If LinkedIn is the social media of your choice and you want to be an influential person on the platform, it all comes down to you.
While LinkedIn is indeed a social networking platform dedicated for professionals, and it's a lot quieter there than it is on Facebook, but still, it's more than just what it seems. If you use it well, LinkedIn can be one great way to generate leads. To some, it can even be the greatest among all other social networks.
And the best of all, it won't cost you anything.
For the most part, it only requires you to do a few steps, but continuously, so you can increase your network and extend your influence across the platform.
Be Active
The rule of thumb that applies to most people on the internet: the more active you are, the better.
On LinkedIn, consistency in your content marketing is crucial. If you represent a business or your own brand, LinkedIn can be a great place to get leads because the platform is where professionals seek opportunities to connect. So here, you need to post as often as possible, and engage with the audience whenever you can.
For your catchy post, you don't have to write a feature-length article with sophisticated thoughts to generate engagements. Remember, LinkedIn is just like other social media: there are tons of posts. What this means, you need to attract those wandering eyeballs quickly.
Post short but powerful posts. Like questions or quick professional opinions.
But if you want to create lengthy post, you need to make sure that it's educational and informative.
And for last, patience should be your best friend. When tuning your pitch, never do your efforts too hasty. At the very beginning, it can be difficult to influence. But if you do this consistently, leads will come to you before you know it.
Be Authentic, And Be Influential In Your Own Way
What this means, you need to have a strong opinion regarding your posts or comments, by all should be based on your professional attitude, in "as humanly as possible".
Just like on other social media, people won't care much if you repost others or just regurgitate news. But because LinkedIn is more professional than casual, people will pay attention to you, if you can voice your post or opinion in
a way that educates them.
Ask yourself: "What is the thing you know that others don't?" Or, "what can you say to others that put yourself as knowledgeable?"
Here you need to make sure that you can deliver those sentences authentically and with perspective.
Regardless of your background, industry, or experience, if you can bring yourself forward with unique insights, your posts or comments would be worth sharing.
Connect And Connect
If you want to get more people to know you, you have to let more people on board.
If you want to be an influencer on LinkedIn, you have to have the power to influence many people. You have to know the strategy to drive people to do what you want them to do. You have created outstanding posts with great opinions, and you have become authentic in the way you want yourseld to be. But before you can generate leads, you have to make connections.
And on LinkedIn, the best practice is to connect with more people and accept connection requests from everyone who asks.
One disadvantage here is that you may receive spam messages. But this shouldn't bother you much, as connecting with those people grants you access to their network.
This is the key, because you can reach even more people.
Remember that social media network is all about connection. Each new connection adds a multiplier (friends of friends, or in LinkedIn, it's called 1st-degree, 2nd-degree and 3rd-degree connections). 1st-degree connection is what you should prioritize since they are the ones that will be exposed to your contents. This is where the magic happens.
But unlike other social media network, getting leads on LinkedIn means that you should go beyond your comfort zone. Some people only connect with others they know or have met in person. This is good, but it won't necessarily build your influence outside your network. By accepting all connections, you're opening yourself to a wide range of individuals who may soon become your very customers.
Related: Generate More Sales Leads Using LinkedIn: Opening Opportunities Without Spending A Budget