What content to post to get inbound leads on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a goldmine for inbound leads. Why? It’s simple. Close to 1 billion other professionals hang out on LinkedIn, with 65% of them decision-makers looking for products, services, and business solutions. But you need to do more than just add a bio and profile pic and hope people find you – you have to post content that hits home, turning scrollers into leads.

We don’t recommend creating any old content and throwing it out there in the hope that it sticks. Your posts should be strategic and well-aimed to connect, resonate, and convert. Are you ready to find out exactly how to do this? Here’s your no-fluff guide to LinkedIn content that will open up the gates to success.

Who are you hoping to attract on LinkedIn?

Like any effective sales strategy, attracting the right leads on LinkedIn is all about making sure you have a laser-focused understanding of your ideal client.

• Who are they?
• What are their specific challenges and goals?
• What do they value most?

Just like any other marketing activity, if you know the answer to these questions, it’s easier to engage with your target audience.

On the flip side, if you don’t fully understand who you’re talking to, it’s like shouting in the dark, and quite honestly, you’ll be wasting your time. Identify and speak directly to the right people, and you’ll be seen as someone to be respected and trusted.

Treating LinkedIn as a sales funnel to capture leads

If you want to make the most of LinkedIn for lead generation, take a two-pronged approach. On the one hand, you can use direct messages (DMs), but on the other, it’s useful to use a broader content strategy to supply your sales funnel.

Direct response outreach

If you want to use DMs to contact your ideal customers, you’ll significantly increase the chances if you also regularly post content that’s designed to engage your target audience.

Plus, if you’ve optimised your profile in a way that promotes your values and your personal brand, your DM will land with more impact. This isn’t about spamming people; it’s about starting conversations when you’ve done your research and can show exactly how you can add value.

Filling up your sales funnel

Treat LinkedIn as a crucial part of your sales funnel. Sounds daunting? It’s not when you have a solid content plan and align the content that you post with your overall goals.

Types of content to post on LinkedIn to generate leads

To decide what type of content you need to post, it’s important to understand the different stages of your customer’s buying journey throughout your sales funnel fully. As with all your marketing efforts, keep testing and to see what performs well – and what doesn’t!

Here’s a quick overview of different content for each stage (with examples)…

Top of the Funnel (TOFU):

Awesome top of the funnel content acts like a welcome mat. You’re sparking interest and building your brand for people who don’t have a clue who you are yet.

This content needs to create great first impressions with content that educates, entertains, and engages so that your potential clients stop, look, and want to learn more about what you have to offer.

Here are some ideas for TOFU content on LinkedIn:

• Short-form educational or entertainment pieces
• Video introducing your company and services
• Share links to your website or landing pages
• Content that builds awareness of new upcoming launches
• Industry insights and trends that position you as a thought leader
• Offer valuable lead magnets or some gated content e.g. free webinars

Middle of the Funnel (MOFU):

Middle of the funnel content deepens the conversation with your audience, taking them from lurkers glancing with interest to genuinely interested prospective customers…

Content for MOFU people should be richer, more detailed, showcase your expertise, answer their questions, and build trust. This stuff sets the stage for a closer look at what only you can offer them.

It could include:

• Posts that show you understand your audience and their pain points
• Explain the ins and outs of your products/services
• Blogs about in-depth educational topics
• Showcase your recent achievements
• Throwback or ‘lessons learned’ posts
• Day in the life posts

Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU):

The bottom of the funnel content is used to seal the deal. What you need here are clear, compelling calls to action that encourage your audience to take that final step to become your customers.

You want to encourage your audience to make a purchase, sign up for a service, or book a consultation by showing the value and outcomes they’ll gain by choosing you.

Content that’ll help you do it :

• Clear, persuasive calls to action (CTAs) that guide users to what to do next.
• Examples of results and achievements, emphasising your value
• Showcase relatable case studies that illustrate how you help customers
• Exclusive offers that trigger action, highlighting urgency and benefits.

4 content ideas from Chris James at ATOMICON 2023

Chris James is a renowned sales expert with over 16 years in the field and a large social media following. He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to audiences, and at last year’s ATOMICON, he shared his wisdom on generating leads and converting sales through effective communication and strategic outreach.

Chris shone a spotlight on four types of LinkedIn posts to get you the high conversion you’re looking for:

1. Conversation starters

Post content that’s designed to raise interest and get opinions, so your audience feels part of the conversation and invested in the outcome. This interactive approach boosts engagement and segments potential customers based on their responses, meaning you can target your follow-up actions better.

Just like in our hand-raiser content principle, this method Chris discusses is an insane hack to get more sales, as you encourage your audience to send a digital signal to show their interest. This could be clicking a link or registering for an event – an action that says to you they’re interested.

Here’s a great conversation starter from a maestro of captivating content, Steven Bartlett. Not only does he ask his audience a great question, but he backs it up with more food for thought from the late, great Steve Jobs.

2. Strategic polls

Strategic polls use your community insights as a tool for engaging your network and gathering valuable data. Through these poll responses, you’ll gain a deep understanding of your audience’s preferences and pain points, and you can tailor your content and offers more effectively.

Take a look at this strategic poll example from company Russell Tobin. Your poll doesn’t need to be about anything deep, it simply needs to speak directly to your target audience. The important thing to notice here is the audience is engaged and they have gained insights to help them tailor future content!

3. Value posts

Value posts are all about being generous. Share your expertise, insights, and success secrets. This type of content establishes your credibility and demonstrates how you can support your community in your unique way, building a strong foundation of trust and authority.

Here’s an awesome value post by Daniel Priestley. Daniel has mastered this type of post and he’s seeing his social media audience growing exponentially, largely as a result. In this example, he shares information and an infographic that explains one of his core lessons – and then finishes it off with conversation starter! Double win for Daniel here.

4. Transformation stories

Transformation stories are real-life examples of how your services or products have changed the lives of your target customers. They’re a way to connect deeply with potential clients and illustrate the benefits they can expect, deciding to engage with your business super-easy.

Here’s some good news that will help you decide what to post: transformation posts don’t need to be carefully polished! You can keep it real with screenshots of messages or emails from your happy clients – anonymously if necessary. All this good stuff builds trust with your audience.

Example: Here’s a down-to-earth transformation story from Chris James himself, sharing how a client increased his revenue by 10k in only 13 days after working with him. Sharing a video interview directly from the client… What better way of delivering social proof, or a behind-the-scenes glimpse that builds trust?

These four types of LinkedIn content invite an interaction with your audience that places trust, value, and transformation front and centre. They elevate your brand, increasing your chances of converting followers into leads and then satisfied clients.

Other LinkedIn content tips

Now you’ve got some awesome content ideas to try on LinkedIn, woop!

But before you get posting, here are a few extra things to consider when creating content on LinkedIn (and any social media platforms, for that matter).

• Include a call to action (CTA)

  Every piece of content you post should guide your audience towards a specific action. Whether it’s encouraging comments to foster engagement, directing traffic to your website, or promoting a sign-up for an exclusive offer, a clear CTA increases the likelihood of conversion.

• Experiment with different content forms

  Mixing up your content keeps your LinkedIn vibrant and engaging. Videos offer a more personal touch, articles demonstrate expertise, polls engage your audience in a conversation, and images capture attention. Mixing up formats also helps you see which type engages customers best.

• Monitor what works (and what doesn’t!)

  Keep a close eye on your content’s overall performance. Stats like likes, comments, shares, and click-through rates offer valuable insights into its impact. Use this data to refine your strategy, focusing more on what works and less on what doesn’t.

• Engage with other posts

  Visibility on LinkedIn isn’t just about posting your content; it’s also about interacting with others. Commenting on, liking, and sharing other posts within your network or industry not only increases your visibility but also builds relationships. Show your personality and build a community!

Driving inbound leads on LinkedIn is all about creating content that grabs attention and delivers value. You’re nudging your dream clients along the sales funnel towards decision time, and every post, chat, or blog builds towards an ‘a-ha’ moment when they’re ready to get on board as your customer! Combine this with an easy LinkedIn outbound sales strategy to strengthen your sales strategy even more.

Are you ready to up your LinkedIn game and turn your profile into a lead-generating powerhouse? Chris James is speaking again at this year’s ATOMICON, alongside loads of other fantastic thought-leaders speak, too! Grab your ATOMICON 2024 ticket and we’ll see you there!