Are you looking to find your best prospects?
Your most engaged customers?
The people who are ready to buy from you right now but don’t know yet?
Join us for this session where we’ll show you how to use LinkedIn’s advanced search and targeting features. You’ll learn the ins and outs of finding, engaging, and converting your best prospects through LinkedIn in no time!
1) Define your target market
To prospect effectively through LinkedIn, you need to identify your target market. The best place is on the homepage by typing in a keyword relevant to what they do and pressing enter. Once there, find out who their top connections are so that when you message them it is more personalized for someone within their industry.
For example, in order to ensure you are able to approach potential clients with as much knowledge about your company’s qualifications before you even start talking about business plans or services offered, you research your industry’s leading companies which is relatively easy considering how many people are following those accounts due to their vast amount of followers. You then look at all those influencers listed under “Top Connections.”
Your target market may not always include those with a strong social media presence; rather it might just consist of people in specific industries or job titles. Once this has been determined, LinkedIn can then become an invaluable tool for engaging these potential customers by using their advanced search functions such as “See more results from” which allows users to see members outside of what’s currently shown on screen.
2) Research their background and interests
The most important thing when it comes to LinkedIn is research. You should be on the prowl for talent, not victims.
Prospects are like gold. You can’t just go and mine them out of thin air without first knowing what they’re made of. So, do your due diligence before reaching out! The profile page will give you an idea about their likes and dislikes, educational background (if applicable), and where they work now or have worked in the past. This information might come into play later if a potential client requests for more information that’s only available after viewing someone’s full profile; this way all prospects won’t feel left in the dark wondering why you contacted them specifically but didn’t follow up with any additional details.
3) Find out what they do, where they work, and who they know
To identify and engage your prospects, you need to know what they do in their work life. You also want to find out where they are located so that you can establish a connection with them through LinkedIn. Knowing these details will give the conversation more depth because then it won’t be just about why someone should buy from or sell something too but rather how this person’s line of work is connected as well.
You should find out what type of business each prospect works in so when making posts about your product or service, you know which niche would best respond well to them.
Use advanced search parameters [on LinkedIn] like keywords used in profiles as descriptors for where someone lives because this can help narrow down geographic locations faster than scrolling through hundreds of results.
4) Reach out to them through LinkedIn with a personalized message tailored to their needs
Once you have identified your best prospects, it is time to reach out and make contact with them through LinkedIn. Reach out by sending a personalized message tailored specifically for their needs – catering towards the type of customer they are looking for in order to catch their attention!
For marketers, one way to use LinkedIn as part of an overall strategy may include reaching out to leads on LinkedIn after identifying who these potential customers might be. For example, if one’s target audience includes mothers or those living downtown, then one possible method would involve contacting these individuals using personal messages customized according to each individual need.
5) Continue the conversation
Have you ever heard the old adage about never going to a job interview without bringing up salary?
Well, don’t apply this advice to your LinkedIn networking either!
To get successful results when using LinkedIn for professional purposes, it’s important not just to email someone and hope they respond. Make sure that every conversation is meaningful and long-lasting by asking questions about their business or organization, finding ways you can help them, and offering introductions if necessary.
This will allow you to identify your most promising prospects and keep a conversation going, leading to more business opportunities for yourself in the future.
6) Offer something of value
Provide value by offering something of interest that is relevant to your contact’s situation. (e.g., an article on a topic related to his or her industry). They will be more likely to read it and continue a positive dialogue with you because they see how much time and effort was put into the article for things they find relevant. But, be sure not to spam them!
7) Keep in touch with a personal touch.
Follow up in 3-4 days with another personal note checking in on how things are going for him or her and mentioning any new developments that may be relevant. Do this every 2 weeks until you get some indication that he or she doesn’t want more contact from you (e.g., no response after two emails). If so, respect his or her wishes and move on as quickly as possible without being pushy or rude. You will have better luck connecting with someone else if this person does not seem interested in talking further about your services or products.
Finale
Above are the ways you can identify your best prospects on LinkedIn and engage them in more meaningful conversations which will result in building better connections with people who could be future clients or colleagues. If you’re looking to join this growing network of professionals, Linked Messaging is here for you! We help businesses all over the world connect with their target market through our platform that allows marketers to send messages directly into people’s inboxes.