How I generate leads on LinkedIn

They keep their ear to the ground, they trawl job search sites and at the slightest inkling of a vacancy they pick the up the phone and make the call to introduce themselves. 

Like most trends, it’s highly successful for a while; everyone jumps on board to take advantage and then slowly it becomes annoying and predictable. Let’s be honest, marketing tends to ruin most things - ads that pop on your mobile, ads before your YouTube video plays, ads in your Instagram feed. 

The ideal scenario is to get in at the start, ride the wave of success and get out early before you’re deemed annoying. Right now, LinkedIn is proving to be a great way to generate business. Don't get me wrong, it’s certainly not something that’s new, but it is something you should definitely be taking advantage of.

The question is, how? The key is to post engaging content. It’s a mistake to think that if you’re front of face, you’re front of mind because every interaction is reflective of your brand. It’s important to create posts that are consistent with your beliefs and business values, and increases credibility each time you post. 

By sharing engaging, interesting ideas and experience people can relate to, you will slowly build a following, regardless of the subject. The chances are you are not the only person that feels the way you do about something, so sharing your thoughts will attract those that think something similar. The more quality content you post, the more engagement you get and the faster your audience will grow. 

I’m a recruiter, and I never make cold calls. Don't get me wrong, I occasionally chase the odd seek ad but that’s just the game. Most of my business comes from standing out in a noisy market place as someone with credibility, experience and expertise a particular field. 

My blog posts average around 400 to 600 views; I post native to LinkedIn and so they give me the statistics of who’s read my post. By way of example, the statistics for “Leaving the Bank to Become a Broker”, a recent post of mine, read: 58% of readers were in financial services, 26% were in banking, 28% had the title “Mortgage Broker/Loan Officer”, 18% were salespeople, and 14% were bankers. 

All round, an ideal audience for this article. It was in front of the right people, and results were tangible. Off the back of this article, I had three calls from clients explaining that they had read my post, and if I come across anyone that is looking to leave the bank and become a broker they have space in their team. I also received calls from candidates but it’s the clients I’d like to focus on right now. 

By posting relevant, engaging and credible content for others to consume, you can build an audience who, with the right trigger points, will eventually reach out when they need you. 

At the opposite end, you can post maths problems or social memes that a heap of people will see, perhaps even like or comment, but this will unlikely convert to business. Posts can impact you negatively too; it’s not just about being there, it’s about sharing quality and credible content that adds value. Get this right and you will see results.