Don’t know how to use LinkedIn to build your email marketing list? For professionals, businesses, and B2B marketers, LinkedIn is becoming one of the most important social media platforms for the underprivileged.
Are you unsure of LinkedIn’s reach?
Well, LinkedIn has approximately 756 million members and over 1 billion interactions per month.
Does LinkedIn really grow your email list?
In addition to employees and job seekers, LinkedIn can be beneficial for businesses. You can use this platform to establish your business as a reliable source in your industry, especially in niche areas. In addition, a LinkedIn strategy can play an important role in expanding your online presence.
LinkedIn is also a great platform to interact with your peers and get real-time updates about your industry. It is also a place where you can learn from other professionals in your field of expertise.
In addition, it is a valuable platform for building customer relationships. If you’re not incorporating your LinkedIn network into your marketing strategy, you’re missing out. In particular, this platform can be an effective way to build and expand your email marketing list.
Is email marketing relevant?
With so many social media platforms and digital marketing tools available, it’s no surprise that you may question the relevance of email marketing. But despite the proliferation of new tools and tactics, email marketing is here to stay.
Considering that nearly 95% of people check their emails every day, you can’t underestimate the potential of email marketing for your brand. Email is a reliable way to cultivate deeper and more valuable relationships with your customers.
That said, email marketing won’t work if you don’t have a growing email marketing list. And that’s where your LinkedIn network comes into play.
How to grow your email marketing list with LinkedIn?
LinkedIn’s primary purpose is networking, not marketing. Take one wrong step and you could lose the trust of a valuable contact. So, use your network of contacts carefully to grow your email marketing list.
Here are some ways you can achieve this.
Improve your profile
What’s the first thing you do when you’re curious about someone or something? You probably search for them on the Internet. the world of LinkedIn is no exception.
When you send a connection request to a potential client, they will likely look at your profile. And that’s your chance to close the deal. a LinkedIn profile is your organization’s billboard and business card.
Your LinkedIn profile is something you can easily spruce up. Work on every aspect of your business profile to make it attractive and professional. Use a professional headshot, add relevant links, and upload it as search engine optimized copy. Incorporating relevant keywords will ensure that your profile shows up in searches. Ideally, your profile should be an accurate reflection of your brand message.
Work to generate and nurture leads
LinkedIn lead generation is the first step in building your network and subsequently using it to grow your email list.
To make a memorable first impression, be creative with your connection request message. The default message is too generic to stand out from the large number of connection requests a potential customer may receive. Write copy that catches their eye and compels them to accept.
Next, it’s time to take the first step. Just like with dating, if you act too early or too late, things may not work out. So don’t send a message immediately after a prospect has accepted your connection request.
A blatant sales pitch in your first message will hardly work. It would be beneficial to learn more about the person’s specific interests or challenges. That way, you can personalize your first message and explain how your services can be helpful. It’s a much more effective transition.
Offer a giveaway
From teenagers at the mall to professionals on LinkedIn, everyone loves free stuff. That’s why brands give away free product samples to attract and convince buyers. And you can implement this traditional marketing strategy on your LinkedIn profile, too.
In addition to linking to your website, consider creating and linking to a free eBook. However, you can’t just create an eBook for the sake of creating one. It should be well-researched and useful to your target audience.
It’s an effective way to attract potential customers and build your credibility in the industry. You can also add a link to your eBook in the “Publications” and “Rich Media” sections to gain further traction.
Explicitly ask for permission
How do you feel when a random credit card company calls you out of the blue? Unsolicited calls and messages are annoying and make a bad first impression on customers.
You may have come across various guides that suggest exporting contacts directly from LinkedIn and adding them to your email list. But this is not a good idea. Just because your prospect accepts your connection request doesn’t mean they agree to receive your marketing emails.
Instead, ask for permission explicitly. Keep reading to discover different ways to encourage your network to sign up for your email list.
Join LinkedIn Groups
Joining relevant LinkedIn groups is one way to find valuable leads. Groups are beneficial because their members are already interested in a specific topic and want to interact with other industry professionals.
However, don’t make the mistake of joining every group you come across. It’s simply a waste of your time. In addition, you can only join a maximum of 100 groups, so be thoughtful when choosing your group. Use keywords related to your niche industry to narrow your search for the right group.
It’s also important to note that not everyone uses groups for business. If a prospect joins five or fewer groups, it may not be as effective to interact with them through groups. It’s better to target prospects who have joined more than five groups.
Is your business in a niche industry that doesn’t have many groups on LinkedIn? You may also choose to create your own groups to find like-minded people and target customers.
Avoid spamming connections
Persistence is key; spamming is not. Sending sales messages to your contacts can damage your reputation. If reported, spamming can get your account suspended. It’s simply not worth it.
Nurturing your customers and gaining their trust to build an email list is a marathon, not a sprint. Reserve your sales content for elevator pitches and focus on sharing useful and engaging content with your prospects.
Create visual content
Most people scroll through social media during their breaks rather than delving into detailed blog posts.
Well-researched blog posts are certainly a way to gain traction for your business and become an authoritative voice in your industry. But not everyone has enough attention or time to read blog posts.
You can bridge that gap by creating attention-grabbing visual content. In addition to blog posts, share infographics, illustrations, and videos so they are easier to understand. You can also promote visual content on other social media platforms.
Staying Connected
Creating a presence on LinkedIn is a long-term game. So, if you don’t see results after a few weeks, don’t give up. Your email list can’t grow exponentially overnight. The only way to ensure results is to stay consistent.
First, make sure you check your account daily to respond to queries, send and receive connection requests.
Second, it’s vital that you create and publish content on a regular basis. Focus on curating quality and relevant content.
Finally, always be respectful and polite when participating in groups, even if you disagree with someone’s point of view. If you don’t want to be removed, follow the guidelines set by the administrators.
Engage More
Engaging with other posts in a meaningful way can help you generate leads and subscribers. If someone likes or comments on your post, show your appreciation by responding to them.
You should interact with other posts by commenting, liking, sharing, etc. This is also a great way to find common ground with your potential customers.
Update your landing page
You create compelling content and work hard to send personalized messages that urge prospects to join your mailing list. However, all your hard work will be in vain if your landing page doesn’t meet the requirements.
Take a look at some of the factors that may prevent prospects from joining your mailing list.
- -If your landing page takes a long time to load, almost no one wants to wait. Improve your site’s loading speed. Also, make sure your site is clean and easy to navigate.
- -It’s imperative to make the registration form as simple as possible. Most potential customers don’t have the time or patience to fill out a complicated form.
In conclusion
Email marketing is a feasible way to connect with your target audience on a deeper level. Therefore, building and growing an email list is not a one-time process; it’s something you need to do on an ongoing basis. And LinkedIn is a cost-effective way to do this.
With the right strategy and consistent effort, you can encourage prospects to sign up for your email list – and increase your email ROI.