LinkedIn currently boasts of over 303 million active users per month. 
Anyone not using this platform to build a client base is missing out on what LinkedIn has to offer.
LinkedIn is as important as a well-crafted digital marketing resume to land valued clientele. You have to put effort into LinkedIn to successfully network with clients and gain a steady stream of leads. Connect with your potential clients by making the best use of the unique features of LinkedIn.
Here are some tips you can follow to approach clients on LinkedIn as a content marketer:
-
Know your audience
Every industry today uses content to drive traffic to their business. Today most of the business is done online, most brands depend on good content on their websites to draw customers in.
However, there are only so many industries you can cater to. Decide the type of content you want to market and then start identifying your key demographic which will be the business owners in your industry of choice.
For instance, if you have experience in writing and marketing food-related blogs, target the clients in the same industry.
Among all the people you target, a small percentage will become your key clients and help generate most of the revenue. You need to identify these prospects and spend your time and resources in building long-lasting relationships with them.
Before you target a prospect, put yourself in their shoes and honestly think if they would benefit from your services. If your answer is yes, then go ahead and create a targeted inbound strategy targeting them.
-
Identify the market segment you want to cater to
As a content marketer, you might get tempting offers to create and distribute content for industries other than the one you know and have experience in. It is for you to decide if the payments from these projects will be worth your time and effort.
Mostly it is safer to stick to what you know and not risk your reputation over a quick buck because any discrepancies in content can lead to your name being tarred. Remember that LinkedIn is a networking platform so one upset client can lead to their entire network giving you the cold shoulder.
So, stick with a core market segment, one you have interest and experience in.
-
Use apps and shared LinkedIn groups to locate customers
LinkedIn has an amazing sales navigator tool which can be used for lead generation. The filters provided by this tool can help you narrow down your search for the perfect customers.
If you use LinkedIn without taking help from any other tools, you will have to dredge through millions of people before finding a few relevant leads. However, the sales navigator tool will show you the most relevant leads to your business.
You should also look into shared LinkedIn groups to find and engage with prospective clients.
Look for the groups that most of your prospects are a part of. Start joining these groups. Keep in mind that you can only join up to 100 groups so carefully pick the right groups where you can find the maximum prospects.
Participate actively in these groups by liking, commenting, and sharing content frequently. This will get you on the radar of other active members.
-
Draft an impeccable pitch
Personalize the pitch for every prospective client you reach out to. Make it brief and to-the-point. While a conversational tone is appreciated, keep the conversation professional.
Do not write one generic pitch and use it on every prospective client by just changing the names while greeting them. Research the person you are reaching out to by going through their profile. Identify common aspects between both of you to establish a familiar accord.
Never forget to follow up on every message you send. Give some time for them to respond and follow up at least twice. If you still do not get a response, thank them and move on.
-
Use InMail to approach potential clients who are not in your immediate network
Now that you are armed with all the information you need, it's time to take it forward and make your case in front of the client. But what if your prospects are not your 1st connection?
In such a case you can either send them a connection request and wait for them to accept your request as there is always the chance that they might not add you to their network.
Or you can become a premium user of LinkedIn and send them an InMail. This is a messaging tool that allows you to send direct messages to another LinkedIn member that is not in your list of connections.
With up to 200 characters for the subject line and up to 1900 characters for the body, you can draft informative messages and send them to your prospects directly.
If you are still on the edge about using InMail, these statistics will help make up your mind as they show that the InMail response rate is three times higher than a regular email.
Do not however just rely on InMail as every account only gets a limited quantity of InMail each month. Only send InMail to the people you are prioritizing.
Always remember that personalized messages are the way to go when approaching clients. Write a subject line that will be too tempting to not open. Also, do not go all out and use up the entire word count. No one reads a 1900 character message. A brief message of about 150 words will hit the mark.
Conclusion
LinkedIn is an untapped resource that can be used to generate leads for your content marketing business. Optimize your profile and start approaching clients today by following the tips laid out in this article.
Looking back, the following are a few ways you can optimize your process of approaching clients on LinkedIn as a content marketer:
- Invest your time and resources focusing on your key demographic.
- Know the market segment you are targeting inside-out.
- Use tools like LinkedIn's sales navigator to start finding customers. Shared LinkedIn groups can also lead you to the right prospects.
- Personalize each pitch and follow up on it at least twice.
- If most of your prospects are not in your immediate network, invest in LinkedIn premium, and start using InMail to pitch to these potential clients.
