Building a LinkedIn strategy to generate leads

As an entrepreneur, being active on LinkedIn helps you grow your personal brand, improve your marketing efforts, and generate leads for your business.

To fully benefit from this platform, you first need to develop a clear strategy, which we’ll explore in this article.

Why is building a LinkedIn strategy crucial for generating leads?

Current statistics and trends

For most of us, the goal of a solid LinkedIn strategy is to secure meetings with decision-makers. LinkedIn is the ideal platform for this, and the numbers speak for themselves:

“LinkedIn drives 80% of B2B leads generated from social media.”

“4 out of 5 LinkedIn users regularly are decision-makers within their companies.”

In other words, LinkedIn is where you’ll find qualified B2B leads, and engaging with these people in meetings will boost your sales.

While there are numerous business opportunities, the competition is equally fierce. This is why you need a solid action plan to generate leads on LinkedIn.

What is a LinkedIn strategy? Common challenges and solutions.

A LinkedIn strategy tailored to lead generation influences how we optimize our profile, add potential prospects, publish regularly, and interact with other LinkedIn users.

For entrepreneurs, a LinkedIn strategy starts with clarity about their activities, their client offering, their value proposition, and market positioning.

They also need to understand their target audience—what type of businesses they are targeting (e.g., small businesses vs. large corporations) and, within those businesses, who the decision-makers are (e.g., their job titles).

If you’re new to the platform, spend time as a LinkedIn consumer to familiarize yourself with its nuances.

Once you’ve identified your target, you can define your editorial line and content pillars that will form the foundation of your personal branding.

The most common problem is a lack of clarity in business strategy—who to target, what niche to focus on, and what topics to cover. It’s always best to clearly outline a target persona before diving into content creation.

Another challenge is running out of relevant ideas and facing writer’s block. IndiPen can handle this for you. Try for free

Key steps to follow

Step 1: Define yourself and your business

The line between yourself and your business can be thin when starting as an entrepreneur, but here are some concepts to explore for building your LinkedIn strategy:

Yourself:

What are your values? What is your professional background? What are your ambitions? What tone suits your audience (formal, calm, inspiring, etc.)? What makes you unique? Which language will you use to communicate?

Your Business:

Does your business offer products or services? What is your offer and its key advantages over competitors? Who are the audience members you want to transform into prospects? What content pillars will form the base of your editorial line?

These questions can help you position yourself effectively on LinkedIn to generate leads.

Step 2: Clearly Define Your Target Audience

The goal is clear: maximize lead generation with your target audience. But first, you must define that audience by splitting it into two parts: (1) the types of businesses you aim to connect with, and (2) the decision-makers within those businesses (e.g., targeting small marketing agencies and their founders).

Target Business Persona:

Consider the following parameters for businesses:

• What is their industry?
• How many employees do they have?
• What is their revenue?
• Where are they located?
• Are they local or international?

Target Decision-Maker Persona:

Study these traits for decision-makers:

• What’s their job title (CEO, HR, CFO, etc.)?
• Are there common personality traits (introverted, analytical, etc.)?
• What are their expectations for your solution?
• What frustrations can your solution resolve?
• What emotional motivations could drive their purchase?
• How knowledgeable are they about your market?

Step 3: Define your editorial line

Once you’ve defined who you are and who you’re targeting, create an editorial line to bridge the gap between you and your prospects.

This involves listing all the major topics you’ll address. A common method is to define content pillars, listing keywords related to your prospects’ pain points and your expertise.

Once these topics are established, consistency and time will build trust and generate leads on LinkedIn.

Example: Practical case of an effective LinkedIn strategy for an SEO freelancer

Here’s an example: Meet Lucas, a freelancer offering SEO services.

Define Yourself and Your Business:

• Yourself: Values (transparency, accessibility), tone (educational), ambitions (helping small businesses grow).
• Business: Offer (SEO audits, content strategies), target audience (small businesses, artisans, e-commerce), advantages (affordable rates, measurable results).

Define Your Target Audience:

• Businesses: Local small businesses, 1-10 employees, low online visibility.
• Decision-Maker: Founder or manager, curious but non-technical, frustrated by poor SEO results.

Create an Editorial Line:

Lucas can focus on:

• Pillar 1: SEO basics (guides and tips).
• Pillar 2: Case studies (client results).
• Pillar 3: Practical tools for small businesses.

Tools

Why use IndiPen?

IndiPen is the ideal tool for entrepreneurs aiming to make LinkedIn a lead-generating machine.

• Time-Saving: Quickly generates ideas and content tailored to your audience.
• Optimization: Leverages a LinkedIn-specific algorithm for high-performing content.
• Simplicity: Combines strategy, creation, and publishing in one platform.

With IndiPen, you can effortlessly create content that attracts leads and expands your network.

Comparison with other tools

Unlike simple content generators, IndiPen offers an all-in-one solution designed specifically for entrepreneurs on LinkedIn:

• Superior Quality: Posts are optimized using the LinkedIn Game Algorithm, trained on LinkedIn-specific data.
• Strategic Approach: IndiPen goes beyond content creation to guide you through your entire strategy, from target definition to planning.
• LinkedIn-Focused: Unlike general tools, IndiPen adapts to LinkedIn’s unique culture and user expectations.

IndiPen is your ultimate assistant to help generate leads on LinkedIn.