The secrets of LinkedIn prospecting

The recruitment agencies have a multitude of tools at their disposal to find and sort out the best profiles and match them with the most relevant job offers.

Beyond the use of search engines and job boards, which provide them with a wide range of information, it's in their interest to supplement this data with what they can find on social networks.

LinkedIn is the professional social network social network. Users can search for companies, contact recruiters and apply directly for jobs. It's a constantly evolving goldmine of information.

However, the rapid development of LinkedIn and the sheer volume of key data online can be a real headache for recruiters. Doing your prospecting on LinkedIn can't be invented. But there are tools you can use to optimize it and get better results. We'll explain!

Why prospect on LinkedIn? 

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What is prospecting on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn allows anyone to post a job directly online. A whole panel of social network users can then consult the offer, and contact the person who posted it directly and easily. 

Prospecting for customers or new recruits on LinkedIn is often part of a wider prospecting process, involving multiple tools. Among these, the social network offers unparalleled proximity to prospects.

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Benefits of prospecting on LinkedIn

LinkedIn makes it easier to qualify prospects. Indeed, the people who consult the post on the social network probably already know the company. Perhaps they're already interested in the company's activities? Perhaps they consult job offers regularly?

This proximity to prospects means that the recruitment agency can be sure of a good return on investment for any contacts made via the network. 

In addition, the company can easily find the key contact for a company and/or the ideal candidate for a position.

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How to prospect effectively on LinkedIn

Use the data provided by LinkedIn

On the social network, more than 875 million people provide a wealth of information about themselves, their skills, qualifications, desires, locations, etc. 

Every recruiter needs to know how to use this data to prospect for new talent. The data collected must be sorted, processed and analyzed. It's a vast and time-consuming task.

Fortunately, there is software available, including Marvin Recruiter whichautomatically pulls in LinkedIn profiles with all user-selected data into the ATS of the same name. In this way, recruitment agencies and HR teams can centralize all the elements they need within the ATS. 

With Marvin's extension, you won 't miss a single profile, and the match between candidates and offers will be much more certain.

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Build on LinkedIn's strengths

LinkedIn makes it possible to address people directly, even without their contact e-mail. Rather than sending a general e-mail to a mailing list you've created, LinkedIn enables recruitment agencies, RPOs, consultancies and HR teams to focus on their targets.

On LinkedIn, profiles are public. With this information, you can target more precisely, and contact the people most likely to respond. The read rate of messages on LinkedIn is much higher than e-mails sent to an entire mailing list.

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Steps to prospecting on LinkedIn

Targeting prospects on LinkedIn

Above all, and as in all prospecting, it's essential to define your target clearly . Several questions need to be asked:

• How old is my target audience?
• What's his profession?
• What are his passions?
• Etc. 

The more precise the target, the more effective the prospecting. It's better to be too restrictive at the outset, and then extend the search circle.

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Sorting prospects on LinkedIn

Looking for new companies, new candidates? Use recruitment software!  

The ATS Marvin Recruiter software, for example,helps headhunters save time on a daily basis. After centralizing LinkedIn profiles in a single folder, ATS also sorts prospects using advanced search filters. 

Customers and candidates are centralized on the same software, and data is filtered according to precise, adaptable criteria. The software also enables intelligent matching to be carried out directly. To find out more, ask for a demonstration of ATS Marvin Recruiter. 

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Tips for successful LinkedIn prospecting

Although it may seem counter-intuitive, avoid using keywords when searching on LinkedIn. Indeed, a keyword search can often lead to results that are far removed from your expectations. For example, the tool may pick up keywords in past experiences that are no longer relevant. 

In addition, the number of results requested must be limited to 2 ,500 (which is also LinkedIn's display limit). If the number of results is too large, it's impossible to filter and sort, and the results will be even worse.

When searching, it's sometimes very profitable touse quotation marks to find exactly the terms entered, and thus the profiles corresponding to the search. 

If you want to search for two independent pieces of information at the same time, simply enter "or" between the two terms.

Last but not least, LinkedIn is packed with social groups that often bring together people who are very close professionally, and can therefore lead you to a large number of prospects all at once.

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Profile and approach: how to convince prospects

Perfect your profile

Your contacts need to know clearly who you are, and what you want to offer them. Users often click on a contact's profile.

Your LinkedIn profile must be exhaustive and precise. It must inspire those who consult it to want to learn more. Depending on your target audience, you may need to provide a thorough English translation.

Among the elements that every Linkedin profile must contain, we can list : 

• A clear title that defines your position and the structure for which you work.
• A professional profile photo.
• A cover photo illustrating some of your activities.
• A summary that goes into a little more detail about your background, your missions and your objectives. The idea is to arouse the interest of the reader of your profile and give credibility to any exchange you might have with them.
• Up-to-date content that shares publications, news, etc.

If a website link is passed on when prospecting on LinkedIn, the site also needs to be very polished. Visitors should be able to obtain all the information they need, without having to search for it.

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Prospecting approaches

Once your prospecting list is ready, all you have to do is contact your prospects effectively. This is the copywriting stage.

Absolutely avoid writing messages of over 1,000 characters, which are time-consuming and often unclear. Although you naturally want to give the prospect as much information as possible, keep your message concise. This will make them want to know more.

Don't use the bold font to highlight certain words you consider key. Instead of enhancing your message, this will potentially give it the appearance of a sloppy message. At the same time, stay credible by avoiding any spelling mistakes.

The offer transmitted should not be general, but personalized. While adapting to the prospect contacted, it must contain at least : 

• A catchphrase that must arouse the prospect's interest.
• Your short, clear proposal .
• Solicitation: a question you can ask the prospect to make them feel involved, so that the exchange can continue.

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Prospecting on LinkedIn is particularly effective for recruitment agencies, who obtain a whole range of data directly from the social network, enabling them to target their prospects more precisely.

However, prospecting is not a method to be taken lightly. It requires careful preparation, and the use of software to support headhunters in sorting the data collected.

‍With thehelp of these tools, prospects are contacted in a personalized way and the return on investment are multiplied.