DID YOU KNOW: 80% OF B2B SOCIAL MEDIA LEADS COME FROM LINKEDIN?
Having a LinkedIn profile doesn’t mean you are just representing yourself; you are also representing your business. Creating LinkedIn relationships and building long term clients can only be done if you are being as transparent as possible, and as honest as possible. Treat LinkedIn as your mini-website and build a brand that you can be proud of.
Here are today’s top tips to help you have a greater understanding of how you can use LinkedIn to create, and build long term client relationships.
TELL PEOPLE WHY YOU ARE CONNECTING WITH THEM
Part of building long term LinkedIn relationships is being personable, and when sending a connection request you explain why you are asking to connect with them, whether you have met before, or whether there is a mutual connection. Just because someone might be an ideal client of yours, it doesn’t mean this works both ways so give a valid reason was to why they should connect with you.
ASK FOR ADVICE
Thought leaders tend to be busy, and won’t usually have the time to offer advice, but there is absolutely no harm in asking. I will get calls, and emails asking for advice and if I do have time, I will answer them.
When reaching out to a thought leader for advice, first explain who you are, why you are contacting them, compliment them, and ask for advice. This could turn into a long term relationship that will help you win new clients.
WHO DO YOU HAVE IN COMMON?
One of the best ways to build relationships inside of LinkedIn is to ask a mutual connection for an introduction. Find common ground with your mutual connect and suggest you can do the same for them.
GROUPS
Do your research. LinkedIn groups are a great place to engage, and build LinkedIn relationships. Only join the groups that are relevant to your end goal, and only contact other group members once you truly know what you want to achieve by taking this action.
LinkedIn Groups are an excellent resource for this; belonging to the same group will often provide enough similar ground for people to connect.
BE RESPECTFUL
When reaching out to a potential client on LinkedIn, be respectful of their time and only engage once you understand your end goal. There is nothing more annoying than being perceived as a time waster.
BE A RESOURCE
Don’t just listen online; be a resource for your community. To build long term relationships, you need to be seen as an authoritative figure and the best way to do this, is to be that person people turn to for advice. Get involved in discussions, share content that is relevant to your audience on a daily basis and create as many opportunities to take online conversations offline.
I hope this article will help you with you build relationships on LinkedIn, and don’t forget; this is the third of of three articles, and video’s I am going to be sharing with you. If you haven’t read the first article in this series on B2B tone of voice, click here and the second article on LinkedIn etiquette here.
To help you continue your learning, I’ll be personally running a webinar on “LinkedIn Success In Six Simple Steps”, Thursday 30th June, at 8pm GMT. I will cover everything from my six step formula to generating leads, finding customers on LinkedIn and getting to the top of LinkedIn for your specific keywords in less than 60 seconds. Places are limited, so sign up now to guarantee your seat and receive the free workbook + re-play.
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