How to Use Linkedin to Market Your Business Effectively

LinkedIn is a very powerful social media tool to boost your business that can help you expand your business network, generate sales-ready leads, and capture your target audience’s attention. Linkedin is THE ideal platform for social business marketing, but it needs to be utilized properly. The key to success with marketing your business on LinkedIn is patient, consistent work.

Here are four tips to help you use LinkedIn more effectively.

1) Optimize Your Company Page

Think of your LinkedIn Company Page as your business’s LinkedIn profile. A company page lets prospective customers know more about your company. It is your platform to post content that is relevant, useful and unique. Rich content will attract the right audience to your page. Your Company page will also help you build relationships with new as well as existing customers.

2) Use Linkedin Groups

LinkedIn groups are hubs that connect you with other professionals in the same industry with similar interests/challenges. Groups are ideal for building business contacts and establishing yourself as an industry expert and thought leader.

You can either join other groups or create your own groups and spearhead discussions that will help you connect with other business people.  The real secret of having your own group is the free email broadcast tool included with it. This gives you direct access to your audience’s inboxes.

Some ways to maximize your LinkedIn group:

1. Add keywords in the description of your group to increase your search rankings on LinkedIn’s search section.
2. Add keywords in the title of the group to be found on Google.
3. Add your company website or blog to the group to drive traffic to your site.
4. Add your blog RSS feed to the group so every new article is automatically posted to the home page of every group member.
5. Send a weekly message that adds value for group members and drives traffic back to your site.
6. Connect people in the group by making introductions to those who could potentially do business with one another.

3) Post Relevant and Engaging Content
Content is key to social media marketing. You must spend time creating content that will attract potential customers to your company page. The content should be aimed at establishing you as a thought leader in your field of expertise. As an added benefit, LinkedIn will sometimes put a spotlight on your most engaging and attractive in one of their categories, which will exponentially increase its visibility.

4) Use Linkedin’s Search Optimally

LinkedIn has a very efficient search tool by default. However, LinkedIn premium offers an Advanced search tool that is brilliant and extremely useful. It helps you locate business and people with precision. If LinkedIn premium falls outside your current budget, the regular search engine could also be very useful. The key is to connect with the right people. A good way to do this is by commenting, sharing your opinions and weaving your way into circles that will help boost the credibility of your company as well as generate leads.