LinkedIn can help you to build your business more effectively than other, traditional marketing methods.

“Online spaces offer many advantages over the traditional offline ways of meeting people and finding new leads,” says Jay Palter, principal with Palter Media Strategies in Edmonton. It can save you time and serve as a great resource for information on clients and prospects.

Here are some key strategies to help you use LinkedIn effectively to find leads:

> Find the right number
The number of connections you have is a good indication of your commitment to your LinkedIn presence.

People will not be enticed to your network if you have only three connections, says Sara Gilbert, founder of Montreal-based Strategist. Five hundred connections, on the other hand, suggests that you spend too much time on LinkedIn (and not enough time on your business).

Around 150 to 200 connections is a good number for your profile, Gilbert says. To maintain that number, disconnect from people you are no longer engaged with or who are no longer a part of your lead-generation strategy.

> Add a personal touch
When you’d like an introduction to a connection in a client’s network, Palter says, it’s still best to ask for an in-person meeting.

Use LinkedIn as a research tool to find contacts through your current clients, he says, and to find out a little about them before meeting them.

> Introduce yourself electronically
Ask a lead for an introduction via LinkedIn when you have no “real-world” connection to him or her.

Send a message to the lead asking him or her to join your network, says Gilbert. Mention how you know that person — for example, if you are in the same LinkedIn group.

> Use information wisely
LinkedIn provides a big opportunity for you to learn about your clients’ likes and dislikes, Palter says. But you need good judgment when using that information.

For example, Palter says, suppose you read on a prospect’s wall a post about a particular author. Mentioning that author during a meeting shows a genuine interest in that prospect. But mailing the prospect the author’s latest book out of the blue might seem a little odd.

> Follow up with connections
Confirm new connections by following up with them.

After two months, says Gilbert, thank the prospect for joining your network and invite him or her to meet you for coffee.

> It pays to advertise
Reach out to prospects through direct advertising on LinkedIn.

You can write a headline and copy and create a link to your website through LinkedIn Ads, according to an article on the marketing website HubSpot.com. You pay for your ad only if someone clicks on it.

Fees for LinkedIn Ads are based on a real-time auction system in which advertisers bid on the price they will pay, either on a pay-per-click basis or per thousand impressions of the ad.

You can make your advertisements extremely targeted, says Michael Wickware, creative director with Toronto-based Wickware Communications Inc. For example, you can designate who sees the advertisement based on geography, gender, industry or job description.

Still, direct advertising cannot replace active relationship-building on LinkedIn, Palter says: “You have to be out there engaging and participating, and then you can add advertising on top of that.”

This is the second of a three-part series. Tomorrow: Maintaining your LinkedIn presence.

IE