As an early adopter of LinkedIn, our Co-Founder Mark Schmukler maintains more than 21,800 connections and followers (up from 8,500 in 2017). The platform has been instrumental in helping him tap into existing relationships and form new ones to build his career, generate leads, and grow Sagefrog into a top B2B marketing agency in the region.
Social media is constantly evolving. To stay ahead and see how you can use LinkedIn to get quality leads in the B2B space. To generate quality leads on LinkedIn, you must grow with the platform and take full advantage of new features and functionality. There are many lessons to be learned from Mark’s profile. Let’s take a look.
7 Tips to Optimize Your Profile Before Bringing in Leads
1. Write a Headline That Attracts
There’s space for a “Headline” right under your name. This caps at 220 characters and is the perfect opportunity for a shameless plug. Mark adds more about himself, his company, and his geographic reach.
2. Use a Professional Photo
You only get one first impression. Users with photos receive more engagement and appear professional and welcoming.1 Bonus: LinkedIn headers are becoming more popular. Whether you’re a potential client or job candidate, landing on Mark’s profile urges you to leap ahead with Sagefrog.
3. Make the Most Out of “About”
With 2,600 characters (max) of professional summary space, this is your chance to highlight relevant experience and career milestones.
4. Share Relevant Articles
Part of an enticing profile is remaining active. If your last post was a meme from 2010, you probably don’t look like a thought leader. Mark shares articles from Sagefrog, regional news sources, and beyond.
5. Highlight Awards or Honors
If you don’t post awards on social media, did you really win? In today’s day and age, no. Sagefrog recently made the Philadelphia100® list as a fastest-growing company in the region. Here’s Mark showing off this W on LinkedIn.
6. Add to Your Featured Section
Social proof is evidence that other people find value in a product or service you offer.2 That’s why Mark shares case studies and videos under “Featured”.
7. Build Out Your Contact Section
Last, but certainly not least, is providing contact information. You’ve impressed your visitor, and they want to chat. Don’t bury what they need now.
Using LinkedIn to Generate B2B Leads
Once your profile is set for success, there are several approaches to generating B2B leads, starting with building a network of ideal clients. Use Sales Navigator to find potential leads, join groups, host LinkedIn events, get referrals from connections, or find out who viewed your profile. To touch and inspire these prospects, you must stay active through organic and paid social media methodologies.
Each year, Sagefrog conducts a B2B Marketing Mix Report, which gathers the opinions and experiences of professionals across several B2B industries, including healthcare, technology, industrial, and business services. In 2023, 24% of B2B marketing professionals listed paid social media as a top source of marketing and sales leads.
How to Generate B2B Leads on LinkedIn Organically
LinkedIn for B2B lead generation doesn’t require a hefty investment. Start today with organic social media posting. Sharing content expands your reach both on the web and on LinkedIn. Every time you post, your connections are reminded that you’re a useful connection. Consistently sharing high-quality information is paramount to developing trust and brand awareness. After continuously providing relevant content, you establish yourself as a thought leader and go-to resource for a particular topic. Your connections are more likely to re-share, introducing you to a larger audience. Ensure your LinkedIn presence is strong by following best practices and tactics that work.
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- Understand your audience and what they value
- Create consistent, relevant, and educational content
- Keep it business professional and appropriate
- Highlight case studies and how you’ve helped others
- Engage with your audience in the comments and your inbox
- Schedule post for optimal times
(spoiler alert: it’s between noon–9 pm on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday)3 - Include media–photos, videos, etc.–in your posts
- Peruse analytics, test new formats, and see what performs best
Paid B2B Lead Gen Strategies for LinkedIn
Paid social media empowers you to set metrics and actually reach them. There’s great diversity in the path you take to achieving your goals. Do you want to get the word out about your product, services, or brand? You got it. More eyeballs on your website or content? Easy. Target warmer leads? No problem. Here are your options:
Lead Gen Form Ads
Bypass the eyeroll associated with lengthy forms by leveraging one pre-filled with users’ LinkedIn profile data that makes their lives easier while still securing the lead.
Sponsored Content Ads
Also known as native ads, these show up on your audience’s feed like regular posts, providing instant equity that they might be from a connection.
Dynamic Content Ads
Through personalization, these ads might directly call a user out by name or occupation, which is definitely one way to grab attention.
Need help leveraging LinkedIn for B2B lead generation? You’re in the right place. At Sagefrog, we do this day in and day out for B2B clients just like you.
Sources
- https://www.linkedin.com/business/sales/blog/b2b-sales/picture-perfect–make-a-great-first-impression-with-your-linkedi#:~:text=Statistics%20show%20that%20LinkedIn%20members,before%20even%20speaking%20a%20word
- https://www.optimizely.com/optimization-glossary/social-proof/#:~:text=Social%20proof%20in%20a%20marketing,service%20offered%20by%20a%20business
- https://www.linkedin.com/business/marketing/blog/linkedin-ads/whats-the-best-time-to-post-on-linkedin#:~:text=According%20to%20HubSpot’s%20findings%2C%20the,Wednesday%2C%20Saturday%2C%20and%20Sunday
