When you think of social media, you probably think of Facebook. When you think of social media and professionals, LinkedIn probably comes to mind. Using LinkedIn for business is a no brainer. It’s a social network that serves as an online resume and allows users to showcase their work along with personal recommendations. Lately, however, the network has been updating is features to catch up with social media trends making the site more versatile. How can you use LinkedIn for your business? Here are a few of our top tips.
Have a complete LinkedIn profile. The more complete your profile is, the more credible you become. Also, as with all social networks, an optimized profile leads to better web traffic and search engine placement.
For example, optimize your personal headline utilizing keywords but say it in an interesting way so that people want to click on your profile. You’ll also want to completely fill in the summary and experience areas, where you can add not only text, but also upload videos, images and documents to showcase your experience.
Connect with personal messages. From the moment you send a connection request, the relationship begins. Use a person’s name in your communication with them and let them know why you’d like to connect with them.
Also, use recommendations and endorsements as an opportunity to spark conversation. For example, if someone endorses you for a particular skill, send him or her a personal thank you note. You can also use personal messages to ask people to like or follow you on other networks, just be sure to let them know you’ll return the favor and act on it.
LinkedIn company pages are a terrific way to get more visibility for your company. They function similar to Facebook fan pages, but with a LinkedIn twist. Not only can you share information via status updates, but you can also add tons more information about your company.
Take advantage of creating a page for each of your services or products to draw more search traffic. You can also ask for recommendations of particular services or products. Once your page is set up, you’ll want to send updates out through the page regularly. Lastly, be sure to link your company page to your personal profile.
Tag connections and company pages in your posts. LinkedIn recently launched this feature. Just as with other social networks, this is a fantastic way to give a nod to a connection or tag your own company page to help it get some additional visibility.
Analytics for your personal profile and company pages can help you evaluate how you’re doing. Analytics are a must when using social media to build your business. Whether you’re monitoring sources of new business leads or evaluating user analytics or doing both (I hope), it’s critical to understand the numbers. The idea is to improve and adapt based on what’s working for your goals. It’s okay to get creative on LinkedIn! Don’t assume that just posting any old update is enough or that something that worked before is going work months down the road.
