January 12, 2012
How to Use LinkedIn as one of your Social Media Marketing tools
Did you know that LinkedIn is one of the premier business networking sites? It provides amazing coverage of the professional market and one that you shouldn’t ignore, especially if you are a B to B business (a business where your clients are other businesses.)
LinkedIn is a free social networking site but it does have an option to upgrade to a paid version for more extensive uses and capabilities. Unlike Facebook or Twitter, LinkedIn is geared more for business owners who have the intention of connecting and sharing information with other business owners.
If you haven’t done so yet, please connect with eVision Media here http://ca.linkedin.com/in/evisionmedia and if you haven’t created your LinkedIn profile yet, read further!
Below are some basic tips and strategies to get you started in the world of LinkedIn social media marketing.
Setting up your LinkedIn profile
When joining LinkedIn, you will want to create a profile that includes your accomplishments, experience and areas of interest. You will then want to expand your network by inviting others to connect with you. Through LinkedIn, you can:
- Manage information about yourself and your business, which is publicly available
- Find and be introduced to potential clients, service providers, experts and more
- Be found by others looking for your service or product
- Collaborate with others on best practices and processes
Here is an excellent YouTube video that will walk you through creating your LinkedIn profile:
Tips and Strategies while using LinkedIn
- Be strategic about what you feature and post on your profile so that it meets your business goals.
- Use effective keywords that relate to your business and industry so that those doing searches for your expertise can easily find you.
-Use the “recommendations” feature by recommending others that you know and have worked with and by also asking your clients and associates to post a recommendation for you.
- Be sure to post a profile picture of you and not your logo or product picture. People will connect with a real person far better than a logo or image of your product. It is also against the LinkedIn Terms and Conditions to use anything else other than a personal photo of you.
- To increase your connections, join LinkedIn groups that are either areas of your interest and/or where you know your ideal client is hanging out. For instance, if you are a real estate stager, find real estate agent groups in your local area that you can join and be a part of the conversations. Use these groups to exchange ideas and information. Avoid using them to just promote you and your business. The idea is to develop relationships and share your expertise, not to try and “sell” anything.
- Use the eMail feature to send news and articles to your network. Again, not to sell but to help build your credibility as an expert in your field of expertise. You can also post updates at the top of your profile to let people know what you are doing and to share brief tips, hints and other tidbits of information that they will find useful and informative. Remember this is a professional network so avoid posting what you had for breakfast that morning or showing off photos of your kids’ funny faces – save those for Twitter or your personal Facebook profile.
- Remember to build your contacts when out networking, going to workshops and attending seminars and conferences, etc.
- Have a LinkedIn button on your eSignature, eStationery and website for maximum opportunities and exposure to get lots of connections.
Once you have your personal profile created, it’s then time to create your company profile and start building that up. Stay tuned for the next article on how to do that!
