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How to use LinkedIn for business, and get clients from it

By Miles Burke · Updated 10 October 2026 · 8 minute read

How LinkedIn brings in business

Very few people buy because of a single post. What happens is slower and more ordinary: someone sees your name a few times, decides you know your subject, looks at your profile, and remembers you when they have a need. Sometimes they message you. More often you start the conversation and they are already warm to it.

So using LinkedIn for business comes down to three jobs: being seen by the right people, being worth a second look, and starting conversations. The seven steps below cover all three.

Seven steps

1. Decide who you want as clients

Be specific enough that you could find these people in a search: their job titles, their industry, the size of their company and where they are. "Operations managers at logistics firms with 50 to 200 staff in Western Australia" is a target. "Businesses that need help" is not. Every later step depends on this one.

2. Turn your profile into a page for them

• Headline: say who you help and with what. It appears beside every post and comment you make, so it does more work than anything else on your profile.
• About: open with the problem your clients have, then how you solve it, then how to get in touch.
• Featured: pin a case study, a useful guide or a way to book a call.
• Words: use the terms your clients would type into a search.

3. Post about the problems you solve

Write for the client, not for your peers. Useful subjects are the questions clients ask before they hire you, mistakes you see often, how a piece of work went, and what you would do in a common situation. Two or three posts a week is a sound place to start; see how often to post.

4. Comment where your clients already are

A thoughtful comment on a prospect's post, or on a post by someone your prospects follow, puts your name and headline in front of exactly the right audience. For a small business this is often a better use of ten minutes than writing another post.

5. Connect on purpose

Send connection requests to people who fit your target, especially those who have reacted to or commented on your posts. A short note saying why you are connecting is enough. Do not pitch in the request.

6. Start conversations, not pitches

When someone engages with you more than once, message them about their situation: something they posted, a question about how they handle the problem you work on. Offer something useful before you offer your services. People who feel sold to stop replying; people who feel helped ask what you do.

7. Measure whether it is working

LinkedIn does not record enquiries or sales, so you measure the steps that come before them:

The first row matters most. Large reach among people who will never buy from you is not progress. See how to read your personal LinkedIn analytics.

A weekly routine that fits around real work

That is roughly two hours a week. The times are a guide; the rhythm matters more than the minutes.

Personal profile or company page?

Use your personal profile for the work in this guide. People respond to people, and only a personal profile can send connection requests, comment as you and message individuals. Set up a company page as well, so that your business looks established and your profile has something to link to, but do not expect the page to bring in clients by itself.

The two also have separate analytics. Everything in the measuring step above comes from your personal profile.

Mistakes that waste the effort

• Pitching in the first message. It is the fastest way to be ignored.
• Posting only about yourself. Announcements and awards interest your peers. Clients want their own problems addressed.
• Chasing impressions. A post that travels far among the wrong audience brings nothing. Check who saw it.
• Posting and leaving. Replying to comments and commenting elsewhere is where relationships start.
• Stopping after a month. People get in touch when they have a need, which is on their timetable, not yours.

If you run a young company, see also LinkedIn strategy for startup founders.

Common questions