Still think LinkedIn is only useful for those looking for jobs? Think again! Whilst this may have been true when the platform first launched, it has dramatically evolved since then. In fact, many businesses large and small are now using it to network, connect and sell. So, is your business using LinkedIn marketing to its fullest potential?
Why is LinkedIn Marketing important?
The social networking site LinkedIn has evolved significantly over the last few years and it is now home to more than 900 million monthly users. This means that there’s a lot of opportunity for people with a genuine interest in small business and marketing.
And why is this? Well, plenty of experts believe that LinkedIn can save businesses time and money by doing their market research, transforming the way they source customers, look at their competition and promote themselves.
Most importantly though, it’s a place where you can find quality leads. This is particularly true if you’re in the B2B space. According to a recent study conducted by Hubspot, LinkedIn generated the highest visitor-to-lead conversion rate at 2.74%, almost 3 times higher than Facebook.
But how exactly can you use LinkedIn for your business? Here are some quick and easy ways to get started.
1. Know your audience
This is the first and most important point! Knowing your audience before starting LinkedIn marketing (and marketing in general to be honest) is an absolute must. Understand exactly who you’re speaking to, and develop your content strategy to serve those customers. A good trick is developing byer personas to help understand who you’re trying to reach. Once you’ve developed them, you can address your potential customers with the pain or need they’re trying to solve, and only then will they be open to exploring what you have to offer.
2. Share quality content
If you want to get connected with potential customers and get your name out there, you need to be publishing great content on a regular basis. And because LinkedIn is such a professional platform, you need to make sure that your content is always relevant and well-researched. Don’t try to post too many articles at once though. Instead, get creative with your strategy. Create video content, introduce your staff, share success stories about your business, re-share posts that your audience can engage with…the opportunities are endless!
3. Understand when to leverage a Business page vs. a Personal Profile
LinkedIn Pages and LinkedIn Profiles serve different purposes in LinkedIn marketing. While both can be valuable tools for generating leads, they fundamentally serve different purposes. LinkedIn Pages are great for building your credibility, getting your business out there and making valuable connections with existing customers. Meanwhile, a LinkedIn Profile can help you to build a strong personal brand and position yourself as an authority in your niche. Additionally, you can use your personal LinkedIn page to directly message and build a relationship with potential leads. The key here is to understand which one serves a greater purpose in relation to your business goals.
4. Tap into your network
A great way to grow your business page, or to find quality leads, is to tap into your already existing network. If you want your page to reach new followers, ask your employees to re-share your content so that it can be seen by their network. Or directly message some of your connections, rather than trying to find new ones through Sales Navigator. Oftentimes, quality leads are already within your network, you just need to harness them a little bit more!
