Get your ideal clients attention on LinkedIn

Ever feel like you’re speaking a different language to your potential clients on LinkedIn?

Many solopreneurs and business owners struggle to connect with their audience on LinkedIn. Despite your expertise and success with referrals, there’s a disconnect when it comes to converting connections into clients. Many tell me LinkedIn feels harder than many of their 'real life' interactions with prospects. It's kind of true too. In real life, it is easier. It's harder for someone to ignore you in real life, but when you are soliciting for new business and you don't have a warm introduction, you have to get attention and interest - that's a skill everyone needs to master.

You might have hundreds or even thousands of connections on LinkedIn, but if you’re not converting them into leads, there’s a problem. It’s not just about increasing your connection count; it’s about optimising your messaging for conversion.

Many focus on content metrics like likes and comments, but you can be growing those and still not make any money. You should prioritise conversion. If you have 500 ideal clients connected and you’re not getting leads, it’s time to reassess your approach.

I’ve grown my business using these principles, focusing on conversion over sheer numbers. While many influencers aim for high follower counts, I’ve built a seven-figure business and a team of 30 people with a smaller but highly engaged audience. I'm focused on conversion per follower, this means I grow slower, but make more revenue per follower added.

This approach is essential if you're time-poor and can’t devote hours each day to LinkedIn. Let's look at six ways you can optimise for conversion.

1. Focus on Outcomes, Not Processes

Let’s start with a big one. Are you talking too much about the process behind your services? Clients don’t really care about the nitty-gritty details; they want to know what results they’ll get. So, instead of explaining how your service works, focus on the outcomes your clients can expect. Your outcomes get the attention, your process gives confidence.

Signs You’re Stuck on Process:

• You describe your service with technical details and jargon.
• Your pitch sounds more like a user manual than a solution.

Example:

• Process: "AI tools for salespeople"
• Outcome: "Save 40 minutes per day on admin tasks"

Benefit: When clients see the outcome, they immediately understand the value you bring, leading to higher engagement and interest in your services.

Risk: Focusing on processes can bore clients and make them overlook your real value, leading to missed opportunities.

2. Understand the "Why"

Why do your clients want the results you offer? It’s not enough to know they want to save time or money; you need to dig deeper. Understanding the real reasons behind their desires helps you craft a message that hits home.

Signs You’re Missing the "Why":

• Your statements are factual but lack emotional connection.
• Clients seem uninterested or fail to see how your service impacts their goals.

Example:

• Weak: "Save 40 minutes on admin per day"
• Strong: "Save 40 minutes on admin per day, so sales can focus on converting and following up leads"

Benefit: Communicating the "why" helps clients see the bigger picture, increasing their motivation to engage with your services.

Risk: Without the "why," your message lacks depth, and clients may not see the relevance to their specific needs, reducing your impact.

3. Make Your Message Obvious

Clarity is everything. If your message isn’t crystal clear, potential clients will move on quickly. Avoid jargon and keep it simple. Your message should be so clear that anyone can understand it in seconds.

Signs Your Message Isn’t Clear:

• People often ask you to clarify what you do.
• Your message is filled with industry-specific terms that confuse your audience.

Example:

• Ambiguous: "Drive efficiency in your sales team with AI"
• Specific: "I will save your sales team 40 minutes on admin per day by automating their tasks using AI"

Benefit: A clear and specific message ensures clients understand how you can help them within seconds, increasing the likelihood of engagement.

Risk: Vague messaging can confuse clients, causing them to lose interest and move on to someone who communicates more clearly.

4. Speak Like a Client

Your clients aren’t experts in your field, so don’t expect them to understand your jargon. Speak their language. Use the words and phrases they use to describe their problems and needs. This approach makes your communication more relatable and shows that you understand their world.

Signs You’re Using Expert Jargon:

• You find yourself using complex terminology in conversations.
• Clients often look puzzled or ask for simpler explanations.

Example:

• Expert language: "Our tool enhances productivity and efficiency"
• Client language: "Our tool helps you get more done"

Benefit: Using the client’s language builds rapport and makes your communication more relatable, fostering trust and connection.

Risk: Using jargon or technical terms can alienate clients, making them feel misunderstood and less likely to engage with you.

5. Balance Pain Points with Desires

While highlighting pain points can capture attention, it’s important to balance them with desire statements. Pain points highlight the problems your clients face, but desire statements focus on what they want to achieve. This balance keeps your messaging positive and motivational.

Signs Your Message is Too Negative:

• Your content focuses solely on problems and challenges.
• You struggle to get engagement (why would anyone like that? - who wants to resonate with negativity)

Example:

• Pain-focused: "Are you struggling to get leads?"
• Balanced: "Want more leads, but struggling to make it happen?"

Benefit: Balancing pain points with desire statements keeps your message positive and aspirational, appealing to a broader audience.

Risk: Overemphasising pain points can make your message seem negative, which might discourage potential clients.

6. Avoid Being Generic

Generic messages fail to resonate because they don’t feel personal. Your potential clients need to see themselves in your stories and examples. Use specific scenarios, names, and situations that reflect their world and challenges.

Signs Your Message is Generic:

• Your examples are broad and could apply to any business.
• Clients don’t see themselves in your stories or scenarios.

Example:

• Generic: "Improved efficiency in your business"
• Specific: "Steve leads a sales team, and his team were spending half their day adding notes to the CRM. He wanted them to spend more time selling, so we automated their admin tasks, freeing up 20 hours a week."

Benefit: Specific examples make your message more tangible and relatable, helping clients see exactly how they can benefit from your services.

Risk: Generic messaging can come across as bland and uninspiring, failing to capture the attention of your ideal clients.

7. Keep it Short and Sweet

Online, you only have a few seconds to grab attention. If your message is too long or complex, you’ll lose potential clients before they even get to the good part. Brevity and clarity are crucial.

Signs Your Message is Too Long:

• You struggle to keep your explanations concise.
• People often skim through your content without engaging.

Example:

• Long: "Our advanced AI-driven tools can help your sales team by automating repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus more on selling and less on admin work."
• Short: "Our AI tools free up your sales team to sell more by automating admin tasks."

Benefit: A brief and clear message ensures your audience quickly understands your value, making them more likely to engage.

Risk: Long-winded messages can overwhelm or bore your audience, leading them to scroll past without understanding what you offer.

Einstein famously said “If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.” - Marketing is not academia, we are dealing with short attention spans. We're also trying to get the attention of people who aren't necessarily invested in us, so they have zero loyalty. This means we have to boil things down so people see value quickly. 

I’ve used these principles to grow my business and optimise for conversion. This approach is essential if you’re time-poor and can’t spend 2-3 hours a day on content and showing up on LinkedIn. Unlike many influencers who focus on high follower counts, I’ve built a seven-figure business and a team of 30 people by prioritising conversion.

In my Social Selling Accelerator, the big task I work on with my clients is resolving these issues first. This is where most people get stuck. Their lead magnets, content, webinars, and audio events all fall flat until they address these six points. Without these, you will struggle to help your ideal clients to see the value you bring, generate leads, and close business.