The LinkedIn lead generation strategy — from an ex-LinkedIn Marketer

LinkedIn uses a bidding system much like other digital advertising platforms. You'll get to choose your audience when setting up your campaign, and it will give you an estimated range of how much you should bid based on similar campaigns.

Like other platforms, LinkedIn also lets you control your budget with a daily budget and overall budget option. Unlike other platforms, LinkedIn gives you access to an astonishing 660 million professionals and features listings of over 30 million companies.

Take these numbers alongside various statistics, like the fact that more than half of online buyers consider LinkedIn the most influential channel when making a purchase decision, and you'll quickly recognize the importance of advertising efficiently on this powerful platform.

When choosing your LinkedIn lead generation strategy, you need to keep in mind how to set up your campaign. For example, you can choose to run it only on LinkedIn or show your ad on partner channels as well. This article will explore the LinkedIn lead generation strategy including ad types, targeting, and how to get results with Linkedin marketing.

When building your campaign, a big factor you have to consider is the type of ad you're going to run. Your decision will depend mainly on your product/service and end goal.

Here's a quick breakdown:

• Sponsored Content: This ad type represents native ads that show in users' feeds in images or videos. This content is king and performs best on all channels. Almost everyone should make this part of their strategy.
• LinkedIn Sponsored InMail: This ad type only reaches LinkedIn users. Since users typically only receive a few InMail messages each day (compared to about 100 regular emails per day), this ad type can be highly effective. It also stands out since you get to send a personalized message.
• Carousel Ads: Looking to tell a story? This ad type allows you to do just that. Promote multiple products in a single ad or use images to showcase your product/offering.
• Conversation Ads: This ad type is new to LinkedIn. With its logic-decisions, it works like a chatbot and helps make your marketing feel more personal.
• Google Search: With this type of ad, you'll be able to target people using specific keywords, much like SEO.
• Google Display: These ads represent your traditional banner ads (like skyscraper ads) that show up across channels, including Google and YouTube.
• Video Ads: If you want to increase engagement, video ads may be the way to go, but keep them between 15 and 30 seconds for the best performance. You can also do a 6-second YouTube bumper, combining a few to tell a story.

Creating your LinkedIn lead generation strategy goes beyond choosing the right ad type. We also need to think about lead generation tactics, be it automating your marketing for better reach or nurturing leads via email for a higher close rate.

We suggest combining all of the following tactics as it will increase your chances of turning a lead/prospect into a closed/won opportunity. So, let's explore the LinkedIn lead generation strategy and techniques as well as the metrics you should be following for your campaign. Additionally, it's essential to be aware of LinkedIn connect request limits, as exceeding them could hinder your lead generation efforts and potentially result in account restrictions.

The lead generation technique(s) you choose to use will impact how you collect a lead's info to begin with and what you do with it immediately following collection.

• Lead Generation Forms: Within LinkedIn itself, you can use Lead Generation Forms to help you capture prospects. This means a form pop-up will appear after a user clicks on your ad. Their profile info will be pre-filled; they just have to click 'submit.' Consider this method for its ease of use and frictionless experience.
• Conversions: The second option is to redirect the user to your website or landing page after they click on your ad. It would help if you take them directly to a form so you can collect their contact information.

So what happens after your target customer clicks on your ads and fills out one of your forms? You'll want to have the right CRM in place to house each leads' pertinent contact information, assign that lead to your sales team so that they can reach out, and most importantly, you'll want to set up an email nurture sequence so that you can warm leads throughout your marketing funnel. There are various good CRM options such as Kommo. Make sure to choose one that fits your needs.

Once you have collected your prospect's info using one of these two methods, you can then consider other lead generation tactics to warm them up, these include:

• Marketing Automation: On-page marketing automation in the form of a slide-in, top bar, chatbot, or other lead magnets, will provide topical content relevant to what they are researching. It also gives them a sense of a 'free bonus' that will help pique their interest.
• Email Nurturing: Ask yourself what you're doing to get a lead to call you after you get their info. It typically takes 7-8 touches to get them to call, which is why we suggest using an email nurturing sequence. It's a common practice used by LinkedIn lead generation agencies to inform prospective clients and move them down the funnel so they book a call with the sales team

You should consider a mixture of these techniques to make the most of your campaign.

Metrics will play a significant role in demonstrating your campaign's success and there are many numbers you should be looking at. For one, let's think about your average CPL (Cost Per Lead). This number is typically higher on LinkedIn than other platforms, but leads' quality is also higher.

Another metric you need to consider is CPA or Cost Per Action. Like your other metrics, CPA will depend on several factors (including your ad budget, competitors' ad spend, and so on), but realize that offering a guide or eBook in your campaign will have a lower CPA than a campaign where you're trying to get the lead to schedule a call immediately. Utilizing Sales Navigator for lead generation involves not only capturing leads through these methods but also leveraging the platform's advanced search and targeting features to identify and connect with prospects who match your ideal customer profile. By tracking metrics like CPL and CPA, you can refine your approach and optimize your campaigns for better ROI on LinkedIn.

I roughly estimate the average CPL across platforms to be highest on LinkedIn, ranging from $40 to $350. Twitter and Reddit are often the cheapest, with an average of $7 to $60, followed by Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram at $10 to $75.

One of the best things you can do for your business is acknowledgee LinkedIn marketing's true power. Then, with the right combination of tactics, your LinkedIn lead generation strategy and campaign can indeed be a success. Just make sure you're tracking the right metrics and setting realistic goals along the way.

✅Kommo is a pioneering Messenger Based Sales CRM software that helps businesses achieve more sales and create long-lasting relationships with their customers. It is a tool that enables companies to reach better results and increase their profits.