Tips for Effective Search on Linkedin

How to Do a Good LinkedIn Search: Tips for Effective Prospecting

LinkedIn is one of the most powerful tools for professional networking, lead generation, and prospecting. However, to get the most out of the platform, you need to master LinkedIn’s search functionalities to find the right prospects, partners, or clients efficiently. A good LinkedIn search can help you filter through millions of profiles and narrow down your target audience quickly and accurately.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps and best practices to perform a successful LinkedIn search for better prospecting results.

1. Define Your Search Criteria

Before you even begin your search, it’s crucial to clearly define what you’re looking for. Having a well-defined target audience will help you streamline your search process and avoid wasting time on irrelevant profiles.

Ask Yourself:
- Who is your ideal client or prospect? (e.g., job titles, industries, or seniority levels)
- What type of companies are you targeting? (e.g., size, location, or market)
- What common pain points or goals do your prospects have that you can solve?

Example Criteria:
- Job title: "Marketing Manager"
- Industry: "SaaS" or "Technology"
- Company size: "51-200 employees"
- Location: "United States"

2. Use LinkedIn’s Basic Search

LinkedIn’s basic search function allows you to quickly start finding people based on general criteria. Here's how to make the most of it:

Steps:

Go to the Search Bar: Located at the top of LinkedIn’s home page, the search bar is where you can input keywords or names.
Enter a Keyword or Title: You can type in a job title (e.g., "Sales Manager"), a company name, or specific keywords relevant to your search.
Use Filter Options: After your initial search, LinkedIn will allow you to filter results by:
- People: Searching for individuals (for prospecting or connecting).
- Jobs: Finding job postings.
- Content: Finding posts related to your search.
- Companies: Searching for specific organizations.

Pro Tip: Always narrow down your search by using filters like Location, Connections (1st, 2nd, 3rd degree), and Industry. This will help you avoid irrelevant profiles and hone in on the right prospects.

3. Advanced Search Using LinkedIn Sales Navigator

If you are serious about prospecting and lead generation, LinkedIn Sales Navigator is an advanced tool that offers in-depth search features to help you find high-quality leads with precision. With Sales Navigator, you can create hyper-targeted search queries based on a variety of filters.

Key Filters You Can Use:
- Geography: Target prospects based on specific locations.
- Industry: Filter leads based on the industry they work in.
- Job Title: Search for specific job titles (e.g., “CEO,” “Sales Director”).
- Seniority Level: Target prospects based on seniority (e.g., entry-level, manager, director, etc.).
- Company Size: Focus on companies of a specific size (e.g., 1-10 employees, 51-200 employees).
- Keywords: Input relevant keywords related to the role, industry, or technology to fine-tune your search.
- Groups: Target individuals who belong to specific LinkedIn groups related to your industry or services.

Pro Tip: With Sales Navigator, you can also use Boolean search to refine results further, combining multiple keywords with AND, OR, or NOT to specify exactly what you’re looking for.

4. Use Boolean Search for Better Precision

LinkedIn allows you to perform Boolean searches, which can refine your results and make them more specific. Boolean search is especially useful when you have very specific criteria, and you want to include or exclude certain terms.

Boolean Search Operators:

- AND: Use this to include profiles containing all the terms you specify.
- Example: “Marketing AND Manager” will show results that include both “Marketing” and “Manager.”
- OR: Use this to include profiles that contain either one or more terms.
- Example: “CEO OR Founder” will show profiles that have either “CEO” or “Founder.”
- NOT: Use this to exclude specific terms.
- Example: “Marketing NOT Intern” will exclude profiles that contain the term “Intern.”
- Quotation Marks (“ ”): Use quotation marks to search for an exact phrase.
- Example: “Customer Success Manager” will only show profiles with that exact phrase.
- Parentheses ( ): Combine multiple terms using parentheses for more complex searches.
- Example: “(CEO OR Founder) AND Marketing” will show profiles that either have “CEO” or “Founder” and also contain the term “Marketing.”

Pro Tip: When using Boolean search, make sure to experiment with different combinations to find the most relevant results.

5. Target 2nd and 3rd Degree Connections

When searching for prospects, focus on 2nd and 3rd-degree connections. These are individuals who are connected to someone you already know (2nd degree) or who are connected to your 2nd-degree connections (3rd degree).

This allows you to:
- Ask for a warm introduction from a mutual connection.
- Engage with a shared network for more trust and rapport.

Steps:

Perform a search using relevant keywords, titles, or companies.
In the search results, filter by Connections to show only 2nd and 3rd-degree connections.

Pro Tip: When reaching out to these connections, mention your shared network to increase the chances of a response.

6. Leverage LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn groups are a goldmine for connecting with professionals in your target industry. By joining relevant groups, you gain access to people you may not otherwise be able to connect with directly. You can also participate in discussions and position yourself as a thought leader in your niche.

Steps:

Use the search bar to find groups related to your industry or target audience.
Join active groups where potential prospects engage in discussions.
Search for members within those groups using relevant keywords or job titles.

Pro Tip: Avoid cold pitching in groups. Instead, focus on adding value by contributing meaningful insights to discussions. This will help you build trust and attract prospects naturally.

7. Engage with Prospects Before Connecting

Once you’ve identified prospects, don’t immediately send a connection request. Instead, engage with their content to warm them up.

How to Engage:

- Like and Comment on their posts: This helps you appear on their radar.
- Share their content: Sharing prospects’ content shows you value their expertise.
- Mention them in a post: If appropriate, mention them in a post or conversation, especially if it's relevant to the topic.

Pro Tip: After engaging with them a few times, send a personalized connection request. Mention something specific about their content or expertise in your message to increase the chances of acceptance.

8. Save and Organize Your Searches

If you use LinkedIn Sales Navigator, you can save your searches and leads to revisit them later. This helps you stay organized and follow up with prospects over time.

How to Save Searches:

Perform your desired search.
At the top of the search results, click on Save Search to create a saved search with your criteria.
LinkedIn will notify you of new leads matching your saved search.

Pro Tip: Use this feature to stay updated on new prospects who fit your criteria, without having to run the search manually every time.

Updated on: 14/09/2024