Social media marketing has emerged as the communication revolution. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, FourSquare, and every other interactive social networking platforms has taken the limelight from traditional marketing efforts. Now, as we have discussed before, social media must be utilized in combination with traditional marketing campaigns. However, the one social networking website that has gone under the proverbial radar is LinkedIn. If you haven’t experienced the power of connecting through LI, you are not alone. The truth is that LinkedIn is a tremendously large yet untapped resource for businesses small and large. The IMPACT team wants to make sure that you have a successful experience with LI, so here are 5 simple tips to help you effectively grow your business with LinkedIn.
- Profile Updates for Promotional Purposes — Job descriptions, special skills, personality characteristics, and an overall resume is usually what you see on professional profiles within LinkedIn. However, you also have the opportunity to alert people to your company’s promotions, specials, discounts, and any other pertinent news/information. The simple fact of the matter is that you have a notice sent out to your connections telling them that you have updated your profile each and every time that you do so. To be honest, when I see this, I almost always click on that individual’s profile to see what is new in their professional world. So, you have a great opportunity to broadcast your business’ information through a concentrated group of individuals within a very short amount of time. This, of course, will yield growth within your business as it will increase awareness of your company.
- Create Connections and Enhance Communications — LinkedIn has one of the better terms for your professional social network: Connections. Think of each and every individual as just that…a connection that can escalate the value of your LinkedIn presence. If you leverage your connections and create new connections on a regular basis, you have the opportunity to increase the efficacy of your business’ communications. As a result of the increased effectiveness of your communication techniques, your company can also grow significantly.
- Beyond the 2nd Degree Causes Interactions — There are degrees of separation/connection within LinkedIn which is one of the most attractive features that this particular social network provides. So, instead of sitting back and waiting for the connections to come to you, take the initiative to ask for an introduction through one (or two) of your connections. You want to make sure that you are making waves throughout your connections; doing this will cause interactions between all parties involved and enhance the overall experience of LinkedIn. Along with those benefits, the interest in making a connection through “real” online networking shows tenacity and sparks interest in you and your company. So, this is yet another way to effectively grow your business with LI.
- Keep the WIFM in Your Mind — Social media marketing, while it’s fun to stay connected with people, is all about the WIFM. In other words, it’s all about “What’s In It For Me”. There is a reason why you are on social networking platforms, right? If not, you need to re-evaluate your online presence. Either way, your connections feel as though they are getting something out of the social network which means that you need to establish your value as one of their connections. Provide them with a reason to maintain you as a connection, recommend you as a professional, and spread the good word of your company/you. The hard part is figuring out what each of your connections view as valuable and find the common ground between a majority of them. For a suggestion, try to monitor their updates and other social network profiles.
- Like Minded Individuals Spark Innovations — Groups, companies, and other features that are emerging on LinkedIn are must-haves in your social network experience. As a suggestion, find common interests that relate to your company and follow. It’s as simple as that, and the information, interactions, and experience that you get from participating in these groups is absolutely priceless. So far, the groups that I am involved with have helped establish nearly 5 different marketing campaigns, around 10 various blog articles, and countless connections throughout other social networks. Again, because of all the interaction and experience, your business has the opportunity to grow significantly and with outside support.
Overall, LinkedIn can be utilized as a significant business tool that effectively and efficiently grows your company. Make sure that you follow the five steps above and let us know the results through our comment section.
As always, if you need help establishing your social media profiles or a social media marketing campaign that integrates with your traditional marketing efforts, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.
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If social media marketing is something that you are interested in but don’t know how to get started, contact us today to schedule your free marketing analysis.
Sources:
“The Essential Step-by-Step Guide to Internet Marketing”-E-Book
SlideShare.net
Image Source: HubSpot, “The 2011 State of Inbound Marketing”, E-Marketer.com
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