Digital leads can be a goldmine for generating new business. While it can be hard to pinpoint where to concentrate your dollars and time, it’s safe to say that, with more than 1 billion members globally and 300 million active monthly users, LinkedIn is the premier destination for B2B lead generation. In fact, 40% of B2B marketers say the professional networking and career platform is their top channel for driving high-quality leads. LinkedIn also drives a notable 46% share of social traffic to B2B websites.
Why Your Business Should Generate Leads on LinkedIn
Aside from its massive popularity as a career networking platform, LinkedIn directly connects businesses with potential clients. Here are some key reasons why your business should consider LinkedIn as a lead-generation hub.
Superior Lead Quality
More than 67 million companies are active on LinkedIn, with four out of five users driving business decisions, making the platform an ideal place to connect with the right people who have purchasing power. An overwhelming majority of B2B marketers also use LinkedIn ads to generate leads, and the ROI is well worth it: The average cost per lead on LinkedIn is $47.50 across all sectors, and LinkedIn generates 80% of B2B leads, with X and Facebook trailing at 13% and 7%, respectively, per Straits Research.
Established Credibility and Trust
LinkedIn is a trusted source of information and insights for professionals, a place where more business executives and industry thought leaders are building an engaged audience and growing their personal following. They’re also turning to short-form video (much like you see on TikTok and Instagram), which LinkedIn’s algorithm prefers.
4 Ways Digital Marketers Can Generate Leads on LinkedIn
Ask any LinkedIn influencer and they’ll likely agree that generating leads on the platform starts with building trust and authentic connections. The spray-and-pray hard sales pitch won’t get you far on a platform where users want to do business with people and brands they know and trust.
1. Optimize Your Company Profile
Before sending a direct message (DM) or posting, give your brand’s profile some attention. From the headline and featured posts section to the banner and “About” section, make sure your profile speaks clearly to the audience you want to attract and that the profile conveys who you serve and the problems you solve.
Your company’s profile should be professional and engaging, and include keywords relevant to your industry. Don’t forget to provide clear contact details and make use of the featured posts section. Include testimonials in the recommendation section, case studies, and a clear value proposition that speaks to your audience’s pain points.
2. Use LinkedIn Tools to Your Advantage
LinkedIn has two helpful tools for businesses: Sales Navigator and Lead Gen Forms. The first is a powerful lead-generating machine because it allows you to build targeted lists of prospects and message them directly. With over 40 advanced search filters, you can precisely target potential clients based on industry, job title, company size, and other relevant criteria.
Meanwhile, Lead Gen Forms auto-populate with user profile data, reducing friction in the submission process and increasing completion rates. They’re a huge help for webinars, white papers, and other gated content offers you share on the platform. What’s more, Lead Gen Forms on LinkedIn can increase conversions by 3x, per SocialPilot.
3. Be Authentic
LinkedIn, like other social platforms, is grappling with a flood of AI-generated comments and posts, which removes the human connection from networking. However, businesses and leaders who bring their authentic voices and experiences to the forefront stand out in a sea of AI slop. Brianna Doe, founder and CEO of boutique marketing agency Verbatim, says she saw her business leads and connections accelerate when she “stopped treating LinkedIn like my own personal soapbox and started treating it like a conversation.”
“The right people always find you when you’re being real,” Doe adds. “Make sure you’re engaging, too — finding people whose content you like, participating in conversations, and actually connecting. That’s where the real magic happens.”
That magic has translated into a full book of business as Doe’s visibility has risen on the platform. Other LinkedIn influencers with large followings have also catapulted their business leads, earnings, and personal brands with similar strategies.
4. Create a Content Marketing Strategy
In 2024, 87% of marketers reported that content marketing generated demand and leads, up 11% over 2023, according to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI). Regular posting of thoughtful, valuable content establishes your expertise and attracts potential clients.
Doe, for example, concentrated her LinkedIn content around the launch of her business, taking a “build in public” approach to posting about her entrepreneurial journey — and it paid off. “When I decided to start posting, I did it with one goal in mind: Treat it like a professional journal,” says Doe, who now has more than 240,000 followers on LinkedIn. “I thought I’d write mostly about marketing, but what I kept coming back to was my career: What I’d done well, where I’d stumbled, and what I wish someone had told me earlier.”
It’s these personal, yet professional touchstones that cut through the noise and give the audience something relatable to latch onto.
Effective Content Types for Generating LinkedIn Leads
Multi-Image Posts
These posts garner great engagement because you can add up to 20 images as well as text. They create visual interest and allow you to tell a compelling story across multiple frames. Many creators on LinkedIn use Canva or other software to create publish-ready image posts for the platform with right-sized text and graphics.
Videos
Video is king on most social platforms, and LinkedIn users are seeing a flood of video content like never before. That’s not surprising: Video posts have the highest share rate among other types of LinkedIn content. To make your LinkedIn videos stand out from the crowd, keep them short (under one minute) and informative. Focus on solving your ideal customer profile’s (ICP) problem with a clear, compelling solution. You also don’t need fancy equipment or overly polished editing — an iPhone video works just fine so long as the audio and video are clear.
Text-Only Posts
Unlike TikTok and Instagram, which are primarily video and image platforms, LinkedIn is still the go-to destination for thoughtful, engaging writing in text posts. A complimentary image can help attract views, but content quality and what you have to say is what really moves the needle, Doe points out.
“I’m a writer first — that’s what drew me to LinkedIn in the first place,” Doe admits. “I’ve found that what works best for me and my audience is strong writing, a clear perspective, and a little vulnerability.”
Personal Experiences and Case Studies
LinkedIn is a social media platform, so including your own personal stories or stories from your employees about how they achieved a certain result, is a great way to snag your audience’s attention. These authentic perspectives create connections and demonstrate real-world expertise. Customer case studies are another great way to stand out from your competition. Including photos, eye-catching infographics, or short video testimonials would be the icing on the cake.
Contrarian Viewpoints
Going against the grain with an opinion or perspective that defies conventional wisdom can be risky. However, it can also pay off, earning respect and winning engagement by sparking curiosity, interest, and conversation in the comments. It’s also a great way to show off your thought leadership and expertise.
Keep in mind that some topics can be dicey, and your comment section could get spicy with opposing viewpoints. No matter how touchy the topic, LinkedIn is still a professional site and what you do and say is visible to millions of people — and potential clients.
What Not to Do When Generating Leads on LinkedIn
LinkedIn can be a great place to find new business and build lasting connections. Here are some missteps to avoid as you prospect for leads:
Being Too Generic
Personalization on LinkedIn is key. Yes, it’s a professional networking site, so your tone and approach will be different from Instagram or Facebook, but people still want authenticity. They don’t want to be served generic content or corporate sound bites — especially when you sell in the DMs, your content needs to be personal.
Focusing on Quantity Over Quality
Again, LinkedIn is more about substance than trying to be everywhere all the time. Instead of focusing on lead volume, delve deeper into your pipeline and focus on quality leads who are most likely to do business with you and engage with your brand. Consider metrics like lead quality, conversion rate, and deal size rather than raw numbers or vanity metrics like post impressions, likes, or comments.
Relying on Poor-Quality Lead Magnets
Your LinkedIn lead gen campaign is usually built around an asset, like a white paper, ebook, or free trial, AKA, a lead magnet. But here’s the thing: If it’s a low-quality asset, offering basic information that’s available through a quick Google search, it’s not going to pay off. Invest in creating valuable, unique resources that not only showcase your expertise but also provide real value and earn trust with your target customers.
Key Takeaways
When trying to generate leads on LinkedIn, you need to create a comprehensive strategy that includes revamping your profile, content marketing, targeted outreach, and engaging with your ICPs on your own posts and in their comments. Focus on quality over quantity, both in content and when connecting with potential leads. Use LinkedIn’s native tools, like Sales Navigator and Lead Gen Forms, to streamline your outreach, and track and analyze results to improve on performance, focusing your efforts on high-ROI engagement.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How often should a business post content on LinkedIn to generate leads?
LinkedIn says that companies that post at least weekly see a 2x lift in engagement with their content. Whether it’s daily or once a week, consistency is key. Also, don’t forget to engage regularly with your ICPs in the comments and seek out opportunities to contribute to conversations on other profiles (and make sure to tag others where appropriate). This approach helps build visibility and connection for your brand.
Which LinkedIn ad formats are best for lead generation?
LinkedIn Sponsored Content is a popular ad choice, as its simple setup and visible placement gives you the most bang for your buck. Lead Gen Forms are also useful, since they’re integrated with LinkedIn ads, making it easier than ever to capture quality leads. When a potential lead clicks your ad, they’re presented with a form instead of being redirected to an external site. The best part? LinkedIn auto-fills this form with their profile data, helping automate the lead-capture process.
