Using LinkedIn to Find Consulting Opportunities

One of my fintech clients secured a $130,000 contract through LinkedIn. This wasn't luck or a one-off event. It was the predictable (as it can be) outcome of a strategy I’ve refined across dozens of clients. Let me set this up: The fundamental problem with most LinkedIn strategies is that they target the wrong level of the audience pyramid. Think of your audience as a triangle: a wide general audience at the bottom, niche "specialists" at the top. The wider the audience, the less valuable each viewer. The narrower the audience, the more valuable each connection becomes. When this client first approached us, his 9,000 followers weren't translating to business opportunities. His content looked fine on paper, but wasn't reaching decision-makers. We completely repositioned his content strategy with a simple framework: 1. Identify exactly who can write checks 2. Create content exclusively for their specific problems 3. Speak directly to their industry pain points 4. Build thought leadership through specificity, not volume This approach creates what the marketing book "Contagious" calls social currency. Content so valuable that sharing it makes the sharer look smart or well-connected. Over 3 months, we saw: - Engagement from senior executives who previously ignored his content - Comment quality shifted from "Great post!" to substantive industry discussions - Decision-makers reaching out directly via DM - Multiple partnership opportunities beyond just the $130k deal The most reliable indicator of LinkedIn success isn't views, likes, or even comment count. It's opportunities created with your target market. When decision-makers start reaching out directly, when partnership discussions begin happening in DMs instead of comment sections, that's when you know your strategy is working. This is the difference between content that performs well and content that performs purposefully. Are your shares coming from potential clients or just random connections? The real power of LinkedIn is less in broadcasting to thousands, and more in reaching the specific 50-100 people who can actually impact your business. Focus there, and the results follow naturally.

He wasn’t convinced that being active on LinkedIn would be helpful. 30 days later? Strategic LinkedIn networking brought in 2 new clients (estimated to be worth more than $100k in legal fees). The backstory: ⇒ Litigation partner in a mid-sized law firm. ⇒ Skeptical that LinkedIn could be used to network for business. ⇒ No time for writing or doing traditional “thought leadership”. Despite his doubts, he was willing to give LinkedIn a try. We put a simple strategic LI networking plan together that felt doable for him. Here it is: 1️⃣Identify (& then connect with/follow) 6-10 relevant people. These folks must: ✓ Be active on LinkedIn. ✓ Post about issues relevant to your ideal clients. And no, they don’t need to be competitors or attorneys (but they CAN be - don’t be afraid to follow and engage with those folks!). 2️⃣Set aside 15 minutes per day to review their posts and strategically comment (on any that are relevant to your audience). When commenting, don’t say “great post” or “thanks for sharing”. Instead, add value by: >>> Validating their point with specifics. >>> Adding a new perspective or insight. >>> Asking a question to deepen the discussion. 3️⃣Connect with people you engage with. LinkedIn is a networking tool. Use it that way! Any time someone you aren’t already connected to likes one of your comments or (even better) engages with it, reach out to them to connect. And then, DM them to say “hello” and take the discussion (already started in the comments) further. Yes, that's it. Here’s why this simple formula is so effective: ⏩ It's an easy way to showcase your point of view (and way of lawyering/thinking), which attracts better-fit people into your LI universe. ⏩ It shows your credibility and expertise (in a service-based, non-salesy way). By doing something that takes little time. ⏩ It builds authentic relationships. With people you probably wouldn’t meet in person. Stop thinking of LinkedIn purely as social media. Use it as the networking tool (it actually is). Now, the elephant in the room…Posting your own content. Yes, this will help. But it’s not necessary. If you don’t have the time right now (or are a bit shy about putting your own posts/articles out there), this is a great strategy to lead with. Ready to get started (now)? Do this: 1. Find 1 thought leader in your niche. 2. Make a thoughtful, strategic comment to one of their recent posts. 3. Connect with anyone who likes or engages with your comment. XO, Heather ~~~ P.S. Season 5 of Life & Law podcast is BACK. And this is exactly what we’re covering today. Dive deeper into how to use LinkedIn for networking by listening to Episode 204 (see my Featured Section at Heather Moulder to go directly to the podcast).

Most lenders and execs I work with treat LinkedIn like a box they’re supposed to check. Post a few times. Hope something happens. Then complain when nothing does. Here's five simple fixes that take you from shouting into the void to generating results. 1. Engage with precision. Comments are free billboards. Place them where your future customers actually drive by. Making an insightful comment that gets bumped to the top on a popular post can get 10,000+ impressions and add a bunch of followers. 2. Watch your profile viewers. If someone walks into your office lobby, you’d say hello. LinkedIn literally tells you who’s peeking in. Send them a DM a couple of days later to connect. I've got over 50 coaching & business consulting clients. 100% of them came from LinkedIn. Good Content --> Likes --> Eventual Profile Viewer --> Send DM 2 days later --> Schedule Zoom --> Land Client. 3. Start conversations. Not spam blasts. Actual conversations. A quick DM when someone engages with your content is often all it takes to move URL to IRL. I tell clients all the time ... producing content valuable to others fills your LinkedIn pond with fish. But DM's are the lines that extract the fish from the water so you can EAT. 4. Post more often. It's like exercise for your physical health. If you jog 2x a week, it will yield results over time. If you jog 6x a week, it will produce the results you want much faster. No different with posting. I post 12-18x a week because that's the level that produces the most impressions for me. 5. Make the next step obvious. Most people post and pray. Instead, set your profile up like a funnel. If you want calls, make the path to “book a call” obvious. Every post, every click, every message compounds your brand gravity. That gravity is what makes LinkedIn the best growth engine I’ve seen in 20 years of business. To understand the power ... 2.5 years ago I quit a well-paying job I loved to start my own thing. And built a thriving consultancy on LinkedIn without spending one penny. Onward & Upward Consulting

Sad reality: most B2B founders spend months posting on LinkedIn, but fumble the bag HARD. Let’s fix that. I’ve spent the past 5 years posting on LinkedIn. It’s the channel responsible for Compound scaling to 7-figures in revenue. Here are four, simple ways to unlock the full value of LinkedIn and generate more leads than you know what to do with. Quick note: this post is a thick one, so you’ll probably want to bookmark it for future reference. (1) Spend a few minutes per day engaging with other people. Comments are billboards for your account on other people’s content. Find ICP accounts to engage with, but don’t stop there. Also spend some time engaging with influencer accounts in your category. Your ICP will be reading those comments sections. You want your comments to show up there. Tactical advice: create a Google Sheet with a list of accounts you want to engage with regular, since the LinkedIn algorithm can be whack sometimes. Have a list of (a) potential customers (b) influencers & “thought leaders” in your category. (2) Routinely check your profile viewers. You’re doing all this work to produce great content for the LinkedIn timeline and drive people to your profile. LinkedIn gives you the luxury of seeing EXACTLY who’s snooping around. Some of those folks might be ideal customers, 10x candidates, or potential investors. Check your profile viewers daily to make sure none of these opportunities slip through. Tactical advice: when you see a relevant profile viewer, send a connection request. Don’t lead with an overly templated message. Once they accept, they’ll start seeing your content in their feed more. Eventually, if they continue to engage, reach out and start a conversation. Read the room! (3) Start a few DM conversations per day. Don’t load the spam cannons and send tons of copypasta DMs. Instead, use LinkedIn to form 1:1 relationships with people in your industry. I like to shoot a DM if I’ve noticed someone engage with my content a few days in a row—or if I find someone whose content I am a fan of. Very high upside to intro’ing yourself…very low downside. If you're in a major hub like NYC, SF, LA, etc. I’d recommend using your platform on LinkedIn to book a few in-person meetings. Take the connection from URL to IRL. Makes a big difference. (4) Make the next step in your funnel obvious. Most founders post and hope that customers make their way to the “Book a Demo” page on-site. Hope is not a content strategy. Set up your link-in-bio, your featured links, and your custom button (see the “View my newsletter” button next to my PFP) to point to the next obvious step in your funnel. Every day you don’t do this, you are leaking followers and customers. I’m running out of characters. Told you this would be a heavy one. Want more insights on how to use LinkedIn to get more distribution for your B2B tech company? You should read a few editions of my Social Files newsletter. Just use that button next to my PFP.