Can you do lead generation on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn has become the go-to social media platform for business professionals looking to connect with potential clients or partners. It's also becoming an increasingly popular place to find job openings—and recruiters are using it to their advantage.

The question we've been asking ourselves lately is whether you can actually use LinkedIn as your own personal landing page to generate leads of any kind. The answer is yes if you know how to utilize this amazing tool properly.

In today’s article, I'm going to share some insight into what LinkedIn Lead Generation Forms looks like (what they look like, not what they're called), how effective they really are at generating leads, and which ones work better than others. Before we dive in too deep though, let me just ask you one simple thing... Are you ready? Okay, great! Let's get started.

What is a lead gen form in LinkedIn?

A "lead" simply means someone who wants to work with you but hasn't done so yet. A good way to think about lead gen forms is that they act more like digital billboards where people see something interesting enough to click through on them. Think about all those emails you receive from companies offering services similar to yours? Those are almost always lead capture pages designed to make money off of your email address. Well, LinkedIn lead gen forms are exactly the same. You will be sending out ads containing links back to your website or blog. And when someone clicks through these links, you'll be charged based on whatever terms were agreed upon between yourself and whoever placed the advertisement.

Now that we have our definition down pat, here are some examples of different types of lead gen forms:

Lead Capture Pages - These are the most common type of lead gen form found on LinkedIn. They consist of two main components: 1) a headline/body copy written by you specifically for the reader's benefit and 2) a call to action button. When users click on this button, they are taken right to another site after being redirected via a link.

For example, say you run a landscaping company and want to promote new projects happening around town. Your headline might read "Landscapers Needed For New Home Construction." If a user clicks on this link, she'll end up on your blog or website where you can showcase your portfolio to her before redirecting her again to the project details page. This works well if there's already an established relationship between you and your customer base. However, don't expect this method to be successful if your target audience doesn't know you exist yet.

Video Ads - Unlike traditional banner advertisements, video ads allow you to show off your product or service without having to pay per view. Users watching this advert won't be able to click anywhere until the entire 30 seconds is over. Afterward, however, advertisers can charge viewers according to their preferences. One downside of Video Ads is that unlike banner ads, they often take longer to reach customers because platforms such as Facebook and YouTube limit the number of times videos can be shown within 24 hours. So if you choose to advertise on these sites with Video Ads, keep that timeline in mind when writing your description.

Embedded Content Adverts - Similar to Video Ads, Embedded Content Ads provide marketers with even less control over the time consumers interact with said advertisement. While banners and static images may only display once, embedded content advertisements can appear multiple times throughout each day on various websites. Therefore, it's important to consider the timing of your campaign carefully when choosing to employ this strategy.

Embedded Content Ads come attached to specific websites instead of appearing alongside other ads on a certain section of a given webpage. In order to access Embeddable Content Advertising, visitors must first visit the partner website prior to clicking your ad. Once inside, they should immediately notice your message displayed prominently over top of everything else.

Embeddable Content Ads usually require a minimum budget of $1,000 USD while monthly budgets range from $3,500-$5,000 depending on size. Not sure if the price point fits your needs? Contact us directly to learn more about pricing options available for marketing campaigns on LinkedIn.

These three strategies are probably the most used ways to run lead gen forms on LinkedIn, but there are plenty of other methods that aren't quite as popular. As mentioned earlier, it's crucial to remember that there isn't one single approach that works everywhere. Try experimenting with each option and seeing which performs best for your brand and followers. Here are two additional ideas worth exploring next:

Sponsored Answers - Sponsored answers allow users to write short responses to questions posted by other members. Since these comments appear below posts rather than beside them, they tend to be seen quickly by readers scrolling past content. On average, sponsored answers generally receive upwards of 10 views per month, making it a highly efficient way to engage audiences. Unfortunately, Sponsored Answers aren't available to everyone since businesses need approval from the person posting the original post before setting up accounts.

Promoted Mentions - Promoted Mentions are essentially replies sent privately to individual users on LinkedIn. Because no one sees these messages except for the intended recipient, they're perfect for promoting products or services, sharing information, etc. Like Sponsored Answers, Promoted Mentions are limited to users who have permission to send direct messages to others on the network.

There you have it! Now that you understand how lead gen forms work on LinkedIn, hopefully you feel confident about incorporating them into your online presence moving forward. To recap, here are some things to keep in mind when planning future advertising efforts on LinkedIn:

Don't underestimate the power of LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms. Most people assume that LinkedIn is strictly meant for professional networking purposes, but it actually serves as a powerful tool for entrepreneurs seeking new opportunities. Just try running a few tests on different versions of your lead capture page to see which version generates the most leads. Then continue tweaking your design until it hits home.

If you're unsure about how many leads you'd ideally like to acquire daily, start small. Test out a few different formats until you hit the sweet spot. Don't spend thousands on ineffective advertising unless you absolutely need to.

Be mindful of timelines. Some ads are set to expire after a certain period of days while others carry expiration dates. Make sure to research the rules surrounding lead generation on LinkedIn before submitting anything to ensure you don't lose track of precious leads.

Keep costs low. Avoid paying high fees for advertising space on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter unless necessary. Consider using LinkedIn Free Classifieds to help lower expenses overall.

Always test & measure. There's no reason to waste money on advertising campaigns that fail miserably. Keep records of every attempt and adjust accordingly.

Lastly, know that your success on LinkedIn depends solely on the quality of your product or service. Never sacrifice attention-grabbing headlines nor forget to include compelling descriptions. Remember, a bad pitch is worse than no pitch at all, especially considering LinkedIn's reputation for professionalism.

LinkedIn is an invaluable resource for professionals in the B2B space. It’s also one of the largest social media platforms out there – so why don't more people leverage it for their own marketing purposes?

The answer lies in how we think about this platform. We often see it as just another way to keep up-to-date with our contacts, or a place where we can find new colleagues. In reality, it's much more than that - a powerful business networking tool which has been used by some of the biggest companies in the world to build relationships, increase sales leads, promote products and services, recruit talent, etc.

Accordingly, if your goal is to generate qualified leads from LinkedIn (or even better, qualified prospects), then you need to consider using LinkedIn Lead Generation Form(s). These are two separate but related processes, which both involve collecting information via web applications such as Forms, Surveys and Quizzes. The first process involves generating interest among your target audience through compelling copy, images, videos, offers, promotions and other elements that will attract them towards your website/landing page. The second part is converting those interested into leads who have shown they're serious enough about what you offer to fill out the contact details required for follow up. Both parts should be done consistently over time to ensure maximum results.

In this post, we'll cover everything you need to know when starting a campaign on LinkedIn -- from building compelling landing pages to choosing the right kinds of professional profiles, all while ensuring compliance with LinkedIn policies. So let's get started!

How do I use LinkedIn as a lead generation tool?

To understand how LinkedIn works as a lead generator, imagine that you run a service company offering installation and maintenance services for heating systems. You have an existing customer base, along with many thousands of potential customers within various industries. Your job would be very simple if you could simply email everyone in your customer list and ask them to complete a survey asking them to provide their name and phone number. However, since most businesses today face stiff competition, reaching out to every single person in your database isn't going to cut it anymore. Instead, you'd want to tailor your messages to each individual user based on his specific profile and interests. This is exactly how LinkedIn functions as well. While users may not necessarily opt to join your mailing list because they already like you, they might become interested in hearing from you after reading something relevant to them on LinkedIn. Or they may have heard something good about you from someone else. Whatever the reason, once they click through to your site/landing page, you only want to talk to them again if you really have something useful to say.

So here are three tips for leveraging LinkedIn effectively as a lead generation tool:

1) Build a highly targeted list of candidates. One effective strategy is to identify niche areas of expertise, such as "heating system installers" or "oil heating repair", and focus your efforts on engaging these groups rather than trying to reach the entire general population of LinkedIn members. For example, if you're a plumber focused on residential work, you wouldn't try to send emails to anyone listed under "Engineer". If you're looking to engage contractors, you shouldn't bother sending invitations to any member whose title contains the word "employee." Focus instead on identifying individuals who appear to belong to the group you wish to reach. To filter down the list of possible targets further, take advantage of LinkedIn's advanced search feature. Use keywords like location, industry, titles, skills, education level, roles held, and more to narrow down your selections. Then select the option to restrict results to either Job Seekers or Managers & Professionals. From there, look at the resulting list of names and figure out which ones represent people who are actually likely to respond positively to your message.

2) Create compelling online lead capture tools. Once you've identified your ideal prospect pool, start thinking about what kind of compelling message you'd use to entice them to give away their personal data. Think carefully about whether your messaging meets the following criteria:

· Is it clear and easy to read?

· Does it include callouts to key action buttons?

· Is it mobile responsive?

· Are calls to actions clearly visible?

· Do you display testimonials?

· Is your branding consistent across all channels?

· Can you test different versions easily without having to go back and forth between A/B testing settings?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, chances are your lead form is optimized for conversion. Remember, however, that a successful lead generators doesn't mean adding a lot of text and pictures to your page. What matters far more is making sure that your form includes multiple fields where visitors can enter their name, phone number, email address, and additional optional information. Try to avoid long paragraphs of text, and make sure each field is labeled accordingly. Also, remember to check your spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and sentence structure. Last but certainly not least, optimize your form for desktop browsers first before moving onto smaller screens like tablets and smartphones. Make sure everything looks great regardless of screen size.

3) Plan ahead for measuring success. When setting up your lead gen campaigns, decide early on how to determine its effectiveness. Setting benchmarks for things like open rates, clicks, conversions, and referrals gives you a chance to assess your progress and refine your approach. Many websites choose to track their statistics directly inside their account, whereas others rely on third party providers. Whichever route you choose, make sure you set up tracking mechanisms for incoming requests and links. There are several popular analytics solutions available for free, including Google Analytics. More sophisticated options can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars per month depending on your needs. Just make sure you pick one that allows you to add custom variables and metrics tailored specifically for your campaign objectives.

Can I use LinkedIn for lead generation?

Yes, absolutely! Here are five ways you can utilize LinkedIn to drive quality traffic to your site:

1) Post interesting articles on Industry Groups. Most LinkedIn users spend hours browsing the network's discussion threads and connecting with fellow professionals. Don't miss out on the opportunity to showcase expert insights and commentary on topics affecting your target market. Be careful though: Don't spam your posts with promotional material. Rather, aim to write informative pieces that resonate with readers' interests. 2) Write thought leadership blog entries. As mentioned above, always present yourself as an authority in your particular area of expertise. Building trust and credibility takes time, so don't expect immediate results. But writing regular updates that educate and entertain your followers will help draw attention to your brand over time. 3) Engage influencers and experts in your industry. Find influential leaders in your field and connect with them on LinkedIn. Share ideas, ask questions, and listen closely to their responses. By doing so, you'll demonstrate your sincere desire to learn and develop professionally. 4) Start conversations on LinkedIn Answers. Answer frequently asked questions posed by other members. Provide helpful answers that show off your knowledge, experience, and credentials. 5) Set up a LinkedIn Influencer Marketing program. Leveraging your influence to help grow your clientele is a proven method to achieving long term growth. Allocate funds toward hiring top tier influencers whom your clients admire and respect, and assign them tasks designed to improve your visibility, boost engagement levels, and raise awareness around your offerings. With LinkedIn's native reporting capabilities, you can view real time analysis of your impact, and measure ROI against hard financial numbers.

How do I create a lead gen form on LinkedIn?

There are three main steps involved in developing a comprehensive lead generation form on LinkedIn: 1) Identify and qualify your target audience. Understand what makes them tick and what motivates them. That said, you should also consider sharing your vision and values with them beforehand. Connectors and advocates are important stakeholders to tap into your overall marketing initiatives, especially if you want to convert them into paying customers. 2) Design a clean and modern lead form. Ensure that the layout is intuitive and appealing. Keep font sizes and colors readable, and make sure there aren't too many distractions. Avoid cluttering the design with unnecessary graphics and sidebars unless necessary. Finally, make sure the form loads quickly and does not require the visitor to scroll too much. 3) Test your lead form thoroughly. Run small scale tests with sample audiences to validate functionality and usability. Take note of any technical errors or bugs, and fix them as soon as possible. After launching the final version, monitor performance trends regularly to spot problems early and resolve issues immediately.

How do you create lead generation forms?

LeadGenHQ provides smart lead generation software that automates the whole process for you. Our product comes equipped with features that allow you to craft interactive landing pages, collect user consent, manage permission requests, record event registrations, and analyze reports to maximize response rate. And best of all, you can access your lead generation forms anywhere anytime thanks to our dedicated app. Contact us today to request a demo.

Lead Generation Ads are an effective way of capturing leads from your website in exchange for money. They can be used as both standalone or complementary campaigns across all marketing channels—including social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter—and have proven themselves as one of the most cost-effective ways to drive qualified traffic towards landing pages. With Lead Gen advertising, advertisers get more control over their campaign by choosing which audience they want to target, how many people will see it, what time of day it’s running and even choose where exactly their users come from.

LinkedIn has been consistently ranked among the top 5 largest websites in the world, and its network continues to grow every year. The platform offers businesses and professionals an opportunity to connect online through meaningful conversations and connections based on common interests. More than 200 million members use LinkedIn each month to share knowledge, explore new opportunities, find jobs and recruit top talent. As such, it's no surprise that companies around the globe spend millions using this platform to generate high quality leads.

In this article, we'll take a look at some basic concepts behind lead generation advertising on LinkedIn, along with practical tips on optimizing lead gen ads on LinkedIn, so you can start generating leads today!

Which ad format works best for LinkedIn?

The first step to setting up any kind of successful Ad Campaign is understanding your business objectives and identifying who you're trying to reach. If you don't know anything about them yet, you might want to read our free guide "How To Choose Your Target Audience For A Successful Social Media Marketing Strategy". In short, knowing your ideal customer helps you understand not only what type of person would benefit from your product but also how you should market it.

After deciding on your objective/business goal, you need to identify different types of customers (also known as “buyer personas”) within your target industry. You then narrow down these possible buyers down into specific groups by determining things like age range, gender, profession, location etc., until you arrive at a group of individuals that match your ideal prospect profile. Once you've identified the demographic information for your prospects, you can create tailored ads specifically designed for them. This allows you to engage with the right audience while spending less money per conversion.

Once you decide on your desired demographics, here are some other important questions to ask yourself before starting your lead gen campaign on LinkedIn:

Do you want to target job seekers, employers, influencers, decision makers, community leaders, current employees, entrepreneurs or freelancers?

Are you looking for long term contracts, recurring clients, temporary projects, services, products or investments?

Is there anyone in particular whose opinion you wish to influence? How much authority does he/she wield?

There are three main formats available when running an advert on LinkedIn:

Text Only - These advertisements contain text links embedded in HTML code. Users click on the link to view the advertisement preview. They may opt out if they feel uncomfortable clicking on something without being able to preview it first. There are two kinds of Text Only ads: Standard & Enhanced. Both versions allow companies to advertise their products and services alongside relevant news stories and articles. However, the enhanced version displays additional information such as price ranges and locations directly next to the company name. It was launched in 2015.

Image Linked - An Image Linked Advertisement uses an image instead of words to convey your message. When clicked, the user gets redirected to another site via hyperlink. Unlike standard ads that display below the post, image linked ads appear above posts in search results. Companies usually pay $0.20+ CPM rate per click.

Video Linked - Video Linked Advertising enables you to showcase your brand story in immersive detail. Videos play automatically after the viewer clicks on the video thumbnail. Similar to image linking, videos appear just above the posts in search results. Companies typically pay $0.30+ CPM rate per click.

If your business already runs a paid email list, you could try adding a simple call to action button that directs visitors back to your own web page. That said, keep in mind that because of Google's algorithm change, most emails sent to purchased lists won't show up in organic searches anymore unless you've got very targeted keywords. So make sure you include those before sending out the newsletter. Also, since LinkedIn doesn't offer direct linking option to send users to your personal blog or landing page, having a dedicated tab on your LinkedIn homepage is highly recommended.

How do I optimize lead gen ads on LinkedIn?

When developing your strategy, consider sharing your LinkedIn URL with potential customers during presentations or meetings with prospective partners. Give them an incentive to signup by offering special discounts or deals. Or you can run an experiment to test whether incentives increase response rates. One easy way to track conversions is through remarketing pixels. Remarketing Pixels are small pieces of JavaScript that let marketers serve banner ads to users who visited certain sites previously. By placing tracking codes onto your website, you can easily monitor the effectiveness of your LinkedIn Ads.

Another key part of improving performance involves testing various aspects of your campaigns' design. Here are some examples of things you can test:

Changing the title of your ad to determine what wording resonates better with your target audience

Adding multiple calls to actions

Using different CTAs to compare impact

Shifting the position of your CTA relative to the rest of the ad copy

Testing different color schemes

Use split tests to figure out which colors trigger higher engagement. Test alternating headline colors too. Use a variety of headlines to compare responses. Try changing font style and sizes to see which ones perform well. Change the length of your paragraphs and word count to discover which phrases resonate better.

You can also check how audiences respond to different types of messaging. Some studies suggest longer copy performs better than shorter copy, whereas others claim the opposite. Regardless of which side you fall on, think about writing compelling descriptions for your ads.

To further improve performance, consider incorporating dynamic URLs that incorporate session ID numbers. This increases CTR dramatically.

Here are several other quick ideas to help boost your ad's visibility:

Make sure your description contains the same language as your headline.

Create eye catching titles and headings to attract attention.

Try experimenting with line spacing to see if it improves response.

Experiment with different fonts and sizes.

Don't forget to add a strong Call to Action (CTA). Include clear instructions and directions so users know what to expect once they land on your site. Make sure your CTA provides ample space between your logo and the CTA itself.

Now, assuming you've decided on the number of leads you'd like to receive, the next thing to focus on is maximizing your return on investment (ROI). To achieve this, consider leveraging LinkedIn Insights to analyze data collected from your campaign. Using insights gives you access to detailed reporting features, allowing you to gain useful feedback on your lead gen efforts.

Analyzing your campaign metrics is essential to making informed decisions regarding future campaigns. Insights lets you:

See overall impressions vs. clicks

View the average amount of time spent on your page

Find out how many viewers viewed your lead generation ad compared to total views

Measure the percentage of users viewing your ad versus total impressions

Keep tabs on your leads as they progress through the sales funnel. Track the number of contacts made, number of downloads, number of purchases, level of interest, purchase value amounts, date of last activity and more.

While analyzing your campaign analytics can be overwhelming, there are numerous tools and apps designed to simplify the process. From integrated platforms to stand alone software solutions, there is a tool to suit almost everyone's needs.

What is the best image size for LinkedIn ads?

Images are often a crucial element of engaging in conversation on LinkedIn. But with so many options to choose from, picking the perfect picture to accompany your advertisement can seem daunting. While larger images tend to draw eyes, smaller images tend to garner more shares. And depending on your branding, sometimes using photos with negative connotations can hurt rather than help your credibility.

So, how do you pick the right pictures to maximize engagement? First off, stick to a consistent branding theme. Don't worry about using stock photography---there are plenty of great royalty-free photographers out there willing to provide images for free. Second, ensure your images appeal strongly to your intended audience. Thirdly, avoid using offensive imagery. Although it sounds counterintuitive, recent research shows that images with negative emotional connotation actually increase negativity. Lastly, consider adding captivating thumbnails to grab readers’ attention.

Below are 3 popular choices for images suitable for leadgen ads:

JPG Images - Jpeg is a file extension commonly associated with photographs. Because of their small dimensions, jpg files pack a punch. Plus, when uploading them to LinkedIn, they load quickly, resulting in faster interaction times and greater engagement. Since they lack complex metadata, jpegs lend themselves perfectly to leadgen purposes.