How Startup Freelance Consultants Can Outsource LinkedIn Lead Generation?
There are many platforms that freelance consultants can use to network with potential clients, but LinkedIn is one of the most powerful. But how do you effectively use it for lead generation, especially if you're attempting to do everything yourself on a small budget?
The good news is, however, that you can have LinkedIn lead generation done affordably and still have the quality and effectiveness of the outreach. We will cover a number of practical ways that startup freelance consultants can maximize their LinkedIn presence without going into more debt. We can help you with our best expert lead generation outsourcing services!
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The Challenge of Cost-Effective Lead Generation
On the other hand, as a startup freelance consultant, your main concern usually is bringing clients. One of the best things about LinkedIn, with its huge professional network, is that it's one of the best places to connect with potential customers.
However, to generate leads on LinkedIn, you need to take some sort of strategic route, one that takes time, effort, and, often, money spent on the tool or a service to do it right.
Many freelancers have limited resources, and it's difficult to manage. I'm sure you wear multiple hats yourself, juggling your business, serving your clients, making content, and building your online presence. Combine that with the pressure to create consistent leads, and it starts to feel pretty overwhelming if you're low on budget.
But often, lead generation doesn't have to be expensive. Outsourcing this critical aspect of your business is possible — as long as you do it the right way, based on your budget, your efforts and the results. So, let's see how it can be beneficial for consultants or rollex11 folks who are too busy to generate leads on LinkedIn by themselves.
Why Outsource LinkedIn Lead Generation?
The point of any lead generation activity is to find the best prospects and convert them into paying customers as quickly and as efficiently as possible. If you operate a freelance consulting business, you'll need to outsource tasks that are either too time-consuming or simply not in your skill set. Both can be lead generation.
The beauty of lead generation outsourcing is that you can outsource this task to a skilled partner or virtual assistant (VA), so you can focus on core strengths, such as delivering great service to your clients, honing your craft and managing your business while someone else fills your sales pipeline. The problem, however, lies in the balancing of cost and quality and selecting outsourcing options within your limits on finance and your sales goals.
It also helps you to scale your efforts. Your need to generate leads grows with your business. Your outsourcing strategy should be considered a win if it lets you reach out more without burdening your internal resources or your budget.
Why Freelancers Outsource the Lead Generation?
Freelancers frequently hold several offices as well, from the role of marketing to doing the work with actual clients. It is easy to become overwhelmed with juggling lead generation and other tasks. Outsourcing LinkedIn lead generation also gives you a bit more valuable time that can be better spent doing actual billable work and burnishing your services.
Lead generation is not a one-person job. It takes a combination of skills, tools, and experience. People with specialized expertise and demonstrated skill are the virtual assistants and specialized agencies that are able to put in an effective outreach strategy. They know how to send attractive connection requests, how to build good profiles, and who the high-value leads are.
On the one hand, outsourcing looks like an additional expense, but sometimes it costs less than a lead generation tool or software or even hiring a full-time employee. Freelancers let go of the double costs of lead gen management in-house and lost opportunities from non-billable time spent by their team.
Eventually, your business will grow, and your lead generation needs will also scale along with the business. Though you may not need a lot of leads to start out with, as your client base grows, it will grow exponentially. Outsourcing is a scalable approach that will grow with you and your needs, scaling up your efforts according to demand.
Professionals in lead generation constantly evolve the tactics used to bid on leads with this data and analytics. Thanks to their experience, they don't waste time on low-quality leads that are highly unlikely to turn into clients and thus can send better emails, targeting those leads that have a much higher chance of bringing new clients.
3 Ways to Generate Leads on LinkedIn
There are three main ways to approach LinkedIn lead generation: You can do it yourself (DIY), contract to have someone else do it for you (Done for you) or a hybrid approach where you do some of it yourself (Done with you). Let's explore each approach.
This means you need to take care of everything when it comes to your LinkedIn lead generation. It's cheap, but it's the most time-consuming. The DIY strategy typically includes the following:
Manual Outreach: You look for people who are potential clients according to industry, job title, or whatever other criteria you choose to utilize. If you already know who your lead is, it's time to send them a custom connection request or message about your product or service.
Content Marketing: In other words, regularly post valuable content, such as blog posts, articles or videos, that attracts organic leads. If you've built your content with your specific content to directly address your target audience's pain points, then you will draw inbound interest.
LinkedIn Groups: Participating in relevant LinkedIn groups will also help you network with potential clients in a less robotic kind of way. By sharing your expertise, you'll build relationships and attract leads.
LinkedIn Ads: LinkedIn ads are another way for those with some budget to increase visibility. They are targeted to industries, roles and job functions, so your services are relevant to the people they are meant to reach.
We have complete control of the process.
No outsourcing fee, just time and effort
Highly personalized outreach
It requires a lot of commitment to research, outreach and content creation — so it's time-consuming.
Lead generation has a risk of burnout if it isn't balanced with other tasks.
It's a learning curve; understanding LinkedIn's platform and tools takes time.
2. Outsource LinkedIn Lead Generation (Done for You)
With this strategy, you hire an external agency to run your LinkedIn lead generation for you. Typically, these agencies provide this as a full-service solution — leads continue to be identified and upheld, and outreach campaigns are executed.
Services for everything from research to outreach.
If the agency is seasoned and grasps what you would like to achieve, it could result in fast results.
Waste less time and money, help more clients and focus on the core of your business.
Typically, agency starting prices will run anywhere from $1,000 a month to $2,000 a month, which is often expensive for freelancers to afford.
You don't have direct control—working with an agency gives you some separation from everyday tasks, which can make it harder to hit touch points with your overall strategy.
Aligning Outsourcing Strategies with Sales Goals
Market Research: Typically, they use industry reports, job titles and other criteria to select prospects.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator: Special tools like Sales Navigator let them make their way through LinkedIn profiles to find the best leads.
Automation: There are some agencies that use automation tools to manage outreach campaigns (while following the guidelines from LinkedIn).
3. Done-with-You (Involves Outsourced Help)
In this case, you will be using a hybrid model where you can work with a freelancer or a virtual assistant (VA) to oversee certain areas of LinkedIn lead generation. This lets you get someone to send connection requests, write initial messages, or research potential prospects while keeping you in charge of the vision for the account.
A lot more affordable than hiring an agency.
Ability to scale your efforts as needed.
You keep control over your strategy and your messaging.
It Offers a little more than doing it all outsourced
You may encounter communication challenges if the VA you hire is from a different time zone.
Aligning sales goals with lead generation outsourcing strategies
5 Steps to Hiring and Onboarding a VA to Help with Lead Generation
Step 01: Define Your Needs
Specify the tasks you'd like your VA to work on. These might mean research, top-of-funnel tasks like initial outreach, etc., but could also be activities like managing your LinkedIn profile or following up on leads.
Step 02: Write a Clear Job Description
Tell the agency about the skills you're looking for – they should be familiar with LinkedIn, be able to communicate, and have experience with lead generation. Be transparent and clear with regard to the hours and your budget.
Step 03: Find the Right Candidates
If you're looking for experienced VAs, use job platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, or LinkedIn. Search for candidates with a history of lead generation.
Step 04: Test Their Skills
To test your candidates' ability to produce good work, assign a small task, e.g., find 10 potential leads in a particular industry where a tangible quantity of work is needed.
Step 05: Onboard and Train
In addition, thoroughly train yourself on your lead generation process (lead definition), the tools used, and the preferred means of communication. Be sure the VA knows your business, your target audience and your goals.
If you are a freelance consultant looking to attract more clients without being overwhelmed, you can outsource the LinkedIn lead generation as it is practical and scalable. If you strategically outsource this responsibility to an agency, freelancer, or VA, you can be sure your lead generation doesn't fall through the cracks yet still has a quality spin to it.
No matter if you decide to DIY or go with a done-for-you service or even a hybrid of both, the right lead generation outsourcing in B2B solution will allow you to achieve anything from high-quality leads and bring your consulting business to the next level.
Unlock earning potential with Mindustrious—work on a stake-based model and grow together through lead generation success!
Knowing your sales goals, matching them up with lead generation strategy and picking the right outsourcing partner can help you reach your dream level of LinkedIn presence on a budget. If those little things aren't your specialty, stop spending hours trying to do everything yourself, hire the right help, and your business will grow.
