LinkedIn for Business 101
Welcome to LinkedIn for Business 101. What is LinkedIn and why is it important for my business to be represented on that social media platform?
Simply put, LinkedIn is the professional social media option, where you won’t find pictures of the kids and not a lot of cat videos. Rather, it’s set up for business networking, and it’s improving in that capacity all the time. A company page is important, of course, as it is on any social network. The difference in LinkedIn is that if somebody wants to learn more about your company, there are two places the savvy user will look. The first is the company website, and the second is LinkedIn.
The company website presents a company in the way the company wants to be perceived, but often lacks some of the information that people researching a company want to know. On LinkedIn, a complete company page allows the user a succinct summary of what the company is and how engaged the workforce is with the network. Over the past five years, it has become an important place to post jobs and find potential employees
But, if you think the power of LinkedIn stops there, you are missing one of the major benefits of the site: groups. This is where a company can engage with not only other people in the industry, but with potential clients in the industries served. You can act as a resource for those users who may be voicing a problem they need solutions for. As in all inbound marketing areas, the secret is to minimize blatant self-promotion and be a solutions resource instead. People are smarter than they are given credit for by some marketing groups. When you answer a question with wisdom, it boosts credibility.
People buy from those they trust, and by building credibility, you also build trust. Like any inbound marketing avenue, LinkedIn is not a quick fix. Seeds must be planted and nurtured until a robust harvest appears. It’s a long-term strategy that requires patience.
I’ll be discussing LinkedIn for business 101 during the upcoming podcast season with social media strategist and author Steven Groves. That episode is already “in the can,” as they say in Hollywood, and should go live in November.