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The number one question I get asked about LinkedIn is: "Do I need a Premium subscription?"
The short answer is 'Yes'. If you're serious about using LinkedIn for marketing and generating leads, then you definitely need access to the advanced benefits on offer via their paid options.
What's more, LinkedIn recently announced that, along with several new features added as part of their revamped desktop design, the platform has enhanced its Premium member subscriptions as well.
"As of last week, we've unveiled an enriched 'Who's Viewed My Profile' experience, which surfaces data on the particular companies whose employees are viewing your profile. This proprietary information can be valuable to any professional, from the small business owner gathering relevant information on key competitors and market trends, to the investment professional trying to uncover the next "hot" company.
This is just another reason to consider LinkedIn's premium offerings - here are some additional reasons why you might want to invest in a Business Premium or Sales Navigator-level subscription.
Premium Prospecting
Most people don't realize it, but LinkedIn is one of the world's largest search engines. Every single piece of content published and shared on the site gets indexed, sorted and categorized based on keywords, hashtags and more.
In reality, LinkedIn has become like a B2B or professional version of Google. LinkedIn's "Search" bar lets you find anything from blog posts, long-form articles, online training courses and (of course) professionals based on the keywords or topics you're interested in. And, with more than 467 million professionals in 200 countries, that's a lot of data (and potential customers) at your fingertips.
When you pay for a Premium LinkedIn Subscription, you get access to advanced search filters, as well as additional data on your prospects. That means you can instantly sift through the platform's profiles in order to find the exact people who are the ideal clients or customers you want to sell to.
Even better, the treasure trove of data LinkedIn shares on each member enables you to personalize your engagement, making it easy to implement a 1-on-1, personalized marketing approach.
Inbound Insights
Another advantage of having a paid LinkedIn profile is the critical data you can utilize on who's engaged/interested in your profile and/or the content you're sharing on the platform.
LinkedIn's Premium memberships enable you to see everyone who's viewed your profile - thus you have the ability to discover, in real-time, who your "warm" leads are, and then (again, in real-time) engage with them by inviting them to connect or messaging them.
And, because LinkedIn's advanced filters let you see where a person lives, works, went to school, and so on, you can quickly and easily personalize your interaction with a quick icebreaker or two as well.
In addition, if someone's engaging with content you've created and shared on LinkedIn, you can use that content as context for your conversation.
Here's an example of how easy it can be - you can take a basic script, like this one below, and use it to connect with someone who's recently viewed your profile:
"Hi (Name) - I noticed you recently had a look at my profile here on LinkedIn. Would love to get connected and hear how you came across my info here on the network. Cheers! - (Your Name)"
The reason this is such a good script to use is that you'll get some valuable insight into how people are finding out about you on LinkedIn, along with why they're looking at your profile.
By asking a question in your invite to connect, you're sparking a conversation and opening the door to a personalized, 1-on-1 relationship.
Premium Personalization
The name of the game with lead generation on LinkedIn is having context for your conversations, along with a 1-on-1, personalized approach.
Finally, you must bring value to the other person first before you ask for anything in return.
That's why LinkedIn Premium is so valuable - it gives you the extra insight and deeper data on who's interested in you and your content.
So, to answer the question I started this post with, yes, you should purchase a premium LinkedIn account, and then use that data to drive in new, targeted sales leads as a result.