Still Not Achieve Results in LinkedIn Demand Generation? Learn These 4 Mistakes [Part I]

Hello guys!

I’m Dmytro Suslov — CEO & Founder of demand generation agency Addlium which promotes brands through LinkedIn. Since I’m engaged in implementing social selling approaches in marketing strategies, I decided to talk about 4 basic mistakes preventing you from gaining high-quality prospects.?

LinkedIn is one of the key lead-generation channels for plenty of businesses, especially B2B. And it’s no wonder why. According to the official LinkedIn statistics, 4 out of 5 members here drive business decisions. Moreover, the platform allows you to get high-quality prospects even if they perform in another part of the world.?

But where does the shoe pinch? I frequently notice that this process looks like a casino game for many companies where they try just to send as many messages as they can, considering people say OK for their call arrangement proposition.?

Probably, such an approach worked a long time ago. But it’s a trap now because decision-makers are overwhelmed by same-type offerings so their DMs are bursting at the seams.??

Let’s fix your strategy!

Mistake #1: Doing everything at once?

I communicate with different companies, from manufacturers to logistics service providers. Moreover, I’m working with multiple entrepreneurs from the USA, Great Britain, Germany, etc. And one fine insight I’ve caught is, nations think differently. Some make decisions quickly while others are on the fence.

I’m in favor of a thoughtful approach. In B2B, the quick deal is like a unicorn, but marketing is not about good fortune, it’s about predicted results.?

So, to drive high-quality leads, you should build long-lasting business relations, especially when it comes to B2B. It’s impossible to grow a tree in one month. The same works in marketing.?

Each time when I’m talking about B2B, I mean P2P (People-To-People) because as you sell your services, you are always simply speaking to humans. That’s why you need to build relations that cease to trust and only then — in the closed deal.?

To keep it simple, let me give you an example. This story was told by my close friend. He held talks with an IT company that provides IT outsourcing services. Eventually, they got a very promising potential lead from Israel. They even have a meeting with a team. However, he responded:?

“You guys are a really great team full of youth and energy, just starting your journey. But my business requires confidence. I don’t believe in your market presence for more than two years. If this happens, then we’ll talk”.?

I’d call this principle “Not Everything at Once”, where companies should put effort into constantly being in the spotlight of the clients. And perhaps, they might want to come back not in two years, but in one or a half.?

The conclusion is simple; the majority wants things to go quickly, while the minority plays the long games. In my opinion, the latter is better because everyone chooses the well-trodden path and no one is eager to face challenges.?

Mistake #2: Selling, not building relations?

Since everyone wants everything immediately, erroneous marketing strategies arise. It looks like this: sending offers to as many people as possible → building a sales funnel → people see our offer and someone finds it interesting → guiding them through the funnel → BINGO.

I won't say that this approach doesn't work, but it's not as effective as before. The thing is, there are more and more similar offers flooding the market. As a result, it's difficult to establish the right positioning, causing companies to appear indistinguishable in the eyes of clients. Especially if the business doesn't have a recognizable brand in the client's country.

In such circumstances, direct selling won't succeed; the alternative is to build relationships. By this, I mean communicating with clients in a way that creates a conscious or subconscious match. Your client should know what your company does. And when they need something, they will know they can turn to you. It's not about the number of offers.

Mistake #3: Bailing on content?

Some insightful statistics for you: only 1% of LinkedIn users create content on their profiles. But as I read in a marketing review: "Content is not nice to have, it’s a must to have."?

LinkedIn's content distribution algorithms work effectively. When a person accepts your connection request, they constantly see your posts in their feed. Even if they don't read the posts, it's still a point of contact. And if your content is also interesting and useful, it generates trust. Of course, the content should be about the client and the pains your company can address.

Furthermore, content marketing is about consistency. It's good when publications come out at least once a week. But the optimal number is 2-3 posts per week.

Mistake #4: Neglecting multiple contact points

LinkedIn is just one tool in your global marketing strategy, and there are plenty more. Just think about what your client does when you reach out to them on LinkedIn. Let's build a logical chain:

• The person sees that you visited their profile.
• They visit your profile in return.
• They analyze your profile: what you do, which company you work for, and what ideas you convey.
• They go to your website (of course, if you've provided a link to it).
• They gather information about your company online if you've sparked their interest.

From this, we can draw conclusions: it's necessary to utilize all channels for promotion. Firstly, your LinkedIn profile should be well-presented. It will prompt them to delve deeper into information about you and your company.

Secondly, attaching a website link and ensuring that it's user-friendly is important. For instance, consider the language of the site. If you're targeting specific markets, make sure your user reads information in a language they understand.

P.S. This is the first part of the article. In the second one, I’m talking about how to fix described mistakes. If this was useful to you, comment and react to accelerate my writing ;)?

#socialselling #b2bleadgeneration #b2bmarketing #addlium #linkedinmarketingtips