Who doesn’t know about LinkedIn?

 

It is a business networking website with over 225 million users from more than 200 countries. It is a playground for recruiters and HR departments of many prestigious firms but more importantly, it is a great place to find the latest data, information and business statistics, conduct industry specific surveys and discover sales leads.

 

So why are you still flying under the radar on LinkedIn?

 

Many Americans have already created a LinkedIn profile and chances are that it is still there, waiting to be dusted off and used. Try our LinkedIn marketing tips and basics to complete your profile and have a rewarding and enjoyable LinkedIn experience.

 

 

LinkedIn: Number 1 Network For Professionals!

 

We let you in on ways to make LinkedIn a dependable source for leads and ROI generation… the ultimate goals of any self-respecting business professionals. Follow these tips to help your brand and your business grow on LinkedIn.

 

1. Complete Your Profile

 

We shouldn’t even have to say this one out loud. But here goes…

 

LinkedIn has a feature that lets you know if your profile is incomplete. Go check it out and complete your profile today, include all the correct information along with a professional photograph and your correct name. Remember that the name field is not the place to start stuffing keywords, and it really isn’t professional to sell where it isn’t appropriate. Don’t worry you will have plenty of chances to let those keywords fly, but your personal profile simply isn’t the place.

 

A complete LinkedIn profile lets people know that you are indeed a human being!

 

Use the summary section to include a brief summary your professional experience and expertise. When writing this part, imagine how you would describe yourself to a potential employer, customer or a prospective LinkedIn connection. Use the same words and phrases, you would use in real life. You may even include media (videos, images, presentations etc.). A complete profile is a beautiful profile and the first milestone on the LinkedIn marketing journey, use it to establish your expertise and create a branding message for yourself, your products or our business.

 

2. Connect With Everyone In Your Industry!

Start off by searching on LinkedIn for people you know personally. Once you are done with them, more on to the ones you don’t know but would like to know. Don’t be the spooky stalker on LinkedIn. When approaching people you don’t know, always include a brief message about yourself and why you are joining their network. Keep it short and sweet and try not to use the generic message already provided by LinkedIn. It is quite likely that many of your fellow professionals will gladly accept your request. Thank them afterwards!

 

3. Join A Few Groups in Your Industry

LinkedIn allows you to join up to 200 groups. But you will see a measureable difference in your visibility only after joining 2 or 3 groups. The secret to success is being active in the group that you are joining. These groups are important LinkedIn marketing tools that foster discussion, debate and exchange of info among the participants, making them the perfect place for B2B marketing.

 

Use your industry expertise to create well written posts and articles. Ask interesting and stimulating questions and answer the questions and concerns of others in the group. Spend some time doing this everyday to set yourself up as an expert and a respectable authority on the issues of your industry. Your brand will soon follow to become a trustworthy voice of the B2B marketing world.

 

4. Leads, Intros, Recommendations: Blatantly Ask For Them!

Being successful with your LinkedIn marketing efforts is all about creating a thriving network. This involves finding leads everywhere. This includes looking for them in your LinkedIn news feed, on company pages, around your existing network and in recommendation sent by others. This is not the time to shy away from approaching your friends. Ask them to introduce you to others who might need your services or plainly enjoy your company! Anything helps! Follow up with these new connections instantaneously and let them know why you wanted to know them and how they’ll benefit from your services.

 

When others recommend you, what they are really doing is vouching for your credibility and business acumen. So, if you are confident in your abilities, always ask people you have worked with in the past for recommendations, and once you get them, don’t forget to return the favor.

 

5. Keep Your News Feed Active

 

If you are avid Twitter user, you will find the LinkedIn News Feed to be eerily similar. Use it to disperse business updates, share the latest news and let everyone in and around your network about your latest activities (strictly business!). This LinkedIn marketing tool is important because your News Feed updates will also show up on the LinkedIn homepage in addition to your profile.

 

Put an effort to update your News Feed regularly. An inconsistent or random update pattern shows that you aren’t quite committed to making your LinkedIn presence felt. This can seriously hurt LinkedIn marketing efforts. Your news feed also benefits when you spend some time liking and sharing content as well as commenting on it. When you spend time on other people’s content, appreciating and encouraging their efforts, chances are that they will be reciprocal of your efforts.

 

The Last Word:

 

LinkedIn presents a great opportunity to find partners, clients and even new friends. You can also create a company page for your organization. This helps potential employees, clients and followers engage with you in a more professional manner.

 

With targeted LinkedIn marketing efforts, you can easily create some big leads and better sales prospects for your products and services. A solid marketing strategy involves using the right words and targeting the right type of audience, and you will be able to give your branding and networking efforts a new lease on life.

 

LinkedIn is here to stay. And the social media giant is set to become a very valuable channel for advertising and connecting for businesses. Is your organization ready for the LinkedIn future?