If you target business professionals, then LinkedIn is a great place to acquire leads. I have worked with several clients who want to generate business leads but have not fully implemented a LinkedIn strategy.

Below you will find 8 steps to using LinkedIn for lead generation that I often tell my clients. I hope this is helpful:

1. Develop your LinkedIn plan

We all know the old adage: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. This is certainly the case when targeting prospects through LinkedIn. This platform offers a plethora of resources for users to attract the right lead. Before utilizing any of these resources you should create a plan of action to maximize efforts. Begin with the following:

Build your company page
Create a content production and marketing plan
Develop a plan to attract followers.

2. Learn from the competition

There is no reason to re-create the wheel. Examine your competitors efforts to see if they inspire your own efforts on LinkedIn. Remember every company has varying levels of bandwidth so be objective when analyzing other company pages. Some techniques may not be suited for your business. Take the positives points from each and apply accordingly.

3. Create your LinkedIn company page

Your company page is the cornerstone of your LinkedIn presence. When creating your page, be sure you do the following:

Add keyword-rich description of your business (so people can find you via LinkedIn search),
Use an engaging cover image on the page
Update your page frequently (ideally, daily) so that your content shows up in your followers’ update feeds.

4. Attract followers

Start by asking employees, customers, and partners to follow your page.

Encourage these people to share your page and status updates with their connections so you reach as many people in your target market as possible.
Include a LinkedIn follow button on your website, blog and email signature.
Send an exclusive email announcing your presence on LinkedIn. Be sure to indicate the added value for following your company as well.

5. Use content to engage buyers

Be mindful of the LinkedIn user types. This is a network of “professionals” that habitually consume informative content. Make sure you regularly post informational content such as blogs, white papers, webinars, infographics, reports, etc. By doing this consistently, you can establish your company page as a destination for valuable content.

6. Participate in the community

There are several ways you can be an actively engage with your target buyers on LinkedIn. Here are a few:

Participate in LinkedIn Groups and share high-value content, or be helpful by answering questions or making suggestions.
Engage people through LinkedIn’s social features such as commenting and liking.

7. Use LinkedIn Ads

LinkedIn Ads allow you to promote your company and content to a very specific professional audience. You can target an audience based on industry, job function, job title, and seniority. These ads can be text-only, text plus image, or video. They show up on the pages that LinkedIn members spend the most time on, such as profiles and home pages.

8. Use LinkedIn analytics

LinkedIn offers a lightweight analytics tool that you can use to measure your LinkedIn marketing efforts. The tool is available via your LinkedIn company page and provides visibility into metrics such as reach and engagement. See More:

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8 Steps to Using LinkedIn for Lead Generation