Many business owners use the common social media networks to raise brand awareness, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, but how many people forget about LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a fantastic place to raise your profile and is a powerful resource that you can tap into in order to grow your business and find new clients.
LinkedIn? Yes LinkedIn. People often think that LinkedIn is simply a place to add your CV online and that’s it. But that’s not the case, there is so much more to it than that. It’s a professional online community where you can connect with other business professionals, become known as a thought leader, show and share your expertise and get in front of people that are interested in you as well as your business – and it can be extremely powerful.
So, why LinkedIn for your business?
LinkedIn is a professional social channel where like-minded people can come together to network, gain advice, provide advice, or seek opportunities. The more you use the network, the more you will become known and the more opportunities will come your way, if you use it well.
Your profile is the core of everything and what information you put on there will influence the people that you connect with. You can use this for good or you can waste it but if you’re a business owner looking to grow your brand, using it wisely will be the better option!
Think of your CV; career history, qualifications, skills, references, experience. Your LinkedIn profile is where all this can be put into one place online for others to see.
Many companies will search for clients (and it works both ways) on LinkedIn so this is the place where you can stand out from the crowd – if your profile is glowing with everything that person or business is looking for.
The secret to getting ahead with LinkedIn is to be visible and to ensure that your profile is complete. This may sound a simple thing to do, but it makes a difference. Many people fail to complete their profile, leaving gaps in their work history or forget to include skills that could be essential to a what a new client is looking for. Another simple step is that some people fail to make their profiles public which does not do well if you’re looking for clients!
In order to gain a 100% profile, complete these sections:
- Current Position and title
- At least two past positions
- Profile Picture
- At least three to four recommendations
You can use the summary and specialties sections to describe your industry expertise along with skills or relevant experience that you’ve gained to get to where you are now.
It’s important that when writing your descriptions and summaries to use keywords that people will be searching for when they’re looking for your specific specialty. Include things that you’re passionate about, focused on and that drives you. People will see and relate to your enthusiasm and know that you have a passion for those things.
Remember that your profile is the most important part to complete. It provides the most valuable information for potential clients, networks and businesses to learn more about you, your skills and what you have to offer. It also gives people a chance to get to know you further before approaching you for your services.
This is the place to promote your business, to tell a story and to showcase what your business offers. Set up a business page that reflects all that you do and the services or products that you provide. Ensure that all your vital information matches what is on your website, on other social media platforms and Google. This enables the search engines to recognise and authenticate that you’re real and align your business with other places on the internet.
Just like you did on your personal profile, ensure that all the information is complete and it includes contact details for when people want to get in touch.
Once you have a business page, you can use it together with your personal profile to build on brand awareness. It’s not easy to get people to notice your business straight from the word go, you won’t have any followers or post likes and it can be hard to get noticed unless you’ve got some great keyword copy. Therefore, to make it work better, once you have posted something on your business page, share it on your personal profile. More people are likely to see it and if they like what they see, they will visit your page (and hopefully follow!).
Also, your business has a personality and a face behind the brand, you. Let people know who you are and what your business does through your own profile. Share your business page in your own newsfeed and shout about your services! Connect the two on a regular basis so people start to relate you with the name of the business.
A business page doesn’t have to be updated too often, especially if you’re a small business or just starting out. Once or twice a week will suffice if you are still engaging, posting and promoting on your own profile (ensure that your business page is a link on your profile). Your business page is simply a page of reference for those who want to find out more about your business. Don’t stress about not having enough time to post content all the time on there, your personal profile is more important.
People have the idea that LinkedIn is simply an online CV database or a place to look for jobs. But LinkedIn is so much more – it’s actually one of the biggest search engines online! It offers professionals a place to network and build relationships that they would not necessarily have done without the social platform. It a place to ask questions, gain expertise advice from leading experts and improve on knowledge and expertise yourself through learning and helping others.
Networking and LinkedIn Groups
If you’re at a place where you want to take on more clients or build upon your business relationships, LinkedIn is the perfect place to network. And there are groups for everything and anything you could possibly think of! You can find relevant groups through the search function.
Joining groups can help establish yourself as an industry leader and is often how connections become clients because they can see the knowledge you have and the value you are providing. This can help with any B2B relationships you may be trying to grow.
Joining general discussions can also be done straight from your newsfeed too or you can search for topics that you know you’ll be able to give input to. Just answering people’s questions or providing solutions can lead to much more than you think. People like to recommend people they know, like and trust. When you start to build a reputation around the people you’re communicating with, you’re putting yourself out there for other people to recommend your professionalism and services.
And networking or groups doesn’t have to be all work related, you can utilise LinkedIn groups for personal hobbies or interests too! Many relationships are built from outside the office and people who have hobbies in common also build trust through their conversations which can often lead to business interests.
When you know that a contract is coming to an end, or you’re simply trying to build a business with new clients, LinkedIn is a perfect place to find new life. By engaging with potential clients and providing value in all that you post or write, you’re showcasing your business and allowing others to see what you have to offer.
Show your passion
The enthusiasm and passion that you put into your content, whether that be your own content and posts, articles or within comments and discussions, will make people aware of how much you care about your specialist subject. When you are able to provide passionate answers that clearly show your knowledge and background experience, you’re indicating that you know that you’re talking about! People want to know that you care. People want to know that you’re good at what you say you’re good at. People will buy from people who can prove their capabilities. LinkedIn can allow you to express all your professionalism, personality, cares and desires all in one place! It’s not a platform to share your family holiday photos (unless it tells a relevant story), it’s a place to shout out to the world what skills and talents you have and how you can use them to provide value to others.
We personally love LinkedIn and think it’s a great place to engage with your audience. What do you think? Are you utilising LinkedIn for your business?
If you know you need to be on LinkedIn but are not sure where to start, we’d love to guide you through and help you get started. Contact us and let’s talk.