When people think “social media”, they think Facebook. They think “Twitter”. But one of the best social media sites that anyone who owns a company or a business can jump onto is LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a bit different from your standard social media sites. Instead of connecting with customers and clients online, LinkedIn provides you with a unique opportunity to connect with other businesses on the web. It’s free to use and it can help you build up strong connections both online and offline, so I always recommend to my clients that they jump on board.

Here are my top recommendations that I give to my clients to ensure that their LinkedIn account is a success:

Be sure to check out our FREE Ebook, “How to Dominate Your Competition Using LinkedIn.”

Fill Out your Profile

One of the greatest disservices that you can do to your company is to open up a LinkedIn profile, and then to not even bother filling out the profile. Treat it as you would when filling out a job application or a resume. Fill everything in that you can, and provide as much detail about you and your company as possible. You want to intrigue and stir interest in people who will be visiting your profile. Besides, having only a partially filled-out profile makes you look like a careless and lazy business – something which is certainly not an attractive trait for any company.

TIP: Filling out your profile also helps build up another company’s trust in you and your business.

Stream All Social Media to LinkedIn

There are a number of different widgets that you can choose from that allow you to import your other social media accounts to your LinkedIn account. For example, you can hook up your Twitter account and your blog account to LinkedIn so that whenever you post to those social media sites, your LinkedIn account is then automatically updated as well.

TIP: Check out sites like Widgetbox for cool widgets that you can use to improve your social media profiles. For more ideas on how you can improve your social media campaign, check out our FREE Ebook “Social Media Tune Up”.

Also, if you have a Twitter account, when someone asks you a question on Twitter, respond to that question in detail on LinkedIn. Once you’ve done that, revisit Twitter and post a tiny URL link to the LinkedIn page that answers that question in full detail.

Take Advantage of Question and Answers

LinkedIn offers a number of different ways for you to get in touch with other LinkedIn members, one of my favorite being their “Question and Answers” section. Not only is this a good way to perhaps find answers to some of your most pressing questions, but it’s also a great place for you to show off your knowledge and expertise. Get recognized as someone who is “in the know” in your industry and reply to any questions with thoughtful responses – and don’t be afraid to throw in just a touch of self promotion while you’re at it.

The Question and Answers forum isn’t only a great way to get yourself recognized on LinkedIn, but it’s also a good way for you to get a good idea of what leads and customers involved in your niche want or what they think. Use this to your advantage when putting together marketing campaigns.

Make Use of Recommendations

LinkedIn has another neat feature that can do a whole lot for your business called “recommendations”. “Recommendations” are essentially testimonials that customers give when they’re happy with your business. You can request that your happy customers provide you with a testimonial, which will then be posted to your LinkedIn account for clients, customers, and other businesses to see.

Find Contractors and Vendors

LinkedIn is all about coming in contact with other professionals such as yourself. Why not use it to its full advantage and find contactors and vendors that you would like to do business with? I’ve often recommended to my clients that they use LinkedIn as a way to help build business partnerships. If you’re a painter, why not look for a home construction company to hook up with and hopefully get more business? You can also then find another vendor in your area who owns a paint store and perhaps work out a deal to get a discount off of the paint that they use as long as you advertise their brand while working on a construction project. The possibilities are endless.

Key Takeaways:

LinkedIn is just what it sounds like – “linking” up with people who will help make your business a success. Not only can you find customers on LinkedIn, but you can make important business contacts and help yourself stand out as a professional in your industry with regular participation on the site.

Need Help?

If you’re interested in generating more leads from LinkedIn, contact us today to schedule your free marketing analysis.