Performing lead gen on LinkedIn seems simple, right? You search for people you think would be a good fit in your network, you message them, and you dive right into a business deal…isn’t that how it works? That couldn’t be farther from how it works! That’s why you need a lead gen plan. While searching for people, adding them to your network, and messaging them sounds like a simple concept, to do it all successfully and genuinely is a whole different story. That’s why having a plan in place for your LinkedIn lead gen is extremely important!
Winging it may work in other areas of your life, but lead gen shouldn’t be one of them! Let’s talk about why you need a plan.
You Should Know Your Audience
Without knowing WHO you are looking to connect with on LinkedIn, you won’t connect with anyone that will stick! If you aren’t clear on the people/businesses you are targeting, you’ll be thrown into a larger search that is bound to overwhelm you more. If you can niche down your search a bit, it will save you from feeling overwhelmed. Having options is great, but you don’t want to overdo it.
You Should Come Up with Some Messaging
You shouldn’t just dive into cold messaging folks on LinkedIn, your messaging needs to have direction! When you do find people you want to connect with, you’ll want to have at least some idea of what to say to them in a connection note. If you have to make up something every single time, you’re going to run the risk of getting stuck. If you’ve got a few ideas for potential messages that you can genuinely personalize as you connect with the right people, you’re going to feel much more confident in reaching out.
You Should Have an Engagement Plan
We recommend engaging with potential leads on LinkedIn for a bit before you dive into messaging about your services. That’s going to look different for every person and every business. It’s important to plan out what that engagement period looks like for you before getting started! If you’ve just connected with a person, you’ve only engaged on one of their posts, and you hop into their messages with your sales pitch, chances are good they are going to just feel like another profile you are trying to rack up. Avoid that by planning how you aim to genuinely connect with them beforehand!
You Should Know How You’ll Stay Organized
You’ll need to plan out how you aim to track the success of your lead gen efforts. Diving right in with enthusiasm is great, but it’s also important to know how you can track your progress and you’ll want to start from the beginning. Plan how and where you’d like to track your leads- Airtable and Google Sheets are great tools!
If you’re ready to make a name for yourself as a thought leader on LinkedIn by logging on, sharing your genius, and just basking in the glow of your newfound visibility- Thought Leaders Collective is the place for you!
You’ll get weekly LinkedIn prompts, access to our supportive Slack community, weekly co-working opportunities and much much more! Check it out and join us inside here!
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