Social media marketing is a very easy, inexpensive way to get your small business started off on the right foot or to improve the marketing strategy of an existing business. LinkedIn is the most widely used professional networking site on the internet right now, and unlike Facebook and Twitter, its main purpose is to connect the business community. While it was originally made for individuals, consultants, and freelancers, businesses can use LinkedIn to expand their network, find new employees, and brand their company.
Why Your Business Should Use LinkedIn
More than 34 million users from over 200 countries are connected to LinkedIn. This is more than any other professional social networking site. Some of these users include executives from every Fortune 500 company. LinkedIn has become a reliable place to build, maintain, and track professional contacts.
Nearly 85% of recruiters looking to fill a position look to LinkedIn before anywhere else to find talent. When you make a page for your business, you will easily be able to make connections and find qualified employees for your business. Not only will making these connections help you find potential employees, but it will also remind the people you connect with about your business.
Creating a LinkedIn Profile
When you first start to use LinkedIn, you will need to build a profile that is used to show others about yourself, your job, other interests, and much more. If you are serious about using LinkedIn, you will need to spend quite a bit of time making sure your profile is correct and updated. Other people will be able to find you through a search, so it will be good to use many different keywords throughout your profile to make sure they can find you. These keywords should reflect you, your business, and the products or services you sell.
Using LinkedIn for your business is very easy and it’s a great way to increase your online traffic. Maintaining a LinkedIn account increases your Google page rank, which makes it easier for others to find you, your business, and the products and services you offer. Your business could also easily get feedback from the “answers” part of the site, and professionals worldwide are able to give valuable feedback and ideas as well.
Build Your Network
Once you have built a respectable LinkedIn profile, you can’t just wait for something to happen. All types of networking takes action, and you will have to be proactive in order to grow your online network.
There are many ways you can start to build your network. The first step is usually to go through all of the contacts you may have (in your email account, business cards you have collected, or in your address book) and search for each of them on LinkedIn. If you find them, send an invite with a personal email, and ask them to join your network. Next, think of some people you have worked with during your professional career. Some may have been classmates, or they may be a colleague. Regardless of how you know them, send a request.
Go through the connections in all of your first level contacts regularly. You will probably have at least one mutual connection with each of your contacts, and you can use them to find otherpotential connections. Also, tell everyone you know to add you on LinkedIn. If you remind them that you are on the site, they will be more likely to search for and connect with you.
Jane Atkins is an author who writes guest posts on the topics of business, marketing, credit cards, and personal finance. Additionally, she works for a website that focuses on educating readers about how to apply for a credit card.
