How to generate Inbound Leads on LinkedIn in just a week?
(without even 1k followers)
Hey, you!
Well, have you been on LinkedIn for quite some time now and wonder how long you will keep pitching clients by yourself?
urghhhhh it is FRUSTRATING.
Who are these people on the internet even bluffing about INBOUND LEADS or ORGANIC TRAFFIC? (my brain and me)
I know exactly how that feels because I never thought I CAN get any inbound leads. EVER. But guess who was wrong?
Clients need you for their business, so why don’t they come up to you?
Just as a doctor won’t be walking up to doors, knocking to find a patient to treat right? I know this is kind of a bit flaky annotation but I hope you are getting my point at least.
Organic Inbound leads are the precise and most assuring sign of a “woaaah brand”- a professional, reliable and credible authority.
When as a solopreneur you have built enough authority, credibility and hype through your branding you become the lantern of hope for struggling moth clients.
The patients who need you will come up to you for the solution, only if they think you can be helpful FOR THEM.
Why are Inbound Leads juicy?
Inbound leads are the yummiest. They’re generated by folks who are actively looking for your services. So, they’re already hyped, aware and ready to buy, unlike outbound leads.
This makes them partial conversions already, even before getting on some discovery call with you. Client acquisition is the only action you gotta do now.
ONE JOB, agent HUNT. Just one damn job.
( CLUE: Badass communication is all you need to ace it)
Cold-pitching comes with higher abandonment and rejection rates. Plus, inbound leads have a higher quality and a better close rate.
Okay, Afnan we get it!
cut to the HOW to part.
How do I generate Inbound Leads?
It’s not impossible and it’s not hard.
It’s surprising yes, but you can do it as I did. I wasn’t even expecting any results.
I began actively participating on LinkedIn on 28th Nov 2022 to be exact and planned to get my ROI ( return on efforts, time and headaches)in February of 2023.
I had 17 followers on day 1 of being active without any Afnan imprint on my profile. Today I have 600+ followers (still not 1k).
But the point to be noted is I GOT 6 INBOUND LEADS IN 1st week of December. DAMN.
(I rejected 3 of them- A T T I T U D E )
My first question was WHY?
Like, there are so many great big writers with immense followers here, then WHY ME?
Thus I asked my leads what made them send me a message.
ALL ANSWERS LED TO JUST ONE STATEMENT :
“ YOUR PROFILE LOOKED PROFESSIONAL”
My profile acted here as my resume and brand persona. My services acted as products that clients wanted to buy. Just like any branded handbag.
- You survey different brands and choices.
- Once you find something right, you choose it.
- The shop peeps help you confirm and buy it.
So now the question arises,
How to build a profile that is actually OMG-worthy enough?
1. Optimize your LinkedIn profile
I know you have read it everywhere, trust me I did too. Every writer is adamant about this but HOWWW do I optimize??
“Show me that part” was all I needed to know.
Duhhh, well like them, I am not gonna tell either.
LET me show you.
Beginning with the banner
I designed 8 banners for my profile before settling on the one I have.
The key to designing an amazing banner is for your visitor to answer the following in one glance:
- Who you are?
- What do you do?
- For whom?
Here is the pictorial proof of my passionate designing skills:
Before you say anything about my work of art, I am proud of it. Even if it can blind you.
Now you see the biggest mistake of this banner is YOU IS WHO?
My profile can be visited by anyone, my target audience and my non-target audience. Am I gonna help everyone generate sales?
NO, AND NO.
A good banner shall have 2 things:
- A good and clear aesthetic appeal
2. Easy and simple to read
The above banner has chunks of text, which is a big no. Make it simple and minimal. Don’t be greedy in the banner, it will look congested. You have a whole profile to fill up.
My updated banner is minimal yet catchy, simple yet powerful. Am I bragging? Absolutely.
Writing your headline
Your headline is the main and basic thing a visitor will survey.
Now think of it as a 5-sec mini introduction, how would you introduce yourself in 5 seconds?
If it’s me I’ll go by what I do and how I do it for whom.
That means I’ll put copywriter in my headline if I am a copywriter.
But wait I also write SEO content or blogs. Okay, I’ll put that too.
But I also ghostwrite, Let me add ghostwriter too.
and the list goes on.
But this is not the right way. This is called stuffing.
When you stuff your mouth with glazed doughnuts. No matter how mouth-watering they are, you’ll feel nauseous and vomit ultimately.
YOUR READER FEELS NAUSEOUS when he sees a stuffed headline.
This example emphasized enough that they are a copywriter. But it makes it obvious that you are desperate to sell your services.
SELL LIKE KUNGFU PANDA (stealth mode)
Less is more, make it specific and make it minimal. Target your speciality in your headline.
Writing a badass “ABOUT SECTION”
I just cannot press enough on how important this specific segment is.
THE.MOST.IMPORTANT.
This acts as your sales section or sales page. It took me 11 revisions to come up with about a section that I love.
I think the main reason for any inbound leads is a good sales page. One that can sell your services effortlessly.
In my one month on LinkedIn, I had read more bad ABOUT SECTIONS than good ones. Frustrated by the agony of bad sections I pledged to help my fellow linkers and created the “ About section 101 guide for LinkedIn”.
A good about section covers a
- A catchy headline
- A simple and engaging body
- A powerful yet soft CTA
This guide summarises in-depth — how to write ABOUT SECTION that converts LIKE crazy.
Other sections
Optimize your experience section, providing services and open-to-work section with the right and relevant keywords.
I added COPYWRITER and WRITER throughout my whole profile.
See your LinkedIn search appearances to see if your profile is optimized and relevant to your niche.
More search appearances will give you more exposure thus a greater chance of getting leads.
If your profile views are going up then you are going in the right direction, my friend.
2. Build a strong network
Network. NETWORK and network.
Don’t just build a blind following but build your clan. A power community. Research your connections, find friends who can teach you and managers who can potentially hire you.
Find connections of connections and send them personalized notes before you connect with them:
Benjamin Watkins writes my favourite newsletter and now we are even connected on LinkedIn too (brb gonna do a happy dance).
Building a loyal and kind community will give you back with multiples of what you give them. Build your clan, build your references.
Referrals are a big coin and this sweet dish comes to you only when you have brewed sugar into the right caramel.
3. Engage
Most of the articles might tell you to post consistently. They are not wrong.
Posts will bring you mostly followers but engagement like commenting will bring you those inbound leads.
Most posts have lurkers, they don’t do anything except observe. Who knows maybe your future manager is among the impressions on the post you just added your thoughts on.
Engagement also helps you create a digital presence. It’s like a scent, even if you are not there (posting) your footprint must be enough to sustain your presence.
Talk about topics you know about. Drop some mini advice or an opinion, it helps you build and maintain authority.
People read and they remember. Make sure your 60% participation on LinkedIn is engagement, while 40% is your posting.
Conclusion
It is not hard to sort this out. But you can’t get anything if you don’t put your heart and time into it. I am still figuring out stuff just like any other writer does. The thing to understand is, you don’t have to give up.
My wonderful friend Abdul Rafay kept me afloat in times when I would be drowning to give up.
I am not being consistent in posting but it’s okay. I don’t want to post just for the sake of posting, I like creating content that can actually provide value and impact people.
Keep building your portfolio because it will be the first thing you’ll need to show your fresh inbound leads.
Hope you liked reading it as much as I loved creating it for you.
Would love it if you could stop by on LinkedIn and say hi. It will make my day.
