LinkedIn is the networking haven for professionals and entrepreneurs, so don’t miss out on this opportunity to gain new leads and grow your business.
For obvious reasons, LinkedIn does not allow you to add just anyone to your network. Being identified as a spammer on LinkedIn is equal to the end of your online reputation and it’s difficult to recover from that.

However, there are effective and adequate ways to generate more leads from LinkedIn by connecting and posting the right way. Here they are:

#1: Join Groups Related to Your Business

LinkedIn groups are created so that people with common interests and professions can discuss privately. If you post status updates to everyone in your network, there will be a lot of people who are not interested in your links and content. Posting in a relevant group sends the message to people who are directly interested in what you have to share. Be active in your groups not only by posting your content, but also by answering questions, trying to solve problems, and being a valued resource to others.

If you grow your reputation as a helpful and knowledgeable person, group members are more likely to trust your business and become not only potential customers but even your business’s advocates.

#2: Look Up People Who Viewed Your Profile

LinkedIn is not like Facebook, people who viewed your profile had a solid reason to do so. Maybe they identified the kind of skills they need in their organization or they want to find out more about you as a person before doing business with you. Whatever the case, look up each person who has browsed your LinkedIn profile and try to find out if they are a potential client or business partner.

Even if you do not start a business relation with these people immediately, having them as contacts will help you get more exposure to other potential leads.

#3: Send a 5-Star Connection Request

Don’t be lazy when asking someone to accept you as connection. The biggest no-no is sending the standard LinkedIn generated message as an invitation to connect. It tells people that you don’t really care about them, you just want to hit the “500+” goal as fast as possible.

If you want to establish a business rapport with someone, treat them courteously with a personalized message including their name and a valid reason why you want to connect with them. People are very careful about building their connections network on LinkedIn, they analyze a profile and an invitation carefully before accepting any connection request.

#4: Follow Influencers

Top industry experts and thought leaders share valuable insights and content which you can comment on and re-share on your personal profile or company page. If you are smart about getting in touch with influencers, they might start following you or your company. This equals to a powerful referral which will represent a warranty for many people that you are a true professional and your products or services are worth trying.

These four easy steps represent a sound strategy for building a network of valuable leads. Remember one thing, though. For LinkedIn in particular, the art of gaining more customers is not trying to sell them anything directly.
Curious about how LinkedIn fits into your business’s marketing?  Get in touch to discuss with a social media pro today.