The Pixel Bullies and Mood Design Solutions have teamed up to bring you the first in a series of blog posts to help kick start your lead generation and marketing for the new year.
Using various social media and website based techniques we will help you and your company to get the most out of your marketing budget - even if your budget is nothing. Our tips will include:
Getting found in search engines by using SEO and blogs
Capture data from website visitors and build an email marketing list
Lead generation using LinkedIn
Lead generation on Facebook and Twitter
Growing your followers
Scheduling and posting
Content marketing
and much, much more.
Lead generation using LinkedIn
LinkedIn is one of the most powerful tools for lead generation. For a small amount of time and money you can start to grow your professional contacts and sales leads which will improve your influence and generate lots more sales leads.
Step 1 - Fill out your profile fully
Completing your profile helps in a number of ways. Firstly review it with a specialist like us. We can help you to optimise your profile making it easier to be found by potential clients. Always add email addresses and phone numbers to make it easy for people to connect and contact you. You won't start getting loads of spam emails and you'll be visible on searches.
Step 2 - Start using it
Just like any other tool or software, it's only any good if you actually use it. Start by posting all your blog posts as articles on LinkedIn. Next, follow all of your known professional contacts, clients and suppliers. The aim is for them to notice you and remember the great work you've done for them in the past.
As simplistic as it sounds, you have to use your LinkedIn account to make it work for you. Log in frequently and connect with your colleagues, customers, and qualified prospects. Don’t forget to regularly post updates as well.
Step 3 - Upgrade to a premium account
From around £20 a month upgrading to a premium account will let you contact a lot more potential clients. Great features like InMail and unlimited connects will let you send messages to anyone on LinkedIn, whether they are a current connection or not. This is probably the most powerful tool to generate more leads.
Step 4 - Research your prospective Leads
A really powerful part of LinkedIn is the search and advanced search tools. You can search for people by name, company, location or even job title, which means you can find exactly who you are looking for.
Step 5 - Collect leads
LinkedIn Ads’ optional feature is called Lead Collection. This allows advertisers to collect leads directly through their LinkedIn Ad campaigns. Members who click on your ad are taken to your landing page with a ”Request Contact” button. This is an incredibly easy way for users to connect with your brand and a great way for you to build up a nice lead generation list.
Step 6 - Join groups where your customers hang out
There are countless groups on LinkedIn, covering all sorts of subjects, interests and niches.
Focus on a small number of groups that fit your target customer’s industry and just hang out there! Read through the posts and add informed comments so that people who don't know you can start to get to know you via your comments.
Utilize your network and their groups. More often than not, people are willing to make a referral for you in the groups that they are part of, which is a great reason to be active on LinkedIn. A new survey on Business Wire reveals peer advice through word of mouth is the primary driver of sales for B2B tech companies.
Posting on LinkedIn using your blog post with a link to your website, is a great way to stay in the minds of your current clients, but also to meet prospective clients. This type of passive awareness is very useful when reaching out for an introduction or connection. Any potential leads who look up your profile will see all your posts. This could help them to not only decide to connect, but for them to get in touch about business too.
Step 7 - Market yourself and stay proactive
Think about your social media channels as marketing tools, not sales tools. You need to be offering opinions, stories and information your followers can trust. Remember to market yourself as an individual, and also as a representative of your company. Become a trusted leader in your industry by posting status updates, sharing useful content, and participating in groups.
Regularly check who viewed your profile to determine who had an interest in your brand. A target customer browsing your profile is an opportunity for you to reach out to them to find out what they need. Couple this with services like WhoIsVisiting.com and you may be able to see if they have looked at your website and what pages interested them.
Step 8 - Mention influencers
Great stories and anecdotes from conversations you've had with influencers in your industry are great to share. This shows how you are connected and raises your profile. If you're not well connected, get in touch with some influencers and ask them a few questions.
You can also reference a milestone achievement of theirs to drive home a point in your article. This will instantly compel people you’ve mentioned to share the post with their networks, which will, in turn, expand your content’s reach.
Then simply pull this information into a post, add photos, logos, website links and a call to action for a great blog post and interesting read.
Step 9 - Reward engagement
It is really important to respond to reader comments. This is a great opportunity to create a human-to-human connection with your audience. A simple thank you will suffice for some comments while others merit a thoughtful reply.
Taking the time to talk to readers in the comments section makes it more likely that they’ll become brand advocates, and share your content with their networks. This will put your content in front of lots more potential leads.
Step 10 - Create an editorial calendar
Just like any marketing tool, LinkedIn requires your team’s commitment to producing the best results. Publish quality content regularly and stay on track by having an editorial calendar. These can be simple monthly topics right through to complex weekly marketing plans.
If you need a hand, we are here to help you to create a publishing schedule and even the content to post.
Andy Gahan, The Pixel Bullies
www.ThePixelBullies.com - andy@thepixelbullies.com
LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/andygahan
Twitter – https://twitter.com/AndyGahan
Sharon Charteress, Mood Design Solutions
www.mood-design.co.uk - sharon@mood-design.co.uk
LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/scharteress
Twitter – https://twitter.com/sharon_mood