Missing Links

With more than 180 million active members in the United States, LinkedIn is an incredibly powerful tool for construction companies—large and small—to position themselves as leaders in their field and, more importantly, to generate leads. In fact, a recent study showed that 91% of construction companies on social media are leveraging LinkedIn.

The question is, how effectively are they using it? Here’s how to kick-start your efforts to turn your LinkedIn page into a lead-generation machine

A PROFILE WORTH VISITING

Your profile needs to tell people who you are, what your expertise is and how you can help others achieve the goals they’re looking to fulfill, whether that’s prospecting clients who may be in the market for a new construction partner or recruiting new team members. But to get people to visit your page to learn more, you have to take some extra steps to stand out from your competitors.

“A picture is worth a thousand words” is an old saying that holds more truth than ever on LinkedIn. Studies have shown that LinkedIn profiles with a photo receive 21 times more profile views and nine times more connection requests than those that don’t. To ensure your photo is optimized to look its best, it’s recommended you size it to at least 800x800 pixels.

You also might not know it, but LinkedIn functions as a search engine to help users find and connect with professionals. That makes it crucial to add any relevant keywords to your job title, professional summary and skills and endorsements to support your expertise, which enables business contacts to find you more easily via search results.

One of the most important uses of your profile is to highlight specific projects, achievements and official certifications to your network and beyond. It’s one thing to say you’re an expert in a particular specialty, but another to be able to show actual proof of your hard work and authority in the construction industry.

YOU, THE THOUGHT LEADER

A surefire way to grow interest in your company is to highlight your expertise and instill trust that you know what you’re doing. Because LinkedIn is a professional platform, it’s the perfect forum to post content that makes you a source of valuable information.

Blog posts establish you as an expert and drive traffic to your website, while content from around the internet can highlight that you’re in tune with a constantly evolving industry to stay cutting edge. Does your construction business specialize in health care? Start jotting down related topics, from managing infection control to minimizing patient impact during construction. Turn these into short, insightful posts with advice that spotlights your expertise. LinkedIn also offers several post options that allow you to directly engage with your network and even glean valuable insights into what potential customers are specifically looking for. For example, polls can help uncover industry trends and gather feedback on products and services. More importantly, they’re an easy way to deepen conversations with current customers and start conversations with prospective leads.

MORE THAN CONNECTIONS

LinkedIn is a two-way street. While others can discover you through search results, you can also use it to research potential new leads and build target audiences that help you be more efficient with your outreach and paid campaigns. For example, if you’re trying to get your foot in the door with companies in your area that may soon be expanding their facilities, research and connect with decision makers at those companies to begin establishing a relationship with them and engaging them in conversation about relevant topics you have in common.

It’s important to understand that LinkedIn is a platform that works best when you con- nect and build those relationships over time. Instead of connecting with someone and instantly sending a direct message with a sales pitch, get to know their pain points and guide them to content on your website that showcases how your expertise can help them discover solutions.

PAY TO PLAY

Social-media platforms are constantly evolving in how they deliver certain content to people. They’re also powerhouses of data that can help you pinpoint and get in front of very specific audiences. Now more than ever, the power of paid campaigns can help construction companies kick-start lead-generation efforts. In fact, according to LinkedIn, marketers see up to two times higher con- version rates on the platform when they implement paid ads.

Hands down, the most powerful aspect of paid LinkedIn campaigns is that they allow you to build incredibly specific target audiences. That means you know your ad is getting in front of more qualified leads, resulting in more efficient spend of your ad budget and less time chasing unfit leads. These audiences can be drilled down to specific locations, companies and even job titles and functions. With a little effort, you can turn your LinkedIn page into a networking powerhouse that reaches the right audiences, fosters better connections and more effectively harnesses the power of your professional community.