How Small Business Owners Can Leverage LinkedIn

Marketers tell you to use social media to expand your reach and interact with existing and potential customers. Some of these platforms are tried and true, but it seems that every time you turn around there is another social media site everyone is using.

LinkedIn has been around for years, but it’s often underused or misused. As you may know, the platform is focused on businesses. The aim is to grow your network and showcase what you have to offer; LinkedIn has the potential to connect you with customers, employees, and industry professionals. Here are some helpful tips and tricks to make the most out of LinkedIn

For Your Personal Profile
1. Add an appropriate, professional photo of yourself. This allows connections to put a face with your name. Make sure the photo is close up, so someone could identify you at a networking event.
2. Fill out all the fields about your education, industry, and past work experience. The more detailed your profile, the easier it will be to connect with others in your field.
3. Your headline should state your role, and don’t be afraid to use keywords in this space in addition to your official title. Fun titles are OK, but people are over “ninja” and “guru.”
4. Your profile is a place for you to showcase all of your accomplishments and demonstrate your skills. Don’t be afraid to tell the story of your small business journey, as well as your future goals for your enterprise. Elaborate on your previous work experience and/or your entrepreneurial ventures.
5. Use relaxed language. You’re telling a story, not writing your resume.
6. Add video, presentations, and photos to every single job. LinkedIn’s layout looks best with either two images or five because of the way it stacks, so dig up that art!
7. Find, take, or buy an interesting image for your background/banner. This should say something about you and your work but can express your personality as well.
8. Once you have created your profile and begin to build your network, you must continuously post pertinent content to keep yourself and your business relevant. For example, you can post status updates to share important business events or milestones. You can like or share articles, images, and videos related to industry happenings, or post your own blog entries.
9. Groups used to be a considerable part of LinkedIn’s value, but many have found them to be of little help due to some of the platform’s methods. In 2018, LinkedIn announced changes to groups, but whether you will find ROI by spending time there depends on you, your industry, and your efforts.

Important note: Many business owners worry a lot about their business page. But you may not find yourself getting a lot of followers there. LinkedIn is more formal than Facebook, so it’s often not an appealing feed. However, this platform is more about the individual anyway. Small business owners should set up a business profile, but spend far more time interacting and posting as an individual.

For Your Business Profile
1. A business profile is set up differently than a personal profile. Ensure that you are setting up the correct account.
2. Add an image and your company logo. The logo will appear on you and your employees’ profiles, as well as in search results when other users search for you, your employees, or your company.
3. Include a description of your business. Highlight what it does, what it has accomplished, what goals you might have, and what sets it apart from your competitors.
4. LinkedIn offers a “follow” widget you can add to your website that allows visitors to immediately access, engage with, and follow your business page. If you have a strong B2B focus, you might want to use this widget instead of the usual social media buttons.
5. Similar to your personal page, it is important to post content that is relevant to your business and your industry. You can generate this yourself, share posts from others, or a combination of both. Ask your employees to develop content from their perspective within the company, or even post client testimonials.

Not sure how to get started with LinkedIn? We can help you get set up and manage your account.