LinkedIn is often seen as the go-to social network for B2B companies and industry professionals. For many business owners, LinkedIn is more than a platform; it's a marketing tool that puts top brands in front of customers and business partners with the purpose of selling.

Over the years, LinkedIn has added several new features to the platform, like polls, team moments, and videos, that offer even more opportunities for businesses to promote themselves. 

Still, it's important not to forget about the tried and true outreach methods, like targeted ads, cold inbox messages, and automation. Whether you're a new business trying to find your footing, or an established enterprise looking to boost its numbers, LinkedIn can help.

How Automation can help with Outreach?

Outreach can take up a lot of your time and resources, but you need to start building and reaching out to your LinkedIn network to start selling your products and services. 

Since outreach is pretty time-consuming, organizations may send their connections generic, robotic LinkedIn connection requests that won't generate leads. If that's the case, wouldn't automation make this problem worse since automation isn't typically customizable?

If you use automation software to outreach like a robot, then your strategy will fall flat. However, if you utilize automation to free up tedious tasks, such as Expandi or Expandi alternatives, you'll have more time to spend with your connections.
Automation tools can improve every aspect of your outreach strategy by:

  • Automatically researching millions of LinkedIn profiles
  • Following LinkedIn's spam policy, so you don't get banned
  • Targeting only the highly qualified leads quickly
  • Tracking analytics and statistics in real-time
  • Building your network through connection requests
  • Visiting profiles, and enticing others to visit you

By consistently visiting profiles, reaching out to leads, and building your network, you'll increase your exposure. Automation also gives you the freedom to focus on the rest of your strategy.

How to effectively Gain Exposure through LinkedIn?

An effective outreach strategy will help you find new business, but LinkedIn requires its own unique sales approach. Here are 17 strategies that lead to more prospects on Linkedin.

Refresh your Profile

Before reaching out to your first prospect, you need to edit your profile to ensure you're sending the right message. Have a professional headshot taken, spend some time creating a headline and bio, and ask for endorsements from your network. Share relevant content to your profile. 

Consider Premium

LinkedIn premium is expensive but highly effective for outreach. Some features include an improved search feature, better lead management tools, and more InMail messages (to people who aren't in your network). If you plan to hire in the future, a premium is worth the investment.

Start Writing for Pulse

Pulse is LinkedIn's in-network blogging platform that can add a lot of depth to your profile. This feature can help you establish expertise in your niche and will work to solidify your professional reputation. Pulse also brings more eyes to your profile, which is valuable for outreach.

LinkedIn’s Search 

Even without premium, LinkedIn still has a powerful search feature that supports Boolean strings and filters. If you use these features correctly, you'll increase the number of quality search results you receive. Alternatively, you could use automation to search for prospects.

Search Alerts

With or without automation, businesses can set up search alerts directly through LinkedIn that will ping you weekly. For example, if your search alert connects to the keyword “B2B,” then the platform will alert you for new results related to that search term. You can set up multiple alerts.

Alumni Search

LinkedIn's alumni search can find people who went to your college or university. This feature is pretty useful for people who went to larger institutions. Connecting over a commonality will result in warmer outreach because you'll establish a bond more quickly and easily.

Browse Interactions

Once you start looking at more profiles, you'll notice that more people will start visiting your own.

While they may not be the people you wanted to target, you can still use these interactions to your advantage. There's a good chance they're connected to a person in your target segment.

Browse Viewers

At the right of your profile homepage is a section called “People Also Viewed.” Once again, these people are unlikely to be your target segment. In fact, they may even be your competition. If they are, they probably have followers and connections that are interested in your business.

Join Groups

Although Groups are underutilized in outreach, they can still be oversaturated with business owners promoting their products/services. Still, if you offer advice, are open and friendly, and regularly post content in a relevant group, you can grow your social media network.

Use InMail

InMail can connect you directly to your prospects, but be careful. Never copy-paste your messages or go for the sale on the first contact. Instead, make a short (5 sentences), personal, and well-researched message that makes your prospects feel unique, important, and valued.

Sync your CRM

Once you increase your number of warm leads, make sure you have a system in place that captures and processes these leads. By syncing LinkedIn with your customer relationship management (CRM) software, you can monitor your connections and create a client funnel.

Try Voice Messages

LinkedIn voice messages are still a reality new feature that connects with your prospects in a novel way. Take the 10-30-10 approach, where you spend 10 seconds getting their attention, 30 seconds introducing your value proposition, and 10 sections declaring your call-to-action.

LinkedIn Slides

Another new-ish feature on the scene, LinkedIn Slides is a creative way to boost visibility on the platform. You can put slides that feature your product/services, conferences, prototypes, or anything else you feel is better visualized through a rapidly changing slide format.

Targeted Content

Any outreach strategy won't work if you don't market directly to your audience. The shotgun approach never worked for anyone, but sharing relevant content always will. Use LinkedIn to share relevant news stories, make announcements, and create solution-based videos or LinkedIn carousel post.

Try LinkedIn Polls

LinkedIn Polls is a great way to receive customer feedback. Other users can give you insight into your business, which you can then use to update products. Polls can get your network involved, especially if you offer some incentive for people who participate.

Live Video

78% of people watch online videos every week, making video one of the best ways to reach your prospects. The only thing better than a recorded and edited video is live streaming because it builds off the human experience, creates urgency, and encourages interaction.

Live Interaction

Speaking of live interaction, businesses can receive even more exposure from video content if they monitor their comments and interact with their audience. By speaking directly to your viewers, you establish a human connection with them without needing to be in the same room.

An Optimal LinkedIn Outreach Strategy is in your Grasp

The overall approach you follow while prospecting on LinkedIn is reliant on the amount of time you can spare. However, adding LinkedIn to your outreach and marketing strategy is worth your while because you can reach more prospects in lesser amount of time.

If you utilize automation software, such as Expandi, you can extend your outreach prospecting even further. As you scale, make sure you use tools like a CRM to store and analyze your leads.

Also contact us to know more about LinkedIn outreach strategies.

Frequently Asked Questions

LinkedIn outperforms email outreach as it enables leads to forge a personal connection. Prospects can peruse your profile and see your face, significantly boosting response rates. This visual engagement fosters trust and familiarity, making it a more effective platform for professional networking and outreach compared to traditional email communication. Additionally, LinkedIn offers a more dynamic and interactive environment for showcasing your expertise and building relationships with potential clients or partners. Overall, leveraging LinkedIn provides a more impactful and direct avenue for connecting with leads and expanding your professional network.

LinkedIn outreach means using LinkedIn to find and connect with potential customers and partners. It helps you make new contacts in your industry and reach out to people who are interested in buying your products or services. You do this by sending messages, sharing your expertise, and building relationships. LinkedIn outreach is a way to grow your network, build valuable connections, and increase sales or partnerships in a professional and friendly way. It's like reaching out to people you'd like to work with or sell to on LinkedIn.

To effectively connect on LinkedIn, begin by asking: “Why do I want to connect?” Clearly articulate this in your message. Keep it concise and focused. Tailor each connection request to the individual. This personal touch demonstrates genuine interest and increases the likelihood of a meaningful connection.

LinkedIn imposes a 300-character limit for connection messages as well as other types of messages on the platform. This count includes spaces and any characters above the limit. So, when crafting your LinkedIn outreach messages, ensure they stay within this concise 300-character boundary.