LinkedIn Is No Longer Optional For Small Businesses
Social networks are not an optional channel for businesses anymore; they are a must have, and for small businesses, LinkedIn is one of the most important. LinkedIn allows you to provide authenticity and credibility to you and your business. LinkedIn users come with a professional mindset, so go ahead, market yourself and your business—they are interested in hearing from you. However, there are still some small businesses missing out on the power of LinkedIn for their business.
Here are 4 reasons your small business should be on LinkedIn
1. Personal branding
When you go to an event to promote your business and introduce yourself to someone, the next step that person will take is to look you up online. A LinkedIn profile allows you to be found and showcase who you are, so be sure to take advantage of everything it has to offer. To enhance your credibility, add rich media like videos, presentations, and sales sheets.
Think of your LinkedIn profile as a compelling presentation of your professional self that encourages the viewer to connect with you. A LinkedIn best practice is to speak in first person because the intent of your profile is to provide other users with a welcoming introduction to who you are. By speaking in first person you’re able to engage your audience and encourage them to continue the conversation with you.
2. Free marketing
A LinkedIn company page is a free marketing tool and if used correctly, can be an effective one. It’s not intended to replace your site; it’s more of a supplement to drive people to your site. The small businesses who are not taking the time to build out their company page on LinkedIn are missing a huge opportunity to connect with potential customers and increase awareness.
One of the ways your company page can help increase your brand awareness is through boosting your presence in search engine results. In order to do this make sure you know which keywords or phrases you want to rank for and then use them within the copy of your company page. For example, if you’re an orthopedic shoe company you will want to include keywords like, “orthopedic shoes”, “orthopedic shoes for women”, “orthopedic shoes for men”. You can use tools like Google Adwords and SEMRush to find out which keywords you want to show up for.
3. Extended sales arm
The people in your LinkedIn network could aid your next sale. The power is in the network you have built and the connections you have made—think about vendors, the people you work with, and the people you meet along the way at events.
Read full article by Kristina Cisnero on blog.hootsuite.com
