What if a few quick tricks could transform how you generate leads?
Chances are that LinkedIn is one of the primary methods that you use to get leads. Unfortunately, the best tricks for LinkedIn lead generation are ones that most people don’t know.
We’re here to change all that. Our guide to LinkedIn prospecting is going to change how you get leads online. And some of the best tips and tricks are ones that you can start using today!
Ready to take your LinkedIn lead generation to the next level? Keep reading to learn everything you need to know!
Understand Your Targets
When it comes to LinkedIn lead generation, some of the best tips are relatively simple. For example, before you make major changes to your outreach strategies, it’s worth going back to basics and making sure you understand your target audience.
That means taking a long, hard look at your ideal customer profile. If you haven’t been getting as many leads as you’d like, there may be an issue with your ICP. If that’s the case, there are a couple of different ways to address this problem.
For example, you can use our guide to work on your filtering and messaging strategies. Between this and our other tips, you may be able to reach more of your target audience than ever before.
But it’s also worth analyzing the audience you are reaching. If this audience shares several traits, this may be a sign that you have been marketing to the wrong audience. In that case, your strategy may be to make a few strategic tweaks and actually lean into this audience.
Headlines To Emphasise What You Have To Offer
It’s important to have a good LinkedIn profile if you want better outreach results. It’s one thing to have a decent cover photo. However, where most people struggle is creating an engaging headline.
Why is this so difficult? In most cases, people are tempted to advertise features in their headlines. For example, listing out all of the different services they have to offer or some of their key accomplishments.
However, to be blunt, prospect outreach leads don’t want to hear about what you have done for other people. Instead, they want to hear about what you can do for them!
That’s why your headline should emphasise the value of what you have to offer. For example, a lead would much rather read something like “we can help you make money” or “we can help you save time” than something like “we are sales experts.”
Your Value Proposition: Different Approaches
Emphasizing what you can do for prospective leads means emphasizing your value proposition. But depending on what you have to offer and the data you have in hand, there are different approaches you can take.
As long as you have the data to back things up, adding actual stats and numbers can help to quantify a strong value proposition. It’s one thing to say that you save leads money, but it’s quite another to advertise that you reduce marketing expenses for companies by an average of 15%.
However, you don’t always have such data on hand, and not every serve lends itself to numbers like that. In that case, there is nothing wrong with offering a softer value proposition in the form of sentences that are short and to the point. For instance, writing that you offer “a seamless ghostwriting service” or that you offer “personalised service seven days a week.”
Use Filters Wisely
The best and worst thing about LinkedIn is that there are so many prospective leads out there. On one hand, this means plenty of potential members of your target audience. On the other hand, that means it may be difficult to suss out who is in your exact target audience for the purposes of LinkedIn lead generation.
This is why you may want to use the LinkedIn Sales Navigator wisely. By properly using the advanced search filters, you can really narrow things down to leads who fit your ICP. But to get the most results, you may have to use a couple of tricks.
For example, LinkedIn will restrict your results to 2,500 per search. If you need more than that, you can always conduct different searches using variations of certain terms and then remove duplicate results. When doing so, you just need to be mindful about removing duplicate results after you export all of the info into your spreadsheet.
Depending on your needs and approach, you should consider using some of the lesser-known search features. You can look for those who have left their job in recent months or prospects that have something in common with you. Such results may make things easier on your overall prospect outreach approach.
Keep in mind, though, that you may be able to save both time and money by using a third party to help you generate leads more effectively with the right automation tools!
Authentic Messaging
Do you know that kind of instinctive recoil you get when someone at the store asks if you need help finding anything? It’s not hard to see why you recoiled. After all, this person just came out of nowhere to disturb you, and it’s clear all they want to do is sell you something.
This is important to keep in mind as you message prospective leads on LinkedIn. To them, you are the person who came out of nowhere. And while you can’t change the “coming out of nowhere” part, you can at least sound like you’re not trying to sell them something while you focus on LinkedIn lead generation.
Your messages need to sound authentic and organic. For example, you can mention some flattering detail about the person (“I read your work from home piece over on Vox and was really impressed”). And you can try to illustrate the connections you share with the person (such as telling them you’re part of the same industry or that you have written about some of the same things they have written about).
However you craft that first message, the most important thing to remember is that you shouldn’t come across too strong. The point is to get them to accept your connection request and make them more amenable to follow-up messages.
Art of the Followup
Eventually, you need good prospect outreach. But what should your follow-up outreach strategies be after that first message? Ultimately, the best strategy is to lean into the value proposition that we touched on above.
If you have some claims that feature stats, you can always drop them into the conversation. For instance, telling someone you reduce marketing expenses by an average of 15% will really resonate if they handle marketing matters.
But as we discussed before, it’s fine to use soft value propositions as well. Telling someone that you specialise in helping companies get the most out of their Facebook ads may be a big hit with a lead that wants to explore social media marketing opportunities.
Above all, better outreach means follow-up messages should be tailored to the needs of your leads. Never be afraid to do a bit more homework on someone before you send out that follow-up message if you want really successful LinkedIn lead generation!
Drip Messaging
It’s an open secret that you must follow up on your initial LinkedIn messages to prospects. But how often should you follow up when they don’t reply? And how many messages should you send before moving on?
A good rule to follow is that you should wait at least three days before each message. And as with email drip campaigns, you should aim for somewhere between three to five follow-up messages.
For example, let’s say that your outreach strategies involve sending a prospective lead no more than four messages. The first should be the friendly, authentic message we described above. And the second should emphasise your value proposition and tell prospects how you can help them accomplish their goals.
The third message should further establish your credibility while verifying whether or not someone wants to learn more about you. You can always send them some kind of document (perhaps an authoritative ebook you have written) to demonstrate value, but make sure to ask if they want to see it. A better strategy is to include a customer testimonial that helps highlight how you can solve problems the client may be facing.
The fourth message should be honest: tell them that since they haven’t responded, you’re assuming this is not a good time to connect. But you should leave the door open by asking if there might be a better time to reach them.
The Right Call To Action
The key to every message is including a good call to action. Unfortunately, too many people use CTAs that try to rush leads into conversion.
The CTA “sweet spot,” then, is to keep the conversation going with questions focused on the lead’s desires. Simple questions like “is this an area you’re interested in” or “would you like to learn more” help keep them talking while giving you further opportunities to demonstrate your value. And keeping the conversation going is at the heart of effective LinkedIn lead generation.
Your Next Move
Now you know some of our top tips for LinkedIn lead generation and you’re ready to boost your business prospects. But do you know what can take your lead game over the top? The best automation tools in the world!
Here at Salesflow, our automation experts are here to help your company reach more leads than ever before. To experience the difference, come request a demo today!