LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform with over 875 million members. With its unmatched targeting capabilities, LinkedIn advertising makes it possible to get your message in front of just the right audiences to generate leads.
This comprehensive guide will teach you proven LinkedIn lead-generation strategies to help you capture more leads and dramatically increase sales.
Table of Contents
Overview of LinkedIn Lead Generation
LinkedIn lead generation refers to the process of identifying, targeting, and driving new potential customers known as sales leads from LinkedIn.
With precise targeting options, detailed member demographic data, and integration with marketing automation platforms, LinkedIn provides unparalleled opportunities to generate quality leads.
Why Use LinkedIn for Lead Generation
Here are some of the main reasons savvy marketers use LinkedIn advertising and content marketing for lead gen:
- Massive Audience: 875+ million members mean access to your total addressable market on LinkedIn.
- Accurate Targeting: Target by location, company size, job role, skills, interests, and more.
- Quality Leads: Leads from LinkedIn convert at significantly higher rates.
- Detailed Member Data: See members’ identities, roles, interests, etc. to personalize outreach.
- Marketing Integrations: LinkedIn works with all major marketing & sales tools.
Simply put, no other platform offers the same visibility into who your ideal customers really are.
LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms
One of the most effective ways to generate leads on LinkedIn is with Lead Gen Forms. Here’s how they work:
What Are LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms?
LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms enable you to collect lead information directly within LinkedIn – no need for prospects to leave the platform.
You can place forms on ads, Company Pages, or member posts. When viewers click, a lead capture form pops up where they can fill in their contact information without leaving the LinkedIn environment. Their email, name, company name, and more gets captured instantly as an in-platform lead for immediate follow-up.
Lead Gen Forms have excellent open rates around 30-40% since they’re native to LinkedIn’s user experience. The frictionless lead capture drives high-quality leads from your best-fit audience segments.
Benefits of LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms
30-40% Open Rates
Higher Conversion Rates
Lead Notifications in Real-Time
Lower Cost Per Lead (CPL)
Lead Accuracy Verification
Linking Lead Gen Forms to Sales Navigator helps you build relationships with more decision-makers faster.
Best Practices for LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms
Follow these best practices to optimize the performance of your LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms:
- Compelling Offer: Provide an irresistible offer they can’t get elsewhere. Exclusivity drives urgency
- Single CTA: Include one clear call-to-action to open the form. Don’t be distracted by links.
- Concise Form Fields: Only ask for truly essential contact info. Too many fields increase drop off.
- Follow Up Quickly: Reach out within 5 mins so leads remember filling out the form. Nurture consistently.
See Also: More LinkedIn Lead Gen Form Best Practices
LinkedIn Lead Generation Ads
In addition to Lead Gen forms, another extremely effective method for generating leads on LinkedIn is through LinkedIn ads optimized specifically for lead generation.
Benefits of LinkedIn Lead Gen Ads
Here are some of the advantages LinkedIn lead gen ads provide:
Low Cost Per Lead (CPL): Typical cost-per-lead is 40-60% less than other platforms.
Targeted Audiences: Zero in on decision-makers in your best-fit accounts.
Full Funnel Options: Sponsored Content to warm leads up + Lead Gen for conversion.
Detailed Reporting: Track leads generated, cost per lead, conversion rate, ROI, and more.
In summary, with accurate targeting capabilities and full conversion data, LinkedIn Lead Gen ads deliver ideal leads cost-efficiently at every stage of the purchase process.
LinkedIn Lead Gen Ads – Best Practices
To generate the highest quality leads from LinkedIn ads, follow these proven best practices:
Granular Targeting: Use 3-5 layers (title, industry, company size, etc) to hone in on your perfect customer.
Single, Strong CTA: Lead Gen ads shouldn’t divert focus with multiple CTAs. Keep one dominant CTA front and center.
Lead Capture Form: Only gather essential contact details. Keep forms short & reduce fields.
Lead Notifications: Turn notifications on to respond instantly when a lead comes in. Speed wins deals.
Lead Nurturing: Don’t go silent post-lead capture. Create automation to nurture leads into sales-ready customers.
LinkedIn Lead Gen Ads Specs
Here are the current specifications for LinkedIn Lead Gen ads as of December 2023:
Image Sizes:
- Single Image: 1,128 x 376 px
- Carousel / Video Image: 1,128 x 376 px
Text Limits
- Headline: 25 Characters
- Description 1: 75 Characters
- Description 2: 75 Characters
- Call to Action: 25 Characters
Video Specs:
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Max Duration: 3 minutes
- File Format: MP4
- Max File Size: 10 MB
Also Read – Grab attention with LinkedIn GIFs: Level-Up Your Profile with GIFs
LinkedIn Marketing Analytics
To maximize LinkedIn performance, it’s crucial to analyze key metrics driving lead generation results.
LinkedIn Marketing Analytics provides detailed insight into your campaigns and audiences. Here are some key analytics every marketer should be tracking for lead gen:
Campaign Reports
- Leads Generated
- Lead Capture Rate
- Cost Per Lead
- Conversion Tracking
Audience Reports
- Lead Demographics
- Targeting Overlap
- Top Performing Segments
Continuously optimize based on this data to improve lead capture rate, lower cost per lead (CPL), and boost conversions.
Lead Generation on LinkedIn Company Pages
Beyond ads and forms, your LinkedIn Company Page itself is a powerful lead generation tool – if optimized effectively.
LinkedIn Company Page
Here are some top tactics to capture more leads from your Company Page:
- Spotlight Lead Gen Forms: Pin eye-catching Lead Capture Forms to the top of your page.
- Feature Top Content: Showcase your best-performing lead magnet posts.
- Add Lead Gen CTAs: Insert clickable Calls-to-Action across key sections.
Your Company Page is prime real estate to drive conversions – so spotlight your best lead generation content front and center.
More LinkedIn Company Page Lead Gen Tips
Here are some additional lead gen best practices for your LinkedIn Page:
- Complete 100% Profile: Fully optimized profiles can receive 3x more profile views.
- Personalize Message: Use merge fields to customize Sponsored InMail outreach.
- Retarget Leads: Upload external lists to ad accounts for accurate retargeting.
In summary, a strategic Company Page presence fuels higher visibility, engagement, and lead growth over time. Treat your page like any other lead generation landing page, and continuously test and optimize.
LinkedIn Groups for Lead Generation
With a self-selecting ready audience, LinkedIn Groups represent a major missed opportunity for lead generation for most brands.
Over 2 million groups are covering every industry and niche imaginable. Rather than blasting irrelevant offers, you can establish authority within targeted groups aligned with your expertise.
How to Use LinkedIn Groups for Lead Generation
Here is a step-by-step process for generating leads from LinkedIn Groups:
1. Identify Ideal Groups
Search groups directory and related discussions to identify the most relevant groups for your audience. Join 5-10 targeted groups to start.
2. Listen First
Before heavily promoting your offering, listen to group members’ challenges and contribute helpful advice and resources. Provide value before asking for anything in return.
3. Offer Case Studies/Samples
Once established as an expert, tactfully share free samples, case studies or Q&As showcasing your capabilities. Make it exclusively available to group members only.
4. Promote Lead Gen Offer
Now that you have social proof, you can promote a special lead magnet or exclusive discount only for people in that particular group.
When done right, LinkedIn groups cultivation leads to warm inbound leads at scale you can continue nurturing into customers. But it takes a patient, group-first community approach tailored to each group culture.
Outbound LinkedIn Prospecting
Beyond inbound lead generation offers, outbound prospecting remains an essential B2B lead gen strategy – and doing it effectively on LinkedIn requires a personalized, value-driven approach.
The days of blasting generic InMail are over. With higher scrutiny and rising expectations, the emphasis is on quality over quantity.
Here are some best practices to follow:
Personalized Multi-Channel Outreach
Blanket messaging doesn’t cut it anymore. Tailor messaging across channels:
- Email: Segment lists sending personalized emails at scale
- Phone: Calling decision-makers directly
- InMail: Leverage Sales Navigator InMail Templates for 1:1 messages
No more batch and blast. Treat each prospect like your dream customer.
Research Prospects Thoroughly
Do your homework before reaching out. Follow these best practices:
- View member’s profile fully
- Research their company website
- Identify specific pain points
This context makes outreach instantly more relevant.
Provide Value Upfront
Rather than immediately pitching, first aim to provide value by:
- Sharing relevant resources
- Educating prospects
- Making introductions
- Offering insights into industry trends
This helpful posture establishes goodwill, trust, and rapport – critical foundations before asking for a meeting.
See Also: How to Generate B2B Leads on LinkedIn in 2023
Integrate With Lead Gen Software
To scale LinkedIn lead generation efforts, it’s essential to integrate your platforms with marketing automation and CRM software.
This creates a seamless workflow from generating and capturing leads to nurturing them into sales opportunities automatically.
Here are some popular marketing tools with LinkedIn integrations:
Key Benefits of Integrations
- Automatic Lead Capture
- Real-Time Notifications
- Instant Lead Transfer
- Smooth Contact Syncing
- Progressive Lead Nurturing
When aligned with your sales tech stack, LinkedIn data supercharges the entire lead-to-revenue cycle.
LinkedIn Lead Gen Services
For hands-free support, specialized LinkedIn lead generation services are available providing done-for-you setup, management, and optimization of campaigns.
These managed providers take care of the heavy lifting so you can focus on higher-level strategy while still benefiting from LinkedIn’s unmatched B2B audience targeting and conversion capabilities.
Types of LinkedIn Lead Gen Services
Done-For-You Campaign Execution: Full-service campaign builds, management, optimization, and reporting based on your goals and ideal customer profiles.
Exclusive Audiences: Access to expansive first-party, high-intent B2B audiences for more qualified leads.
Performance Marketing: Pay only for actual leads delivered based on your cost-per-lead goals. Removes Guesswork.
For resource-strapped teams without specialized in-house expertise, outsourced LinkedIn lead gen services can fast-track results. But ensure providers demonstrate a strong track record of transparent performance on the platform.
Also Read – The Essential Guide to Leveraging the LinkedIn API
Lead Gen on Mobile LinkedIn
An underrated opportunity lies in optimizing LinkedIn lead gen for mobile usage – which has grown over 50% in the past year with professionals accessing LinkedIn multiple times a day via phone.
Mobile LinkedIn Usage Surging
Here are some ways to boost mobile lead generation:
Spotlight Lead Gen Forms: Pin forms to the top of Company Pages for instant access
Mobile Ads: Create vertical format ads with click-to-call extensions
Simplify Navigation: Streamline paths to conversion like contacts and lead gen CTAs
Treat mobile optimization as a distinct channel and continually test placements, creatives, and calls-to-action that drive conversions for prospects on the move.
The Future of LinkedIn Lead Gen
As economic uncertainty rises in 2023, generating a growing pipeline of qualified B2B leads at efficient CPLs is more important than ever.
Over the past 2 years, LinkedIn lead conversions have increased by 85% as buyers flock to trusted, professional platforms. The company continues to invest heavily in new ad products, integrations, and analytics delivering unmatched ROI.
Some innovations to watch include:
Account-Based Marketing (ABM): Advertise directly to your target list of companies
Full Funnel Analytics: Holistic view connecting ads to revenue
Enhanced Audience Targeting: Layer intent signals onto profile data
Content Conversions: Built-in lead capture for posts beyond just ads
The convergence of accurate targeting, expanding creative options, and built-in conversion points means the LinkedIn runway for efficient lead gen remains wide open into 2023 and beyond.
