Social media platforms are among the most popular tools when it comes to marketing activities. Many traditionally rely on YouTube, Facebook or Instagram to appeal to a broad audience. Likes, shares and comments are all well and good, but they're not of much use from a company's point of view if they don't generate high-quality prospects.
Founded in 2002 as a career and business network, LinkedIn has developed into a qualified content platform. It is no longer just job advertisements or company updates that can be found here, but also a variety of specialist articles, online seminars, studies or e-books. Even the popular story format has found its way here and the platform is also constantly evolving in order to remain successful. LinkedIn now has 722 million members worldwide, 50 million of whom are companies. There are 16 million active users in the DACH region (as of February 2021).
The basic requirement for any marketing strategy and successful lead generation is, of course, to define your own goals and target groups in advance. This is followed by the selection of the appropriate platform and the creation of convincing content.
Even though LinkedIn is still the most important network for the B2B sector, that doesn't mean that B2C campaigns have not already been successfully implemented here, as examples from Starbucks, Audi or Holiday Inn show. Nevertheless, it can be said that lifestyle industries such as fashion, interior or food, with rather younger target groups, are not as successful here as, for example, the industrial or real estate sector or associations that focus on business.
According to a study by Hubspot The chances of conversion on LinkedIn are 2.74 percent. On Facebook, the figure is just 0.77 percent, followed by Twitter with just 0.69 percent. LinkedIn is therefore more than clearly in the lead with almost 300 percent.
(The study includes evaluations of 5,198 B2B and B2C companies)
So that's a good reason to take a closer look at the international network based in California. Another is: Since 2019, the number of users in the DACH region has risen by 31 percent, the number of shared content is growing by 50 percent and live streams even by over 450 percent and, according to their own statement, one person is hired via LinkedIn every 7 seconds.
That's why it's worth taking a look at lead generation on this platform:
Five tips on how to successfully generate leads for your company with LinkedIn:
If you are striving for successful marketing on LinkedIn, so-called big rock content, also known as deep content, is essential these days. This can be a Online seminar, study, e-guide, white paper, or research report act. Don't worry, that doesn't mean publishing extensive posts on a weekly basis. B2B marketing expert Doug Kessler recommends one Big Rock content per quarter. This in turn can also be divided into small pieces and used to create content for several contributions. Here too, the following applies: The more visual the content, the better. Such contributions have the background to their own Competence and expertise to focus on and thus the opportunities potential new customers to win, to increase.
One of the basic rules on social media platforms is: Be active!
Of course, this also applies to LinkedIn. Joining active groups in which your target groups are located and with whom you can and should interact here is particularly useful here. If you find out that your target group has a specific need that this group does not meet, this is your chance to found a new group and become active as a moderator here. This is a free and good way to get in touch with potential leads and to win them over.
One of the reasons why lead generation via LinkedIn is so successful is the targeted targeting options via the Sales Navigator, Which, however, is only available to premium members. For example, when searching for new leads, over 30 filter options can be set and such a List of relevant leads be created and saved. In addition, the Sales Navigator offers features such as lead recommendations, With which you Get recommendations about influencers and decision makers. It is also useful TeamLink, which allows them to view hidden contacts and thus find out who in your company is connected with prospects. Or the access to the extended network, in which you not only have access to direct contacts and second-degree contacts, but also up to 3rd degree contacts be able to discover and reach out via the people search.
Online forms are a popular way to generate leads. However, forms that have to be filled out manually are the biggest stumbling block for online conversions. With LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms Profile data can be automatically transferred to the form through a call-to-action, such as “register” or “download” in the display. This saves members time and effort and provides you with up-to-date and reputable user data. The disadvantage of this, however, is that the most desired website traffic to your own site is lower here and retargeting options can also worsen as a result.
Since May 2020, LinkedIn has also been offering the popular story format. Why should you also use it for your company? It's very simple:
Stories are consumed quickly, but are also created quickly and are therefore perfect for in-between meals. Recently, it is also possible to insert links and thus generate more traffic to your own website. While stories should be authentic and entertaining/informative, professionalism is paramount on LinkedIn. Exciting figures or graphics, customer reviews or the announcement of a new blog post are ideal formats for LinkedIn stories. There are currently no LinkedIn Story Ads, but they are already being tested.
Whether organic or paid, always look for high-quality content that offers added value to your target group and rely on a high level of activity and connections to build your reach organically and then start investing in paid lead generation measures in parallel.
Tip: Test organic content and only promote popular content to get the most out of your investment.
Whether B2B or B2C — with the right strategy and appropriate professional resources, you can successfully generate leads via LinkedIn and achieve significantly better results than on other social media platforms.
Uhura Digital advises and supports companies in the optimal implementation of social media and B2B marketing activities, from analysis and strategy development to implementation and optimization. interest? Just give us a call or send us an email.
