When it comes to generating leads, LinkedIn is one of the most efficient platforms for business to business companies. Here’s why:

• Over 340 million professional profiles worldwide.
• 40% of users check LinkedIn daily.
• Over 2 million groups on LinkedIn, and 81% of LinkedIn users belong to at least one of them.
• Over 80% of B2B leads generated from social media are from LinkedIn

It’s clear to see that LinkedIn works for B2B lead generation, but without the right knowledge and best practices, it becomes just another time-waster on social media.

To get the most out of LinkedIn, experts recommend you spend at least thirty minutes per day following the tips in this article:

1- Your LinkedIn company page should be a lead generation source:

The strategy for doing that is to structure your company to convert viewers into leads by making both your description and your updates link to your website.How you do it:

• Use an image that gets attention or creates interest:

The header image is a clear way of prospecting for those who are interested in what you do — kissmetrics’ LinkedIn page is a good example.

• Create a clear and compelling pitch in your company description:

The first two lines are the most important part of your company description, because that’s what LinkedIn displays to users who must click to see more. Use the rest of your pitch to communicate directly with your target audience and invite them to convert. — see buffer as an example.

• Make your Recent Updates section clickable and conversion-focused:

The best way to gain leads from this section is to post updates that are directly aimed at your target audience. You can post blog updates, links to your infographics, and share other information, but keep this in mind — You’re looking for click-throughs from information-seekers.

2- Create a showcase page:

If you have several audiences or your company provides several services, LinkedIn allows you to create showcase pages. It means LinkedIn members follow the updates that matter to them, so it’s a good way to segment your inbound traffic.
Here are some tips for making your showcase pages more powerful:

• Make it conversion-primed, just like your company page.
• Keep the name short.
• Choose a name that’s understandable and that people can relate to.

See how to create Showcases here.

3- Connect with your target audience using Advanced Search:

Above, I have explained two inbound techniques for gaining leads. Now, it’s time to explain how to go out and find your prospects.

LinkedIn’s advanced search allows you to target individuals in your audience directly.
From the LinkedIn header menu, click the search people icon, and then the advanced option. You’ll find a number of filters to narrow down your search.

The most powerful aspect of Advanced People Search is the center column, in which you can filter your search by location, current company, industry, past company, school, profile language, and nonprofit interests. Keep in mind that the bigger and better your personal network, the greater your chance of finding warm prospects.

4- Save and organize your leads:

When you create highly specific and targeted searches, you’ll want to save and manage them so you can keep in contact and build successful opportunities with your target leads.

for example ;If you use Salesforce CRM, there is a chrome extension help you to directly save your LinkedIn leads to your saleceforce leads list, Watch the video here.

5- Join relevant groups:

The next approach in searching for leads in LinkedIn is using groups. It’s a great way to find a block of leads.

LinkedIn has identified more than 2 million groups so you can be fairly confident that there’s a group for your niche. So search for groups related to your industry, join them, maintain some level of activity in the groups, and nurture those leads.

Group searches do not have the same advanced features that people or company searches have, but you can narrow down your search according to relationship level, category, and language.

Look for groups with the following features:

• Highly relevant. The group must be a near exact match to what you are seeking in a target audience.
• Active. LinkedIn ranks groups according to their activity level, so all you need to do is pay attention to how active they are in the search results. Select groups that are “very active.”
• Medium size. LinkedIn allows you to be a member of 50 groups, but choose carefully. Keep in mind that you don’t want to get lost in a huge group, where no one will notice you. Neither do you want to join a group that has too few people to generate a significant number of leads.

6- Start your own group:

When you become the owner and moderator of your group, you gain leadership and recognition in the industry. As long as you position yourself authoritatively, the goal is to form a place where your target audience can gather and interact.

7- Publish relevant Content:

LinkedIn has a powerful content publishing platform. Be aware that publishing has not yet rolled out to all users. If you have publishing access, be sure to use this platform for getting more visibility.
(Consult this link about LinkedIn members who are publishing reports that have experienced a lot of success).
What do you think? Do you use LinkedIn to network? Do you use it to increase your blog traffic? What’s worked for you? Share your tips in the comments.
Do you use I/O Grow to save and manage your leads? If you do, please share your feedback in the comments.