In 2023, LinkedIn boasts a staggering 200 million users in the United States alone.
While often seen as a hub for job searches and recruitment, LinkedIn serves as an invaluable social platform for discovering and engaging with potential leads and clients.
Acquiring new clients poses a challenge for agencies of all sizes, making LinkedIn an ideal avenue for securing new contracts. According to the latest Client Reporting Benchmarks Report, transitioning from a freelancer to an agency typically requires a growth of 2.75 times, increasing from an average of 4.77 clients to 13.14 clients.
Scaling up further to become a large, Enterprise-level agency demands a leap of 6.5 times, reaching the current average of 85.78 clients.
Achieving such growth isn’t feasible by simply waiting for business to come your way.
Whether you’re new to the platform or already have established connections, we’ve compiled top-notch strategies to help you discover prospects, foster relationships, and successfully pitch your agency’s marketing services on LinkedIn.
15 Marketing Strategies for Harnessing LinkedIn to Expand Your Agency LinkedIn proves to be an effective avenue for finding leads and clients for your marketing agency. To begin, establishing a profile and cultivating connections is essential. Just like any endeavor, growth requires mastering the fundamentals.
Maintain an active presence on LinkedIn by sharing valuable content, engaging with others’ posts, and initiating conversations with fellow professionals in your field. Staying ahead of the competition, even on LinkedIn, is key to expanding your business. Elevate your presence on the platform to increase your chances of uncovering new opportunities.
To aid in this pursuit, here are quick tips for generating leads through LinkedIn.
- Clearly Outline Your Agency’s Offerings Kick off by precisely defining the services you intend to offer. What distinct skills does your team bring to the table for clients?
LinkedIn provides various avenues to showcase your agency’s portfolio (such as articles, websites, media projects, awards, ongoing ventures, etc.), enabling you to refine your offerings and highlight them effectively.
Additionally, consider the type of work you prefer not to undertake. Identifying projects or clients that aren’t well-suited to your agency allows you to steer clear of leads seeking such services.
- Identify Your Ideal Client Next, ask yourself:
- What type of client requires the expertise your agency offers?
- What type of client does your team enjoy collaborating with the most?
Your agency’s ideal clients lie at the intersection of both criteria. Before commencing your search (and as you sift through potential leads), document as many details as possible about your ideal clients.
- What are their job titles?
- What industries do they operate in?
- Do they belong to specific geographic locations?
Creating marketing personas enables you to develop a comprehensive understanding of your dream clients, facilitating easier searches on LinkedIn.
Conducting thorough research on clients also aids in subsequent client discovery meetings and can significantly impact the success of closing deals.
Before the initial meeting, we allocate an hour or so to research and gather as much information as possible. We take extensive notes on the client, their competitors, and the market. The better prepared we are, the more confident the client feels about our ability to handle the project effectively.
JR Griggs, President, Red Wall Marketing
- Optimize Your Agency’s LinkedIn Profile As emphasized in the first tip, LinkedIn serves as a platform to showcase your agency’s finest work. Your profile serves as your business card, thus ensuring it presents your agency in the best possible light is crucial.
Imagine that clients will base their decision to engage with your agency solely on your profile—because some might. Your profile should encompass:
- A professional logo
- A concise yet descriptive bio focusing on the services offered
- A professionally crafted custom banner tailored to LinkedIn’s image size specifications
- Compelling portfolio content demonstrating your agency’s capabilities
Remember to remain active and update your business page upon completing client projects, acquiring new skills, or obtaining certifications.
- Capitalize on In-Person Connections Warm leads are more receptive than cold ones. When encountering new individuals in your field—whether at conferences, work-related events, or virtual meetings—send them a connection request along with a friendly, personalized note referencing your encounter.
Even when interacting with individuals who may not be potential clients, proactively expanding your network in this manner remains beneficial.
- Explore the Sidebar If unsure whom to connect with next, explore the “People Also Viewed” sidebar on the right-hand side of the page and LinkedIn’s “People who follow XYZ also follow” suggestions. You may discover promising leads there.
6. Engage in LinkedIn Groups Expand your social circle on LinkedIn by joining groups related to your industry, niche, or interests. Participating in groups offers an organic avenue to meet and interact with potential clients.
Navigate to groups by selecting ‘Groups’ on the left-hand side of your homepage.
- Produce Valuable Content for Your Audience Creating original, high-quality content enhances your credibility and authority on and off LinkedIn. If your agency maintains a blog, share its content on LinkedIn to extend its reach and deliver value to existing or potential clients.
Upon publishing articles, leverage LinkedIn analytics to gauge post performance, providing insights to ensure you’re on the right track.
- Personalize Your Connection Requests Avoid relying on LinkedIn’s default connection request text. Take a few minutes to craft a brief, personalized message.
If you’ve previously met the individual or share mutual connections, incorporating such details enhances the likelihood of your request being accepted, thus increasing the chances of future interactions.
- Follow Up Express gratitude to individuals who accept your connection request. Aim to do so within 24 hours, if feasible. Additionally, seize the opportunity to initiate a conversation by posing a question or acknowledging their business accomplishments.
- Reach Out to Profile Viewers When someone views your profile, consider it an indication of interest in your agency’s offerings, prompting you to extend a connection request.
11. Maintain Contact Once connections are established, avoid letting them grow cold. Endeavor to touch base with prospects every few weeks. You can maintain contact by:
- Congratulating leads on job advancements or promotions (LinkedIn conveniently notifies you of such updates).
- Engaging with leads within LinkedIn groups.
- Sharing resources beneficial to your leads.
- Commenting on your leads’ updates and articles.
Ensure your comments and messages offer value, avoiding generic remarks. Instead, opt for questions or alternative viewpoints to foster meaningful interactions.
- Provide Assistance Establishing trust is essential in securing new clients on LinkedIn. One effective approach is to approach interactions with a genuine spirit of helpfulness. Seek opportunities to assist others without expecting immediate returns. Prioritize relationship-building over selling your services upfront.
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- Facilitate Introductions Facilitating connections between two individuals not only benefits them but also leaves a positive impression on both parties. While this strategy requires familiarity with both individuals and a valid reason for introduction, it can significantly enhance goodwill with your leads when appropriately executed.
- Let Your Achievements Speak Excessive self-promotion can undermine trust. Clients are more likely to engage with you if you substantiate
Tracking Your Growing Agency’s Analytics at Scale
Tapping into your LinkedIn network is a great way to find it. Treat it like any other networking opportunity: be respectful, show interest in other people, and always be on the lookout for opportunities that benefit your leads and your agency.
As you land new leads and onboard new clients, you’ll need a client reporting platform to manage all your client’s data in one place. As you grow your agency, your team won’t have time to jump from platform to platform to create your monthly client reports.
With AgencyAnalytics, we cut back the time to create great marketing reports by almost 60%. In the communication with our clients, we notice that thanks to the reports, it’s easier to get them onboard for our activities. And it’s much clearer where both the challenges and the successes lie.
Streamline your agency’s LinkedIn reporting process with an additional 80+ other marketing integrations for all your client reporting needs.
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