By | Brenda Jones
LinkedIn is one of the most powerful social media networks for professionals. It is one of the best platforms for establishing yourself as a thought leader, networking with potential clients and employees, and recruiting new talent.
But you might feel uncomfortable using LinkedIn for business because you don’t know where to start. Even if you’re doing everything right, it takes time and effort to create a good LinkedIn profile that gets you results.
Let’s dive into ten ways you can use LinkedIn for business and marketing.
1. Have goals
The first question to ask yourself when using social media for business is ‘’what is my goal’’?
Set specific, measurable goals for your LinkedIn activities.
For example, if you want to increase your presence in a specific industry, you might set a goal of connecting with 10 new professionals per week who work at companies you are interested in.
Your goals will help you determine the best tactics to use on LinkedIn.
2. Be visible
The major function of LinkedIn is to facilitate the discovery of suitable business alliances and resources.
To optimize your profile, add industry keywords to your profile summary and job description, and make sure your profile is complete.
Make sure all your information is accurate and up-to-date. Use a good photo. A picture helps humanize your brand. Promote your LinkedIn profile on your website, blog, and other social media channels.
All of this helps you be found by the right people and gives users a sense of who you are and what your company does.
3. Add your personal touch
Your profile needs more than a carbon copy of your CV if you want people to learn about what you do and how you can help them. A potential business partner or client is not really interested in reading a list of bullet points from your job description.
Customers want to do business with actual people, so it’s only natural that they would want to learn more about you before committing to a purchase. They are interested in learning about your past successes, current endeavors, and charitable contributions.
4. Build your network
Your number of connections is one of the primary factors LinkedIn uses to determine your ranking.
To get more connections, join LinkedIn groups related to your industry, join LinkedIn groups related to your target audience, and engage with other users.
Also, remember to connect with other professionals you meet in person.
5. Reach out
After your profile has done its job and gotten you noticed, it’s time to initiate contact. It’s important to put in the time and effort to cultivate and expand your connection.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to individuals when it’s necessary, and don’t be shy about following up so that you stay at the top of their inbox.
Make sure you’re sending the right message by writing personalized messages. Don’t just copy and paste the same message to dozens of people.
6. Add value
Promoting your company on LinkedIn is most effective when done in a helpful manner, such as by publishing and sharing valuable information with the goal of providing insight and exhibiting knowledge and experience, rather than making a direct sales pitch.
Create and share content such as blog posts, case studies, white papers, and videos. Make sure that topics are relevant to your target audience and your brand message.
7. Be intentional
When you’re just getting started, it’s important to set goals for what you want to accomplish. Be intentional with your profile, so that when people find you, they are impressed with what they see. Connect with people you know, and branch out from there.
Don’t connect with just anyone. Make sure that every connection counts and regularly evaluate your LinkedIn connections. Use a LinkedIn connections app to manage your connections and keep your network organized.
That way, you won’t waste your time with people who don’t have the potential to be valuable connections.
8. Be engaged
The key to being successful on LinkedIn, like with other social media networks, is to start conversations. Ask questions, reply to comments, ask for feedback, provide resources and inspiration, and let your curiosity run wild.
LinkedIn is a powerful business tool, but you’ll need to invest time and effort in order to reap the benefits. Don’t just sit back and wait for results. Be proactive and work hard at getting noticed.
9. Become a thought leader
Although it may seem obvious, one of the key advantages of the LinkedIn Publishing Platform is that it helps you establish credibility as a thought leader in your field.
Sharing your knowledge and experience on LinkedIn strengthens your reputation as an expert in your field. It’s more than simply an assertion of expertise; you can really demonstrate it by providing evidence of your familiarity with, say, content marketing.
When consumers have greater faith in you, closing a transaction becomes much simpler.
10. Be consistent
The more time and effort you invest in LinkedIn, the more you will get out of it. But, I can’t stress enough the importance of consistency.
You need to post regularly, engage with others, and network consistently to see results.
But, again, don’t just do it for your own benefit. Provide value to the people who follow you. If you want to build your business, you need to be intentional and consistent.
Conclusion
LinkedIn is a powerful business tool and the perfect social platform for a professional network.
You can make LinkedIn work for you and achieve your goals, but you’ll need to put in the time and effort.
Follow these tips and you should be off to a good start.
Author Bio:
Brenda is a passionate business blogger,tech nerd and gamer.She is interested in topics that cover business communication, sales, online branding, digital marketing and social media, business tools and extensions, as well asorganization and management of LinkedIn connections.