t mean connecting with everybody you possibly can.
Follow these steps to create a list of targeted prospects you can engage with. That’s how you build a connections list that results in more leads and sales.
Automation Agency can help you to make your LinkedIn profile as attractive as possible. Send a ticket to the Concierge Service to learn about our image design services.
And of course, we want to talk to you if you’re not a member yet. Send a message to our Right Fit Chatbot to see if we can work together.
