Creative director Lance Evans gives some pointers on how to use LinkedIn for lead generation.
If you’re a securely employed creative (that’s perhaps about 12 of you), then you can be lazy and skip this article. But if you do freelance work or own your own shop, then getting new clients is a concern you live with on an all-too-frequent basis.
How one goes about finding new clients will depend on what you do, and who your clients are. If you do creative freelance for the advertising or publishing worlds, then obtaining lists of art directors and art buyers in these fields is doable, if potentially costly.
But what if your primary customer is the end-user, a business or manufacturer? How do you find and connect with such a wide range of potential clients? Depending on buckshot promotions and marketing can drive your small shop under financial water. So better targeting is certainly needed.
And this is where the business-to-business website LinkedIn can come into play. Unlike other social media networks, LI is geared for adults who do business. You won’t fine much on Kim Kardashian here, it’s all business. But because it’s still a social network, there is generally a nice friendliness and openness to be found among its members.
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Warm sales call
This openness leads to what is often referred to as the ‘warm sales call’. In contrast to the classic cold call, the warm call is when the recipient – the target of a sale – has spoken with you before. Or perhaps there has been an introduction made by a mutual third party. This same effect happens on LinkedIn for two reasons. The first is that merely being on the same social network breeds some level of camaraderie. And if the target is so moved to pre-qualify you first, they can easily bring up your profile and see who they are talking to. They can even see who you may both have in common, ie, your connections. And connections is what LinkedIn is all about. Using them for introductions is the lifeblood of the platform. Once your number of connections has reached a critical mass – often said to be over 500 – you will be amazed at how many people in the LinkedIn world are just one or two connections away from you. Even in the New York tri-state metropolitan area, which has an estimated 23 million people, and even with fewer than 500 connections, I’m a hop or two away from many people that I want to connect with. (Even President Obama, though I question the validity of that one!) With all of this in mind, here are five things that successful LinkedIn gurus suggest you do in order to connect with your most desirable potential clients:01. Make your profile shine
LinkedIn guru Brynn Tillman emphasizes that your profile is your best marketing tool for potential clients. She stresses that we need to see our own profile the way the potential client does: “Pretend you’re on a desert Island looking at your prospect in a boat. You’re screaming ‘HELP, BOAT!’ But your prospect has a very different viewpoint. They’re in the boat screaming ‘LAND!’.” Tillman says: “Get in the boat, and see your profile the way they do.” To this end, Brynn makes these suggestions:- Sub-heads count: Most people put their job title under the name. More interesting thought is what you can do for potential clients. What’s your value? “Marketing Director and Creator of Advertising that Sells.” That works!
- Value throughout: Articulate the value your work brings to clients. And do this throughout the profile. “Drill down on your value proposition in your summary. Tell them why they should work with you. Give tips on how to achieve some common goals, use case studies, recommendations and include any press coverage.