As a marketer, you would want to use all tools available in getting in touch with business prospects. After all, this is an activity that requires a multi-touch approach in tapping your target market. Think of it as a matter of necessity. Business lead generation is not like the old days, where you can easily reach potential B2B leads through the phone or a simple visit to their shop when you have the time. These days, you have to work through different channels to get in touch with them. It could either be through telemarketing, email, social media, among other things. So, where does LinkedIn enter the picture?
LinkedIn is, for a lack of a better phrase, a social network geared towards professionals. This is a place where people of similar interests (around the globe) to connect, discuss their professions, and identify better opportunities for business. They can also create groups or publish articles that can be read by various people from any part of the world. These are just some of the benefits that professionals get when they sign up in LinkedIn. And this is also the reason why marketers conducting appointment setting campaigns are so interested in using this network. It is a virtual treasure trove of information that can help you find more business prospects.
Still, you might wonder if using LinkedIn as another business network would be worth your time and effort. That is a warranted question, since this is a relatively new form of social media network. It is a valid observation, but the achievements that LinkedIn has achieved in connecting professionals with each other. It is also a reliable source of information for many marketers who are planning their next campaign in generating and nurturing of potential sales leads. The professional data of professionals (most who are executives or sales managers in various firms) can be used by marketers in their promotions.
Let us look at the facts:
77 percent of business researchers use LinkedIn for their work. 83 percent of online marketers tap the network. As for reliability, 87 percent of LinkedIn users trust the information stored there for products and services they are interested in. And these are just a few of the reasons why LinkedIn has a lot of market power. In terms of effectiveness, this could be the next best source of market information, after Facebook. It is not that hard to obtain the information you need. If you already have an account, you only need to log-in, search for a professional group of your interest, and view the profiles of those found there. It is that easy.
The only challenge here, in this regard, would be the people tasked in handling your company’s LinkedIn profile. We all know how bad things can go when you put ill-experienced or incompetent people on the helm of our online efforts. The last thing you would want your telemarketing team to answer during a lead generation call is how much of a liar our online promoter is. And LinkedIn is the one place that you cannot afford to make a mistake. It has your professional presence there. Make it count.
