You are buying into the idea that LinkedIn is the business prospecting tool of the 21st century. You are working from home with time on your hands. Hitting keys seems more painless than dialing for dollars. Yet you are still a casual LinkedIn user, wondering why people aren't interested in engaging with you. What can you do?
1. See what your firm offers.
Leaders didn't buy into the LinkedIn concept just because advisors asked for it and Compliance said, "Well, OK." They did studies. They sought out best practitioners. All this information resides somewhere. Call your regional sales manager. Ask about best practices.
2. Hire somebody.
You are an independent advisor. Hardly a day goes by without getting at least one pitch on LinkedIn from someone telling you they can increase your traffic, leads or engagement. Do some online research. Magazines have likely compared services. Find out which ones consistently deliver results for advisors with a similar practice. Hire one of them, ideally on a pay-as-you-go basis.
3. Social Selling Index.
Like Santa knows who has been naughty or nice, LinkedIn knows how well you are using the platform relative to your network and people in the same field. Do an internet search on "LinkedIn Social Selling Index." One of the top results should take you directly to your score. See what they measure. It's another best-practices approach.
4. Connect with prospects.
You have lots of clients in XYZ firm. It's located in the next town. Think about what you have to offer, something they would consider of personal value. Let's assume your firm produces research reports. Do a LinkedIn search for people at that company. Focus on second-level connections. Clients at that firm who you already connect with should likely be connected to other people at that firm. (If not, connect with those clients first!) Send a personalized invitation: Mention that your firm does research. You find LinkedIn is a good way to share it. You have (X) shared connections. Build your network.