LinkedIn Increased Lead Generation By 73% A Month

Linkedin for Lead Generation

Social media has rapidly become an integral part of any business's marketing plan. Did you know 94% of corporations use social media, and 58% use it for lead generation? You can't afford to ignore this aspect of inbound marketing, especially when, by all indicators, using LinkedIn for lead generation works so efficiently. Last month my company performed an experiment. We wrote ten blogs and promoted them on LinkedIn to a variety of different groups every day. The result? Visits to the website and lead generation increased by an incredible 73% in the month of January by using the traditional social service.

The Results: Using LinkedIn for Lead Generation Works

So we now know that LinkedIn can increase leads by 73% per month, so we have some indication that it works, but how does it compare to other social networking services? A study by Hubspot showed that LinkedIn generated a visitor-to-lead conversion rate nearly three times higher than Facebook and Twitter. LinkedIn converted visitors at a rate of 2.74%, compared to .69% for Twitter and .77% for Facebook.

As a whole, LinkedIn outclasses the rest of social media combined as a lead generation tool, but you need to use that tool correctly to get the most value. After all, you wouldn't use a hammer the same way you use an axe, would you? LinkedIn is such a unique form of social media that it requires some different methods of handling than Twitter, Facebook, or even your company blog or website.

Why LinkedIn Generates Leads so Effectively?

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Linkedin is an effective lead generation tool

As mentioned, every form of social media has its nuances and quirks that will guide how you use them. Twitter, with its 140-character restriction, promotes short and simple calls-to-action while Facebook provides an outlet for fans and customers to "like" a business. However, neither has the lead generation power of LinkedIn. Why is that?

First, understand what these networks were designed to do. Twitter began as a tool to use SMS messaging to communicate with small groups of people. Hence the 140 character restriction, and the resulting brevity of messages. Facebook has its origins in networking college students together. Although both have become tools businesses use to promote their brand, their intent and design were never for lead generation or connecting businesses with customers.

Some have described Facebook as something akin to a "pub" in the world of social media, which is an apt analogy. It's much more casual than LinkedIn, and members there are more likely to pursue fun than serious considerations of business. You go to a pub (Facebook) to meet up with friends, listen to some music, and perhaps buy a girl a drink. 

You don't go to the pub looking for a new interior designer, although you may incidentally discover through happenstance that someone there is interested in your services. That's nice, but spending every evening in the bar hoping your next conversation will result in a client is hardly an effective strategy- in Facebook, lead generation and other business concerns are tangential. In this scenario let's consider Twitter as the equivalent of passing out fliers. LinkedIn is more like a networking event for professionals. It can still be casual, but everyone is there for the purpose of building their business network.

Using LinkedIn for Lead Generation

Although users on LinkedIn are much more likely to be in the business mindset, you still have to capture them once they come to your LinkedIn page. A good profile will have plenty of content and information useful to potential clients. Remember: a lead is just a potential customer. Generating the lead is great, but it means nothing until you make the sale.