6 Ways to Use LinkedIn for Lead Generation

There are 6 primary ways  you can use LinkedIn to  generate leads for your business.
1. LinkedIn Answers: This is one of the more  useful (and under-utilized) tools on LinkedIn. It’s  a section where people who want to ask  questions about business go to get advice. And guess who’s giving the advice? You are, because  you’re an industry-insider with a lot of helpful  knowledge, right?

2. LinkedIn Applications: One of the more interesting places to visit on LinkedIn is  the Applications area. This is where you can go to add new and interesting apps that  will improve the experience people have on your LinkedIn page. If you’d like to add  your blog posts to your LinkedIn page, it’s easy. Or, if you’d like to let people know  what business books you’re reading, that’s easy, too. You can even set up simple  polls to find out what’s on the minds of your customers and prospects.  

3. LinkedIn Groups: As we mentioned earlier, you should definitely join several  groups on LinkedIn. But the trick here isn’t just joining the obvious groups in your  industry, it’s joining groups that are  outside your industry that might help you grow  your business. By stretching out a little bit, you’re expanding your reach, which is  always good for business. So, for example, if you’re an accountant, you don’t want  to just join accounting groups -- you’ll want to join groups for entrepreneurs, small  business owners, restaurateurs and other groups outside of your immediate circle. 

4. LinkedIn People: This is terrific for sales people, people looking for jobs and  business-to-business owners who want to get their foot in the door at a large  corporation. Just do a search in the upper-right-hand box for your target company.  Click on the company. Now, on the right hand side, you’ll see a box that will show  you your first connection (also known as a direct connection) and your second  connections. Assuming you have no first or direct connections, click on the second  connections link. This will bring up a list of names of people at your target company.  At the bottom of the profile,  you’ll see a list of your shared connections. From that  point on, it’s a cakewalk -- just ask your friends to introduce you via LinkedIn to the  people at your target company.

5.  LinkedIn Direct Ads: LinkedIn has an advertising program that can be used to drive  new prospects to your landing page, LinkedIn group or other destination. The ads  work the same way Google paid search ads work. You simply write a headline, add  some copy and create a destination link.  Then you bid on how much you’ll pay  LinkedIn every time someone clicks on the ad. If you pay $1 to LinkedIn for a clickthrough, and it takes 50 clicks before you convert a customer, then you’ve just spent  $50 for 1 customer. If your product sells for $500 each, investing $50 to generate  $500 is not a bad return-on-investment. 

6.  LinkedIn Mobile: Yes, LinkedIn has a  mobile application. If you haven’t already  downloaded it to your smart phone, just  go to your app store  and download it for
free. The LinkedIn mobile app is best  used when you’re at a trade show or an  event where you’re making one-on-one  contacts. During a conversation with a  prospect, ask them to turn on LinkedIn on  their smart phone. Then, bump your phones  together lightly. If they have their  settings correct, then LinkedIn will transfer your contact information between phones  using Bluetooth. No typing, no misspelled words -- just instant transfer of  information.