Strategic B2B Networking on LinkedIn for Business Development & Big Deals – Technology Signals

• Updated on: 2019-05-03
• Read original article here

LinkedIn is the social media platform with the most professionals and decision makers. This makes it the perfect place for B2B marketers. In this article  Lorenzo Gutierrez, a digital marketing expert, shows you a simple 7 step B2B sales prospecting strategy for LinkedIn that gets results.

LinkedIn the largest social network for professionals and now has over 500 million members across the globe. The site is for anybody looking to further their career by looking for new opportunities and connecting with professionals.

Linkedin is a powerhouse when it comes to B2B lead generation and marketing. There simply is not another website out there that has that many decision makers in just about every profession. LinkedIn users are educated and earn high incomes. 49% of U.S. adults using LinkedIn are college graduates, and 45% of them earn over $75,000 a year, which is more per year than Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram users (Pew Research Center).

The value of networking for your business cannot be emphasized enough. Many successful businesses have excelled because of networking just on LinkedIn. In fact  John Hawkins, Executive Coach, Consultant & Speaker went on to make 50K by using many components of this strategy and that’s not it Bill Prater, a Business Coach based in Seattle, Washington, was struggling to get clients Within 60 days of applying on LinkedIn, Prater had landed a new client worth $90,000 USD, along with several other new clients for his lower-tiered coaching programs.

Also Read: 5 Social Media Marketing Trends to Win in 2019

1. Optimize your LinkedIn profile – Instead of it reading like a resume do the opposite and make it a client facing profile. In the description fill out these details: what I do, how I do it, why it works, who am I and what others are saying about me.

To take it a step further create a short intro video about yourself and what you do. Then publish in the description attachment section.

2.  Make a list of your target audience. For me I’m a internet marketing consultant and target audience are: CMO’s, CEO’s, Founders and Marketing Managers in the Life Sciences and Biotech Industry. I highly recommend that you target a particular industry/niche instead of randomly going after any business because as they say the riches are in the niches. 

3.  Use the LinkedIn search and the filters to narrow down your target audience. If you subscribe to Sales Navigator a paid tool from LinkedIn it will offer you more filters and other perks. (I highly recommend upgrading to Sales Navigator it costs around $79 per month.)

4.  Send targeted invitation requests to those that match your audience criteria. Here’s an article on how to write the perfect LinkedIn connection request. Try to find a common interest if possible and mention that in your request, “To break the ice”.

5.  Be social, that’s what social media is for, engage with your new connection by liking some of their posts or commenting on something. You want them to keep noticing you.

6.  3 days after the initial connection send the prospect a message thanking them for connecting and also include an informational piece of content such as a guide that may be helpful to them. For me I send the prospect an article I wrote on digital marketing strategy for the life sciences and biotech industry.

7.  After you have established a relationship you can now pitch them to setup a meeting; the goal is to take the lead off LinkedIn and move them onto the phone or a physical meeting.

8. When you are going after big deals your going to need proof of your work and the results you or your company can provide. To paint a clear picture of what benefit the prospect can receive your going to want to provide them with relevant case studies. I also include a before and after professionally designed infographic of high-level metrics, I’ve achieved on a relevant project.

There are several reasons why this strategy works. The number one reason, in my opinion, is because it is authentic and comes off as natural. Your initial message should be clear letting the prospect know your intention that you are strategically trying to grow your network and who you are. By letting them know this it helps to clarify any misunderstandings they may have and prevent questions like…Do I know you?

Another reason this strategy works is that it does not come off as salesy. How many times have you received a connection request on LinkedIn only to be bombarded right after with the person trying to sell or pitch you something? This is like trying to marry someone on the first date. For me I immediately remove them as a connection. In my mind I’m thinking I don’t even know or trust you so why would I ever buy from you.

Also Read: 5 UX Lessons from the UI of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Networking on LinkedIn not only helps you create new connections and nurture previous connections that will give your business exposure and improve your visibility. If you are in the b2b business and are not using LinkedIn to attract new leads then you are definitely leaving money on the table.