Before you read this article, you might be under the common misconception that LinkedIn is just for making professional connections – nothing more. In reality, there are extremely effective ways that LinkedIn can be used for growing your business.
Putting together a smart strategy for LinkedIn marketing can have a massive impact on the success of your business. In this article we will look at 7 simple but effective ways your business can use LinkedIn to get more prospects, more visibility, and more growth.
Can LinkedIn Help My Business Grow?
You know the phrase, “It’s who you know”? Well, those words are perfect for describing why LinkedIn is one of the most powerful marketing tools for businesses today. Here are some stats that might get you excited:
► LinkedIn has 800 million users.
While that isn’t the largest of social media networks by any means, those 800 million users are all logged in to pursue business-related objectives.
► There are 61 million “senior level influencers” on LinkedIn.
That means there’s tons of opportunity for your business to reach and connect with the top decision makers of companies.
► In the 3rd quarter of 2020, the amount of content shared on LinkedIn grew by 50%.
More and more businesses are becoming aware of the marketing power of LinkedIn.
► In 2020, LinkedIn was voted to be the most trusted social network.
That means that decision makers who find your business and content on LinkedIn will be more comfortable trusting you.
7 Ways To Use LinkedIn To Grow Your Business
Let’s take a look at 7 creative strategies you can start using to turn LinkedIn into a powerful growth tool for your business.
1. Post Optimized Content Regularly
Make sure that your business posts engaging content at least once a week. There’s a cool feature on your business page that helps curate content for you to share, if you get stuck for ideas.
There’s more to it than just making any old post. Here are some proven tips for optimizing your posts to reach more people:
Post visual content. Posts that include visual elements, such as images or videos, get twice as many views as posts that are just comprised of text. If you have a blog, you can link to it if they want more information.
Make use of hashtags. Hashtags make a post visible to the people you want to see your content. Add hashtags that you think your desired audience will be searching for.
Use headlines that draw the reader in. Use language that will make the reader want to learn more, such as “secrets”, “success”, or “leader”.
Make your content easy to read. While your audience is quite likely made up of well-educated people, you’ll want to make your language simple and easy to digest.
2. Join or Start LinkedIn Groups
A lesser known, but super effective, LinkedIn marketing strategy is using the platform’s “Groups” feature. These are the communities that professionals join to discuss their industry, make connections, share ideas and more.
What kind of group would your ideal prospect be a part of? Try joining some of those groups. Be careful, however: no one on LinkedIn wants to see blatant self-promotion. Use the groups to form connections in a tasteful, value-driven way.
In addition to joining appropriate groups, you might also want to create a group that would appeal to your ideal prospect. Name it something that would sound appealing for your prospects to join, and invite your own connections to join the group.
3. Use LinkedIn Messages To Generate Leads
You can use LinkedIn’s messaging feature, called InMail, to powerfully generate leads for your business. With InMail you can reach out to prospective customers and form a connection that could easily turn into a source of business.
You don’t want to send your prospects a message that sounds too fake or formal, however. Keep your messages lighthearted, upbeat and conversational. Your goal is not to advertise, but to initiate a conversation.
Put yourself forward as someone who’s able to help them with a key issue they might be having. Highlight your value in the customer’s eyes. Keep your message short and sweet, and end on the note of asking an open-ended question they’ll feel comfortable answering.
Gracefully include a link to a landing page as part of your message, in order to capture their email address. This will take advantage of LinkedIn for your email marketing efforts!
4. Turn Your Company Page Into a Lead Generation Machine
Sure, you have a company page for your business. But does anyone really care about it? Professionals are busy with running their own company, and probably don’t have time to look over all the details of your LinkedIn business page. Furthermore, if you don’t connect with your prospects, how do you expect to generate business from them?
This all changes when you think of your LinkedIn business page as a key part of your b2b lead generation. It all comes down to setting it up to draw in leads, rather than simply spewing information about your company. Here’s how to do it:
Make your header image a value proposition. Tell your page visitor exactly what you’re going to do to change their life, make things easier for them, and/or make them profit.
Write a compelling description. Use your business page to describe in compelling words how you are going to solve their pain points.
Include a distinct call-to-action. You want to make it absolutely clear what the next step is for your visitor, and directly ask them to take that step. Align that with your business page’s built-in call-to-action button that they can press to take action.
Did you know that your LinkedIn business page has the option of featuring “showcase pages”? These sub-pages highlight specific services that your business has to offer its customers. Showcase pages filter your visitors into choosing the service that fits their needs best, allowing you to connect with them on a more valuable, and more targeted, basis.
To create your own showcase pages, simply go to “Edit” from your LinkedIn company page and choose “Create a Showcase Page”.
6. Give Your Network a Reason To Engage
You’re posting quality content regularly now, but is anyone engaging? Getting people engaged in what you have to say is the primary goal of posting at all. Here’s a tip that will get people to join the conversation: tag professionals in your network as part of your posts.
Be sure to choose people who you think the post is truly applicable to, and don’t forget to include how you’d like them to engage. Asking a question or opinion is a great way to do this.
7. Use Hashtags To Your Advantage
Have you been following hashtags on LinkedIn? If not, you’re missing out on an important tactic in your b2b marketing strategy. You have the ability to search hashtags in your search bar, then follow those hashtags. The trick is to follow hashtags that your prospects are likely going to be searching for themselves – things that are interesting or valuable to your potential customers.
The next step? Jump into the conversations that are happening under those hashtags. Add your two cents, and add value to these conversations, positioning yourself as an expert in your niche.
In Conclusion
LinkedIn’s features make it extraordinarily easy to drive growth for your business. You’d be silly not to use these simple features as part of your overall marketing strategy. The trick is to get creative, and get inside the heads of your target audience. Understand what they’re looking for, and you’ll be in a position to get a lot of business out of this social platform.
