Is Your LinkedIn Profile Producing Leads?

A recent revamp of LinkedIn’s Profile pages tightens them up. Here’s the new look – and some tips on generating sales leads there.

When you’re consulting expert sources for help acquiring leads online, you’re probably getting advice on subtle sales techniques for Facebook and Twitter. LinkedIn, possibly the best web-based venue for business networking, gets short shrift. Something about it just isn’t as flashy. Or sexy. Or something.

It might surprise you, then, to hear the results of a study of more than 5,000 businesses that our partner HubSpot conducted earlier this year. The survey indicated that LinkedIn generated the highest visitor-to-lead conversion rate (2.74 percent). Twitter (.69 percent) and Facebook (.77 percent) trailed considerably.

New LinkedIn Profile Look: Cleaner, Less Cluttered

Here I am, smiling at you. Most of the changes on the new LinkedIn profile pages occur above the fold, giving visitors faster access to my most critical information.

My picture is bigger. My audience isn’t met with those chaotic, untidy blocks of text anymore. You can instantly see my most significant employment and education history (the details are still available below).

Want to send me a message or recommend me? Find my references or suggest a profile update? Click the big blue Send a message box. You can also share my profile, export it to PDF, etc. And by clicking Contact Info, you can quickly find me. My Summary (make it short – a paragraph or two – and make it sing) is now directly below my LinkedIn address.

Getting Known Spawns Leads

Have you ever noticed that when you Google individuals or companies, their LinkedIn profiles often appear on the first results page? That’s great – if someone knows your name. To get more leads, you want to appear when people are searching for, say, accounting tax Greensboro NC or geriatric doctor alzheimers Denver CO.

So use keywords wherever you can – work experience, summary, specialties, etc. And especially in your Headline, the text that appears directly under your name. See how I’ve used words that both describe me and are common search terms?

Joining LinkedIn Groups lets you be a problem-solver, a thought leader in your field, but starting your own Group will help you expand your network, drive traffic to your site and interact in ways you can’t as a member – all of which can stimulate leads.

Promote Products and Services

Your LinkedIn company page will garner more leads if you’re creative and thorough in the Products & Services section. Visitors should be able to view, recommend or share this information with their networks.

You can:

  • Create an overview of each offering, including category, title and description
  • Upload a photo and include a URL that takes visitors to more information and sales tools
  • Supply contact links for staff
  • Post links to YouTube videos
  • Add banner images that include calls to action
  • Build multiple versions of a page that will be delivered to users based on specific characteristics (like geographical location).

HubSpot’s study showed us that LinkedIn has been an especially successful lead-generation tool. Make the best use of it: Greet your prospects with a rich, visually interesting and “finished” presence.