How to Use LinkedIn
for Business: A Beginner’s Guide
The power of social media as a marketing tool is hard to
deny.
However, as more and more social networking sites come into the game, it
becomes difficult to keep track of their niches and the ins and outs of using
them.
Yet one social site, LinkedIn, stands out from the crowd for its role in
business and professional relationship building. Indeed, learning how to use
LinkedIn for business could be the most powerful move your company makes.
Step 1: Understand
What Sets LinkedIn Apart
Because it is a social network solely dedicated to
professionals, the focus of LinkedIn as a professional meeting place is
invaluable.
Unlike Twitter whose 140 character limit precludes depth and
Facebook which is a virtual cesspool of everything from housewives to college
students, LinkedIn allows individuals to present a focused picture of
themselves and their company to like-minded individuals for the sole purpose of
professional networking and advancement.
As a business, this allows you to market to other
businesses, indeed LinkedIn is most powerful in the B2B sector, as well as
stretch your brand strategy to include a more targeted focus.
In order to use
LinkedIn for business, you need to understand this advantage, and then leverage
it.
Step 2: Set Yourself
Up for Success
While many professionals and businesses recognize the value
of LinkedIn on a conceptual level, few actually do what is needed to leverage
it as a marketing tool.
There are several steps you can take to set yourself
(and your profile) up for success on LinkedIn.
This includes...
- · Filling out all the details in your profile (this builds trust)
- · Importing other aspects of your marketing strategy (blogs, Tweets, etc.) through widgets and cross promotion
- · Use LinkedIn polls as market research and conversation starters
- · Update your status to include work samples
- · Use the “Questions and Answers” section to start conversations and demonstrate expertise
- · Advertise your presence on LinkedIn through other marketing and information channel
- · Share non-sales related articles that connect to your field
- · Request LinkedIn recommendations from customers and give them in return
Step 3: Be Actively
Engaged
The key to any social media success lies in the ability of
the company or individual to properly understand the chatter of the medium and
then use it to their advantage.
This necessarily changes from site to site and
through each “update” of a particular program.
Indeed, each community has its
own language and values that you need to understand and interpret.
Yet, one point remains true, and this is the key to learning
how to use LinkedIn for business: you must stay engaged.
This means posting
regularly, promptly answering inquiries and questions, and, above all,
recognizing the key role that social media plays in marketing today.
Talk soon,
David Slabon
