Why Every Service Professional Needs to Be On LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the number one social media platform for generating high quality leads and sales, yet surprisingly, many service professionals are still not taking advantage of this. It may be that LinkedIn is still viewed by many as simply a place to market yourself and improve your professional life. This is certainly not the case anymore and LinkedIn continues to prove itself as one of the best places to market products and services. Let’s dig into the primary reasons LinkedIn is so effective when it comes to lead generation for service professionals, and why you should have a plan in place to take advantage of it.
LinkedIn Improves Your Reputation and Credibility
When it comes to professional content delivery, there is no better platform for industry professionals than LinkedIn. Developing and posting rich content that highlights your experience and expertise is an excellent way to improve your online reputation. LinkedIn also allows you to join various groups and networks where you can build relationships with other professionals in your industry or associated industries. Sharing quality content and establishing yourself within groups and networks will help you be recognized as a leader within your field.
As an example, if you are a loan officer, think of information you can share that comes with experience and industry expertise. First-time homebuyers almost always need a guiding hand during the homebuying process. Share an article that offers your own personal tips and tricks you have learned over the years that will give Realtors the tools they need to help their clients make an offer with the best chance of being accepted. This type of content shows readers, and ultimately potential referral partners, that you are truly experienced and are a credible source of information.
By delivering a stream of quality content and information to your network, you can quickly and drastically improve how you are perceived. Commenting on and reacting to content of those within your network will also help you improve your reputation and credibility.
LinkedIn Supports and Drives Traffic to Your Website
One of the many advantages of having an active social media presence is that you can use these platforms to drive traffic back to your website. LinkedIn often gets overlooked when it comes to driving traffic to your website. Many users still think of LinkedIn only as a networking platform for developing professional business connections. With over 700 million members, there is unlimited potential for generating website traffic and leads.
When creating content and developing your profile, always be sure to include links back to your website. For example, if you write a marketing piece that mentions specific loan programs, add links back to your website where you have more detailed information on those loan programs. By linking to additional information, a Realtor may find that a program you offer is something many of their clients could take advantage of. Similarly, landing pages can be designed specifically for the type of content you are creating. LinkedIn also offers paid advertisements where landing pages are ideal as well. Take advantage of as many of these different places as you can to direct traffic to your site. Every person that is sent to your website is a potential lead!
LinkedIn company pages also do very well in search engine results. By optimizing these pages and including links to your website, you can improve your organic SEO which will naturally drive traffic to your website as well.
LinkedIn Will Grow Your Reach
Before you can attract new customers on any social media platform, you need to grow your reach. This means getting your content and information in front of more users and connecting with those users. This is done through shared content, joining various groups, commenting on other users’ content, and more. When it comes to social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you are often connecting with many of the same customers. LinkedIn is unique in that it is designed for business professionals. As you grow your reach on LinkedIn, not only are you increasing your reach from purely a numbers standpoint, but you are also likely to get your information in front of a much different audience than more traditional social media sites. According to LinkedIn, out of the 250 million monthly users, only 3 million are sharing content on a weekly business. This leaves the window wide open to get your content in front of your target audience.
As a loan officer, the importance of establishing connections on LinkedIn cannot be overstated. Not only are you growing your network and getting your information in front of your target audience, but you are opening the door for endless referral partnership opportunities. Connections made on social media platforms such as Facebook are often with customers. Many of your LinkedIn connections will be professionals within your industry. The odds of establishing a connection with a potential referral partner are far greater on LinkedIn than any other social media platform.
The Most Effective Platform for Quality Lead Generation
LinkedIn is nearly 3x more effective for lead generation than both Facebook and Twitter. LinkedIn boasts a lead conversion rate of 2.74% whereas Facebook and Twitter have conversion rates of .77% and .69% respectively. This might sound surprising considering that less content is posted to LinkedIn than Facebook and Twitter. The difference is in the type of content that is being presented on each of the different platforms. Facebook and Twitter posts consist of nearly any type of content you can imagine. Advertisements, funny videos, photos of social gatherings, and more. The content on LinkedIn is almost exclusively business-related information. So, while less content overall is being posted, it is far more likely that your content will be noticed by your target audience as it isn’t being lost in the clutter found on other social media platforms. This creates a huge opportunity for you as a business owner or professional to reach prospective clients and referral partners.
Individuals on LinkedIn are also in a different mindset when on the platform when compared to other social media sites. LinkedIn users are business-focused while engaging on the platform, often looking to make improvements or connections in their professional lives. The combination of this type of user and a clutter-free content feed makes LinkedIn an excellent place to advertise with better conversion rates.
LinkedIn continues to be one of the fastest growing social media platforms. There are more opportunities than ever to generate quality leads and to build professional relationships and partnerships. If you are unsure where to begin, or need help strategizing your LinkedIn approach, the 220 Social Team can provide the coaching and support you need. Our experienced team will guide you on the most effective ways to establish valuable connections, deliver engaging content, generate high-quality leads, and more. Visit 220social.com to learn more about how we can help your business thrive on LinkedIn and other top social media platforms.