This post is about how to generate leads using LinkedIn in a non-paid manner.

LinkedIn’s self service paid ads can seem like an easier way to generated traffic and leads, but most that go down this path lose their investment.

At least in the short term.

It is simply not feasible to tread down this path without being willing to lose money. Sure, that’s ‘business as usual’, but do you really have to start there?

Does this mean there are not other organic methods to create traffic through the LinkedIn platform?

This is a question many business owners and B2B marketers tend to have.

There are multiple methods one can employ to garner traffic as long as there is a commitment towards being meticulous and persistent.

Let’s take a look at six unique ways to generate traffic on LinkedIn, Naturally.

#1 Maximize Use Of Integrated Media On Your Profile

Let’s begin with the first unusual method which is not going to cost you a dime and will create more visibility, authority and opportunity for leads. I’ll call them “mini-apps”.

These objects (the old LinkedIn Applications) are easy to install and are added onto your profile to better the experience of those who are going to be visiting your profile.  LinkedIn’s Slideshare is just one of several you must consider. (Read: How to generate leads on Slideshare)

There are a number of apps from which you can choose the ones you want. On LinkedIn, you will have to go to the ‘Applications’ area in order to sift through the options on offer and pick the apps that are best suited for you and your needs. There are some fascinating apps included in the area such as being able to create simple polls, lists, and even optimizing your blog posts. There are so many things to do with these apps alone and the leads they will create are going to be astonishing at first.

There are far too many people who don’t take advantage of these apps and that is what holds them back. It is one of the easiest long-term methods to continually generate leads and make your profile exciting to read as well.

#2 Implement LinkedIn Answers Alternatives

As my social associate Donna Serdula said in this blog post, LinkedIn Answers is removed from the feature set. She recommends other tools to use now:

These are similar to the idea of ‘Yahoo Answers’, and great to get insights to questions people ask, and that you can help answer. There are a significant amount of examples with regards to people who were able to build a lot of leads in a short period of time because of their answers alone.

You can write posts on LinkedIn to answer people’s questions, or highlight a problem area that you and your firm have expertise in.

#3 Maximize Second Connections Via Target Company

Searching for people is something most users are going to do at one point or another on LinkedIn.

This is easy to do, but there are many people who don’t realize how they can maximize first connections in order to develop secondary connections.

LinkedIn has made it easy to spot the kind of connections a person has with specific companies or people.

Let’s say you are looking to generate leads in the world of accounting and are targeting specific firms in the area. You will click on their company name after putting it in the search bar. On the right-hand side, you are going to see all of the direct connections you have to the business. These are great and most people notice these. However, you want to go to the “second connections” link as that is where the real value is.

When you click on these people, you will begin to see ‘shared connections’ near the bottom of their profile.

These are the individuals who you have to contact and provide value to. You will be surprised as to how many leads can be created when you are using this method alone.

#4 Join Outside Your ‘Circle’ Using LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn Groups are great and hold wonderful value as long as you are using them properly.

What is the first thing most people do with regards to these groups?

They will join the ones that are present in their niche and call it a day. Does this sound like a good plan?

It might have worked in the past, but in most cases the leads are going to be saturated. Everyone and their dog will be going after these groups as they are the common sense ones to consider. What you need to do is go outside the circle, but still within your market (“shoulder-niches”).

Go outside of the niche in order to find leads. How is this possible? Let’s take a look.

Let’s say you are in the world of finance. You will want to join all finance-based groups, but you can start to move outwards as well such as “small business owners” or “investors” and other related groups. These are people who will be related to the world of finance, but not directly.

You will be able to find some of the finest leads in these groups because they will have likely have been less targeted in the past. This is where the magic lies for those who are tired of being shut down on their regular groups.

But, with all outreach and connections, “high value, no spam” is essential.

#5 Build Your Network With LinkedIn Mobile App

This next way would be one of those options that are going to yield great value in the long-term.

LinkedIn Mobile Apps to the rescue.

This is based on a more personal encounter. Imagine going to a great trade show and speaking to wonderful people only to realize you don’t have their contact information.

Sure, they might give you a business card, but is that enough? No.

You want to get and link to their LinkedIn profile as soon as you can.

With the new mobile app that has been set up by LinkedIn, you are able to download it and connect with a simple tap of two smartphones. Just put their backs together and immediately you will have the other person’s information.

Yes, it is that easy!

Getting this app downloaded is going to take a few seconds and those who are not paying attention will be the ones who are missing out. Always make sure you are paying attention to this method.

It will do the trick and you will be able to reap the rewards of the connections you had built. This is when networking is going to be worthwhile.

#6 Understand SEO On LinkedIn

SEO is not only reserved for search engines such as Google or Bing.

It can be seen with any platform that has a search bar. Yes, it is essential to maximize the search algorithm on LinkedIn in order to reap the rewards of one’s profile. There are numerous people who are missing out on this and that is the reason they are not able to generate new leads.

How can one maximize SEO to generate leads?

The sole purpose of SEO is to find keywords people are searching for on the platform and then using them on your profile. It is simple and will push your profile up the search results when the keyword is typed in.

Do your research in this regard.

What are people searching for in your niche all the time? How can you incorporate this in your profile?

An example would be changing the titles of your blog posts to include keywords. Don’t spam, but try to place essential keywords in your profile and expanded meta fields within that profile.

For example, if you were working as a social media marketing firm, you would want to have “social media marketing” in your profile at the very least.

To get your LinkedIn profile listed high in search engines, keep it fresh and include references to your profile across other platforms and websites. Content and links still rule the day in SEO.

It is all about building a platform which is going to yield results in the long-term. The fact this is still an untapped method is what makes it beautiful to incorporate. You will generally be the only person in the niche who is maximizing the use of SEO.

URLs matter in SEO and that’s the same on LinkedIn. See what the awesome Viveka Von Rosen says about that here:

CONCLUSION:

These are some of the finest methods any marketer or business owner is going to come across when aiming to generate leads in their niche on the LinkedIn platform.

Does this mean it is going to be straightforward? No, marketing requires hard work and a desire to excel which comes along with a positive mindset.

Those who have it will be able to utilize these methods written in this post and employ them with great success. Those who don’t are the ones who will generally resort back to paid ads and lose half of their budget immediately.

Don’t be one of those people and give these methods a real chance.

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