{"id":4,"date":"2012-08-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-08-22T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/2easymoney\/use-linkedin-to-boost-sales\/"},"modified":"2012-08-22T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2012-08-22T00:00:00","slug":"use-linkedin-to-boost-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/2easymoney\/use-linkedin-to-boost-sales\/","title":{"rendered":"Use LinkedIn to Boost Sales"},"content":{"rendered":"
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3 Simple Ways to Use LinkedIn to Boost Sales<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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BY Lewis Howes<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Pinterest. These are the platforms many social media experts claim can be the linchpin in developing your online presence. While all of them can be useful marketing tools, there\u2019s another social network that can be more effective in generating leads and sales: LinkedIn.<\/div>\n

While your competitors are busy spinning their wheels getting \u201clikes\u201d on Facebook and sending a barrage of tweets on Twitter, you can use different tactics on LinkedIn to build an online presence and generate profitable prospects.<\/p>\n

Here are three steps to help transform your LinkedIn profile into a lead generating machine:<\/p>\n

1. Create a call to action.<\/strong>
\nDon\u2019t just list your name and title in your headline. Instead, tell your network whom you have helped and how you have helped them. Explain the benefits you can provide because that\u2019s what really communicates who you are and what you do \u2014 not a title.<\/p>\n

Next, write a clear, concise call to action in the summary section, telling people in your network exactly what you\u2019d like them to do. It may be a phone call, an email or just a visit to your site to sign up on the mailing list. Even a message as simple as \u201cFirst Time Home Buyer? \u2014 Click HERE\u201d can have significant impact for real estate agents. You can\u2019t simply expect someone to call or email. You have to ask them. Also, be sure to collect their personal information so you can continue to connect with them.<\/p>\n

2. Create an industry-specific LinkedIn group.<\/strong>
\nForming a LinkedIn group is one of the most effective ways to get your network excited and engaged about a specific topic, all while driving traffic to your site and increasing sales. For example, I started the Sports Industry Network group in 2008, which has grown to 90,000 members.<\/p>\n

As the group was getting off the ground, members began connecting and helping each other, but I wanted to add even more value to it. So I began hosting networking events and free webinars where I interviewed sports business leaders. During the interviews, the experts offered free advice and spoke candidly about various best practices. Eventually, the webinars attracted hundreds of attendees, and that\u2019s when I started thinking about how to make money from them.<\/p>\n

The strategy I devised was simple: Promote free webinars to my LinkedIn group and then make an offer at the end for further education or assistance, including live events, private consulting or access to my membership site.<\/p>\n

Based on my experience, here are five lessons for creating a group of your own:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Identify the type of group you\u2019d like to create and give it a name that communicates the topic clearly.
\n\u2022 Reach out to well-connected people within your industry to let them know you\u2019ve started a group and would like to feature their expertise in live webinars.
\n\u2022 Do something special to show your appreciation to experts who join your group, even if it\u2019s just sending them a thank you card. Then, you can ask if they\u2019ll post the group link on their social networks and spread the word to like-minded people.
\n\u2022 Continue to add value by hosting webinars or in-person get-togethers.
\n\u2022 Provide a premium to members by offering some of the your business services at a special discounted rate.<\/p>\n

3. Be active in LinkedIn\u2019s \u2018Question and Answers\u2019<\/strong>
\nNo matter what industry you\u2019re in, strategically participating in LinkedIn\u2019s Questions and Answers can be another effective way to develop stronger connections and boost sales.<\/p>\n

The Q&A area is where users can post questions and get answers from others on the network. While this is an opportunity to demonstrate your industry expertise, you should tread lightly and avoid hyping your brand. Be a resource that answers people\u2019s questions without pitching your company, product or service.<\/p>\n

Here are three tips for answering questions on LinkedIn:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Find a question you feel confident answering and give a concise response.
\n\u2022 Click on the \u201creply privately\u201d button to let the questioner know you\u2019ve responded. There can be multiple answers posted so this helps draw attention to yours.
\n\u2022 Tell the person you\u2019d be happy to have a quick phone call to help solve his or her problem and offer more detailed suggestions or strategies. At the end of the call, offer to provide more solutions at your normal rate if further assistance is needed.<\/p>\n

The key to using LinkedIn as a sales-generating tool is to always ask, \u201cHow can I add value?\u201d With that mindset, you\u2019re on the right path to attracting new customers.<\/p>\n

Use LinkedIn to Boost Sales<\/strong> for your online business and join Empower Network by clicking on one of the banners on this page to watch a free video.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

3 Simple Ways to Use LinkedIn to Boost Sales BY Lewis Howes \u00a0 Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Pinterest. These are the platforms many social media experts claim can be the linchpin in developing your online presence. While all of them can be useful marketing tools, there\u2019s another social network that can be more effective […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2501,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3,4,5,6,7],"class_list":["post-4","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-social-media-marketing","tag-linkedin","tag-linkedin-advertising","tag-linkedin-for-dummies","tag-linkedin-tips","tag-tips-for-linkedin"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/2easymoney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/2easymoney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/2easymoney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/2easymoney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2501"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/2easymoney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/2easymoney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/2easymoney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/2easymoney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/2easymoney\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}