LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 130 million members following over 1.9 million companies worldwide. Based on third quarter metrics, LinkedIn members were on pace to initiate more than four billion searches in 2011.¹ Linked in offers both user pages and company pages. A company page provides a business the opportunity to showcase their products and services and seek out opportunities with millions of business professionals who are also consumers. With this kind of B2B and B2C reach, it’s no wonder LinkedIn blows out Twitter and Facebook for online lead generation.
SHOULD WE LINK UP?
For businesses, a LinkedIn company page not only highlights your products and services, but provides a platform to tell your story, engage with followers, and share career opportunities. A company page helps humanize your business, giving visitors a chance to learn about the people behind your organization. It also provides an efficient way to speak to millions of professionals through word-of-mouth recommendations and trusted testimonials.
LINK CONVERSION
Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are great for company branding and consumer engagement, but to what extent do these social channels actually generate leads online? In a recent study of over 5,000 businesses, inbound marketing industry leader HubSpot found that traffic from LinkedIn generated the highest visitor-to-lead conversion rate at 2.74%, almost 3 times higher (277%) than both Twitter (.69%) and Facebook (.77%).³
LinkedIn’s conversion rate of 2.74% also outpaced the .98% combined average conversion rate of all social media. In other words, of all the traffic that came to these business’ websites via social media, .98% of that traffic converted into leads, compared to LinkedIn’s 2.74%.³
A LinkedIn company page is a great way to spread your business message and network without leaving your desk (which may be a good or bad thing, depending upon how you look at it). As it turns out, it’s also a great way to generate leads online.
Does your business have a LinkedIn company page? If so, what has your experience been like?
² Social Fresh Article, “It’s Time to Stop Ignoring LinkedIn Business Pages”
³ Hubspot Blog, “LinkedIn 277% More Effective for Lead Generation than Facebook and Twitter”
Info-Graphic Courtesy of Hubspot
