How to Find Clients on LinkedIn as a Freelancer
LinkedIn is the most popular social network for business professionals. It’s one of the best things you could do to get in front of more people, attract more leads and increase your chances of making more sales. With LinkedIn’s ease-of-use and powerful search capabilities, it’s easy to find opportunities online. But how?
This guide will teach you how to find clients on LinkedIn, make connections that matter, and how to convert those connections into high-quality leads.
❓ What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a social network that has become the go-to platform for business professionals. It’s not just limited to those in the field of business, but anyone can use it.
If you’re a freelancer looking to make connections or to find new clients, LinkedIn is the place to start. It’s a great way to stay connected with people in your industry and figure out what they’re up to.
LinkedIn is also a great place to find more information about potential clients. You can see what their job titles are, what companies they work for, and get a sense of their interests and hobbies. This can help you figure out how to best approach and connect convert them to clients.
Create a Profile
If you’re not on LinkedIn yet, then it’s time to create your profile. It’s free to join and takes just a few minutes.
When you create your profile, be sure to include a professional photo and a description of what you do. You can also add your website and blog URLs, as well as other social media profiles.
One of the best things you can do is add keywords to your profile. These are words and phrases that people might use when searching for professionals like you. LinkedIn will show you suggested keywords based on what you’ve already entered into your profile.
For example, if you’re a web developer, you might want to add keywords like “web development”, “programming” and “coding” to your profile. This will help people find you when they’re searching for those keywords.
Find Your Competition
First, you’ll want to find your competitors on LinkedIn. This can be done by using LinkedIn’s search bar.
When you search for a keyword, LinkedIn will show you a list of people who match that keyword. You can then see their profile, and see what they’re doing on LinkedIn.
You can also see how many connections they have, what kind of jobs they’ve held, and what companies they’ve worked for. This can give you some ideas about what you could do to stand out from the competition and find new clients in the process.
For example, if you’re a business coach, you might want to search for keywords like “#businesscoach” which will return a list of people, posts, and companies related to that keyword.
Identify Prospects
Once you have identified who is related to your industry, you’ll want to do some digging to find potential prospects.
There are a few different ways to find potential prospects.
- Who are they connected to?
- Which groups have they joined?
- Who recommended them, Who do they recommend?
- What are their interests?
- Where have they worked?
The ‘What people also viewed’ tab on LinkedIn can be a helpful tool in your search for potential clients. It shows a list of people who have viewed the same profile as the person you’re viewing. This can help you find more people who might be interested in the services you offer as a freelancer.
You can also use this tab to see which companies your potential connections are connected to. This can give you some ideas about where to start your outreach efforts.
Besides this, LinkedIn’s search bar will help you to find people who match your keywords, or you can browse through LinkedIn’s directories. LinkedIn’s advanced search feature allows you to search for people based on their job title, company, or other keywords.
Keep in mind that the more effort you put in, the better your results will be. LinkedIn is a powerful tool for freelancers, and it’s important to use it to its full potential. One way to do this is by spending some time every day to build your connections.
Make New Connections
Now that you know who your competition is and where to find potential prospects, it’s time to start making connections. It can be helpful to think of LinkedIn as a giant networking event. The more people you connect with, the more opportunities you’ll have to find clients on LinkedIn.
Once you’ve identified your prospects, it’s time to reach out to them and introduce yourself. You can do this by sending them a connection request, or by sending them a message.
When you reach out to someone, be sure to personalize your message. Don’t just send the same message to everyone. Take the time to read their profile and find something that you can connect with.
For example, if you’re a web developer, you might want to connect with someone who you know using your programming language, you can then mention that you have experience in this particular field and would like to connect on that basis.
If you are feeling up for a challenge then making a cold call directly to the prospect might give you a better chance to make an impression (and gather information). If you are unsure where to start then read our article on how to make a cold call.
Convert into Clients
Now that you know how to find clients and make connections on LinkedIn, it’s important to keep the following things in mind:
- It’s important to build a network of connections.
- You should showcase your work and expertise on LinkedIn to increase your chances of being considered for any upcoming projects.
- Your end goal is to turn these connections into clients.
Here are some things you want to be doing to achieve this goal:
Participate in Groups
You’ll want to actively participate in groups on LinkedIn. This is a great way to connect with more potential clients and showcase your expertise to your current network of connections. When you participate in groups, be sure to share valuable content and offer insights that people will find helpful. You should also be prepared to answer questions from other members of the group. This can be a great opportunity to show off your knowledge and skills.
Write Posts
If you don’t have your own website, then be sure to write posts on LinkedIn directly. This is a great way to reach a larger audience and show your connections that you are an expert in your field.
Share Your Portfolio
Sharing your portfolio on LinkedIn is a great way to show potential clients what you’re capable of. You can link to one of the other social websites if you have a more active following there, which will add to your social proof.
Go to Events
Meeting people face to face is very important. In order to get the most out of LinkedIn, you should attend events where your prospects are likely to be. This will give you the opportunity to meet these potential clients in person and make a good impression. You can also network, knowing people can help you find new clients through referrals.
Conclusion
LinkedIn is a powerful tool that can help entrepreneurs build their networks and find high-quality leads.
Building a following can take time, but it’s worth it in the end. If you provide valuable content and insights, people will start to take notice. And when they do, they’ll be more likely to reach out to you for help with their own projects.
