LinkedIn is a wonderful tool for professional networking but did you know it’s also great for promoting and growing your business. Here are some practical tips on how you can use LinkedIn as a marketing tool for you and your business.
- Key Words Optimization
Optimize your search ranking by adding key words in your profile headline, current work experience, past work experience etc. This will help you get found when other LinkedIn users are searching for your expertise, industry or services. By optimizing and adding the right key words you will generate more traffic to your site and get more people to learn about your expertise and what your business offers. - Groups on LinkedIn
Take advantage of the many industry related groups in LinkedIn. The trick is to be active and participatein group discussions. Set a side some dedicated time every week to answer questions in discussion forums. This will not only help the general knowledge sharing but also show that you are an expert in your field.You can also create your own group. Create a group that is different from the other groups and include the key word for your business in the group name. As an owner of the group you are allowed to send one message/announcement per week to the entire group. You also have access to all group members contact information and this can be helpful. The contact information can also be exported to CVS format. Having a group is a great way of communicating directly with your group members. - Question & Answers
LinkedIn offers an answer feature that is a great way to share business knowledge and showcase your knowledge. You can ask a question publicly or privately, and you can write an answer publicly or directly to the person asking. This is an opportunity to connect directly with the person. Share some helpful information and the offer to help as a professional service provider, i.e. the nurturing of this new contact can potentially become a new lead for your business. If you choose to answer a question publicly, you can earn points of expertise. - Information Sharing
Share useful articles, tips, events etc. on your profile status update. Your status update can then be shared with selected groups that you are a member of. This means you can share information that may reach a very large number of people depending on group size however, it is important to be considerate and careful not to spam. Only share information that you know will help the group members and in return help you be seen as an expert. - Company Profile
Make sure to set up an optimized LinkedIn company page to generate new business. Make it easy for your professional network to stay connected with your companies updates, products and services. More about that in our next blog post.
Growing your business on LinkedIn does not come without putting in the time and efforts needed. But we know that if you start with these simple steps you will eventually see great results.
To your success,
Helene Vik
