- September 1, 2016
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Five Keys To Using LinkedIn for Small Business
LinkedIn is much more than an online Rolodex for recruiters. It’s also a powerful social marketing channel that can help you find new clients while building authority in your niche. Whether your business focuses on B2B or B2C markets, LinkedIn should be part of your integrated marketing mix when it comes to social platforms.
Currently, LinkedIn reaches 37% of the total U.S. digital population, with 433 million members worldwide. These figures are sure to rise with the recent acquisition of LinkedIn by Microsoft for a staggering $26.2 billion.
Here are a few simple LinkedIn marketing tips your business can leverage for your next integrated marketing campaign.
- Start By Searching
LinkedIn includes a powerful search function that allows you to look up people, job titles, companies, posts, and even universities. In fact, there are 1 billion searches on LinkedIn every year. LinkedIn even includes a pay-per-click feature that can deliver more exposure for your personal or company profile. A premium account option also provides more robust search and data results.
- Ask For Recommendations
Ask your best customers to recommend you on LinkedIn. These recommendations will be visible to everyone in your network, providing valuable third-party validation and credibility for your services. You can also create ads that will position your recommendations in a prominent position on your page.
- Ask Employees To Share
Enlist your entire workforce as part of your online marketing team. Make sure your employees have their own LinkedIn profile and have them at least follow the company page and like and share posts with their own networks. Take it further by encouraging employees to share their own company-related content.
- Join Groups
Look up LinkedIn Groups that are relevant to your business category or target market. Join those groups where you find your customers actively engaged. Join discussions and provide answers to common problems that you’re customers are experiencing. Before long, you could become the expert and go-to resource in your field.
- Post Original Content
You can also publish your own posts on LinkedIn Pulse that get seen in the newsfeed of your connections and emailed to everyone in your particular group. But don’t get too salesy– LinkedIn Groups are not the place for overt sales pitches. Just make sure you’re providing helpful information that solves customer problems, and the sales leads will follow.
