LinkedIn is the first social media platform where working professionals connect and collaborate. Even though LinkedIn has been around for two decades, many business owners are still unsure how to use it to promote their business. Unlike Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, the benefits of maximizing LinkedIn center on factual and professional information rather than entertainment.
LinkedIn thrives as a platform where career-focused people build their own brands, connect with like-minded professionals and leave a lasting impression. LinkedIn is more about work than play, helping it build the authority and trust your prospective customers crave.
Maximizing LinkedIn can be overwhelming at first but learning it to promote your business can be exceedingly worthwhile. It is an effective source of organic engagement and professional networking. An active LinkedIn profile can result in additional leads, actionable insights and strategic partnerships for your business.
What does it mean to maximize your LinkedIn profile?
To be brand-focused on LinkedIn is to create a strategy that presents the unique characteristics of your business and personality in an engaging way. Having a brand makes it easier for audiences to get to know you and create shareable content. You can start by commenting on others’ articles or reposting something to your page that represents your perspective.
How to maximize LinkedIn
As we’ve established, maximizing LinkedIn for your business isn’t easy. But the following tips can help you successfully build your LinkedIn profile.
Create a strategy
It is not best practice to jump in blind on any social platform—especially one that prides itself on supporting working professionals. Creating a strategy is key when deciding how to build trusting relationships with other professionals. Instead of creating a profile just to directly message new contacts about your product or services, find relatable ways to connect with them first. Establish relationships first and growth will follow!
Do your research
It’s critical your business understands who its target audience is. Without that information, your brand may lack focus and appear disorganized. It is a key step to connecting with the right people. Research similar business profiles to use as examples. Follow like-minded people on the platform and connect with them through comments on their posts. Think about what you know about your existing customers and provide value-added insights. This is how you build new connections.
Design an appealing profile
Maximizing your LinkedIn profile means having professional, quality content and photos that match your business’s brand. The headshot you use for your profile should be professional and recent. Your headline should be interesting and easy to read. Include relatable pieces of information about your business in your “About” section that will draw visitors in long term.
Build connections through communication
Simply creating a nice profile and adding some content doesn’t mean organic interest will come rolling in. It takes time and work to build lasting relationships in the business community. This requires consistent posting and engagement. Take time to reach out to others by leaving a like or comment on their posts. Make sure your connections are genuine and that the business or person you are interacting with would improve your business. Consistently engaging with others and communicating through the platform will help your business experience the many benefits of LinkedIn.
