If LinkedIn has not worked well for you in the past, this post might help you out.
If you post content, add the right people, and even direct message new connections - and get nothing.
Zip, zero in terms of new business or revenue won.
Here is a list of THREE main secrets I have learned over the past few years, using LinkedIn for client generation and teaching others to use LinkedIn.
#1. LinkedIn is not about you; it’s about other people
#2 LinkedIn is a database as well as a social media platform
#3 LinkedIn is a professional networking platform similar to events, conferences or meet-ups
Let’s go through them one by one.
A classic mistake I see all the time is people use LinkedIn like a job-hunting platform [that maybe it once was] where they hang their CVs and hope people take notice of them.
They list every award, certification, and notable achievement, and press mention there and even write their about section in the third person as though it’s a formal biography.
The problem is that this focus is all about you.
Your achievements, your credentials, your stellar career.
This is lovely if you want to be admired but not helpful if you sell a service because people ultimately invest in solutions and results.
Your Harvard pedigree is excellent, and your TEDX speakership is fantastic. Still, if you cannot solve a pressing problem or create impressive results for a business, it’s just window dressing.
It’s far more effective to make your LinkedIn presence about other people; by this, you make the results you create and the problems you solve abundantly clear.
Turn your headline from a role description into a POWER PROMISE.
For example, instead of writing, ‘My NAME: Principal Consultant and Founder of My Company,’ write ‘My NAME: I help small to medium businesses add $20k of revenue per month through organic Instagram strategies.’
Turn your About Section into a sales letter, and by this, I mean list:
The results you create
WHO you help
Case study examples in concise bullet points
How you help them - in steps if possible
How people can get in touch or find out more information
Of course, optimize your featured content, professional experience, skills, endorsements, and recommendations to support this information further.
In short, turn your LinkedIn profile away from being your CV and into being about the results you create for your ideal client.
Second, LinkedIn is a powerful CRM, lead finder, and social media platform in one.
This is the second biggest challenge I see people face when using LinkedIn.
They share heaps of quality content as they would on Facebook, Twitter, their blog, or via email marketing channels and get frustrated when crickets meet it.
While inbound leads from LinkedIn are possible, waiting for people to message you or call you because of your shared content is missing out on the vast potential of LinkedIn as a database.
You can find email addresses, phone numbers, and other links relevant to your ideal client.
You can also find out important company news and events such as mergers or funding received, whether a company is hiring or releasing staff, and you can track down key decision makers and their relationships with each other.
A little-known feature of LinkedIn is that you can upload data to LinkedIn from your phone, your email account, or from your own CRM via a CSV and then use this data to further extend your network by connecting to a new second-degree network by finding similar audiences to your current contacts.
By not using the database features of LinkedIn and simply posting content like any other social platform, many people are missing out on the vast, unique potential of LinkedIn.
Third, LinkedIn is a professional networking platform [like events, conferences, or meet-ups]
I’ve been invited to online BNI events, regional business breakfasts/ lunches/ round tables, etc., via zoom and often have to remind people - LinkedIn is available 24/7. You do realize that, right?
Like attending any industry event or conference, you would get a list of attendees, their role in a company, and their contact details, and you can use the breakout sessions and meal times to approach people, strike up a conversation, trade business cards and essentially begin what can be very fruitful relationships.
LinkedIn is a 24/ 7 networking event.
LinkedIn gives you a vast array of ways to interact with people you would like to, in addition to a direct message.
You can read their content and like or comment on it. You can follow them, endorse them, recommend them, and add them as a connection.
Like any networking event, walking up to people and asking if they want to buy your stuff is neither good manners nor a good business development strategy.
But nor is standing in the corner with a bright sign hoping people will come to you.
Networking requires proactive engagement and constructive relationship development, asking questions, offering resources, making relevant introductions, and making relevant offers of help to painful problems.
LinkedIn is such an excellent tool for business development. Take it from me as someone who consistently makes thousands of pounds each month from LinkedIn.
If you would like help using LinkedIn to secure $10k - $100k clients regularly, then comment below, and we can set up a chat.
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