How to Use LinkedIn to Increase Your Business Sales

LinkedIn is often considered the best way to connect online with your professional network, meet others in your industry, and hire qualified candidates for open positions. What many donŐt know is that it can also be used to generate leads and gather market research and prospects as well. If you are a business looking to generate more leads, you can use LinkedIn, along with other sales strategies to help you meet and exceed your sales goals. HereŐs how to use LinkedIn to increase sales. 

Optimizing Your Company Page
Creating a company page on LinkedIn should be a part of your marketing strategy. LinkedIn's company pages are public, and posts that are published to your page appear on followers' timelines. The content that you publish can include everything from highlighting new featured products or updates highlighting your branding messages, but to be effective, they have to add value to your customer's lives.

Utilize LinkedIn Ads
LinkedIn ads are based on the pay-per-click model where the price you pay is based on the number of members who click on the ad. This can be an extremely cost-effective way to reach your target audience. With LinkedIn ads, you can set a budget so you won't end up spending more than you expected for the sponsored content.

Use LinkedInŐs Advanced Search Function
Using the advanced search function in LinkedIn allows you to search for professional skills, affiliations and associations, companies and universities, and public users that individuals follow, including celebrities and influencers. If you know that your target audience holds a professional degree and lives in the United States, you can use the advanced search function to narrow down your prospects to those individuals who fit in those criteria. These connections can be the perfect starting point for reaching out to potential customers.

Personalize Connection Requests
Members are much more likely to accept invitations to connect when you create a personalized message to connect, rather than using the generic one provided by LinkedIn. This is an effective way to build your network of personal connections that can then be moved into your companyŐs sales funnel. 

Finding new leads on LinkedIn is relatively easy as long as you understand what you are looking for and how to go about using the many tools and features of LinkedIn. Going in with a clear picture of who your target audience will allow you to customize further your strategy for generating more leads and increasing sales.
