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The LinkedIn Lead Generation Tool You Should Try Right Now

by MGB2B

Two big product announcements have come out of LinkedIn over the past couple of months, one of which your manufacturing company can take advantage of right now. First, the leading social media network for professionals leaked that in November 2017, “Matched Audiences” will enable LinkedIn advertisers to target users based on their web activity and email addresses. And good timing – these options are already available on Twitter, Facebook, and other social sites. Unfortunately, you still have a few months to go before trying this particular feature. But here’s one you can put to use immediately. B2B companies, rejoice: there’s a new function currently available to LinkedIn advertisers: a LinkedIn lead generation tool.

Just In Time

This roll out comes at an opportune time for LinkedIn, who is historically behind the ball when it comes to ad offerings. Twitter, the second most popular B2B social media channel for content distribution, has just sunset its lead generation ad format after several years of stagnancy. And while Facebook continues to offer a similar lead generation ad format, its use by 76% B2B organizations for content distribution pales in comparison to LinkedIn’s 89%. The professional social media network is in a rare position to lead the pack in, well, leads.

For now, the new LinkedIn lead gen ads are available on mobile devices only. And with almost 80% of social media time spent on mobile today, it’s not a bad move. (Though a desktop version will likely roll out eventually.) Thinking about getting started? Here are a few ways to use the new LinkedIn lead generation tool.

3 Ways to Use the New LinkedIn Lead Generation Tool

1. White paper downloads. LinkedIn is effectively removing two steps from the traditional 3-step process of 1) advertising your white paper on LinkedIn, 2) directing users to a form fill page on your website, and 3) requiring users to fill out and submit a form to download. Now, users don’t need to leave the confines of LinkedIn to complete steps 2 and 3. And better yet, using their LinkedIn profile information, the form is largely autofilled.
2. Webinar registrations. Like the example from this VentureBeat article, these lead gen ads give users a quick, easy way to sign up for online events like webinars. And LinkedIn content ads resemble regular posts – featuring social engagements right on the ad, including the ability to share. This social vote of confidence can work as extra incentive for users to sign up.
3. Freebies. What if you could hand select which trade show visitors stopped by your booth for a branded lanyard? With LinkedIn ads, you can target based on demographics, down to which company users work for. And with new lead generation ads, you can offer these targeted users unique experiences and materials that will truly benefit their business, from consultations to a trial run of your product.

Most pieces of content that requires users to register for can be applied to the new LinkedIn lead generation tool. It’s important to remember, though, that until LinkedIn begins offering integrations with CRMs, you still need to download all collected leads from LinkedIn’s campaign manager. From there, they can be entered into your database and mailing list. Most importantly, into registering for whichever piece of content inspired them to click in the first place.

Can you see your company using this new LinkedIn lead generation tool? Need help getting started? Drop us a line.