This article was written by Deepali, who is pursuing a Training program on Using AI for Business Growth from Skill Arbitrage, and edited by Koushik Chittella.
Table of Contents
Introduction
LinkedIn is a social networking website for people in professional jobs and businesses. Unlike other social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram, LinkedIn is purely business-oriented. Users join LinkedIn to network, learn, and find business opportunities. It provides you with a platform to showcase your skills, accomplishments, work history, and professional interests. This ultimately helps in brand building and making a positive impression in society. So, it is crucial to promote your business on this platform. LinkedIn can help you grow your business and build a solid network of professional followers for your business. It will help you with developing brand awareness, increasing website traffic, generating high-quality leads, opening new marketing opportunities, and more. However, if you’re less familiar with LinkedIn, you might miss these opportunities to grow your business. Being active on LinkedIn helps you directly engage with decision-makers and influencers in your industry.
14 effective strategies to grow your business using LinkedIn
- Create a professional business page: Consider that your business page on LinkedIn is like the front of your store. It should look nice so that people say good things about it. So, the first thing to do is to set up a high-quality profile picture and cover photo that will reflect your brand identity. It’s essential to make a strong first impression by ensuring that your page is complete, up-to-date, and visually appealing.
When writing your company description, make use of relevant keywords that people use while searching for businesses like yours. If you have a website, you can use your company logo as your profile picture. The look of your website and LinkedIn company page should match for a consistent brand image. While constructing your business page, consider the impression you want to make on your potential clients and employees; this will assist you in choosing the appropriate messages and images for your page. You can also use LinkedIn analytics to get an idea of who visits your page, and this can assist you in better targeting your content. - Keep your audience engaged with valuable content: To keep your LinkedIn audience engaged, it’s important to share valuable content that adds value to their learning. However, make sure that you don’t hurt anyone’s sentiments. Keep your followers engaged with compelling content by posting regular updates on your business. You can write articles, and share photos, videos, or recent news about your business to keep your followers engaged. You can also plot a story about your learnings and experiences in business to engage the audience. People like to know what is going on behind the scenes, so sharing your valuable insights can be helpful It is important to make a consistent presence on the platform by posting about your good customer experiences and success stories. It is important that you communicate consistently with your leads by responding promptly to comments and messages. You can also encourage interaction by posting poll questions that allow people to share their opinions. This can help build trust in your business. Lastly, Frequently posting about helpful tips that are useful for your audience can help you maintain a strong presence on the platform. Consistency is key, so make sure to create a content schedule and stick to it.
- Showcase your team: People like to do business with people, not just companies. Showcase the human side of your business by asking your employees to update their LinkedIn profiles and encouraging them to link their profiles with the company page. So when clients visit your page, they’ll see the faces behind the brand, which will build trust and credibility for your brand. Moreover, when you post business updates, it gets seen by their connections as well. This will help create a good personal brand for your company.
- Make More Connections: LinkedIn has lots of people you can connect with. Always be proactive in expanding your network by sending personalised connection requests to the people in your niche. Find the people who might want to buy from you or work with you. Building these relationships helps unlock new business opportunities. LinkedIn is a networking site, so making new contacts in industry will broaden your network and ultimately provide good business opportunities.
- Active participation in groups: LinkedIn groups provide a forum for professionals to share knowledge, ask questions, and network with like-minded individuals. So, it is crucial to join groups relevant to your industry or target audience and actively participate in discussions. You should share valuable input, respond to queries, and establish yourself as a knowledgeable figure in your industry. Groups are also a great place to identify potential clients or collaborators and build relationships outside your immediate network.
- Make use of LinkedIn Ads: Sometimes just relying on your posts won’t be enough to achieve your business results. You need to perform more to get the desired outcome. LinkedIn has different types of advertisements, like display ads, direct messages (called InMail), and sponsored posts. These ads will help you target specific demographics, interests, and job titles. You can try out different ad formats to see which works best for the people you are trying to reach. LinkedIn also gives you statistics on your ad performance so that you can refine the advertisement strategy and improve it next time.
- Drive Sales and lead generation with LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a valuable platform for generating leads and driving sales for your business. Build and nurture relationships with your network by regularly sharing valuable content and engaging with their posts. You can also use a LinkedIn sales navigator to build a high-quality lead list and find decision-makers in your target companies. Personalise your outreach messages to demonstrate your understanding of their needs and offer solutions that add value. Follow up with leads consistently and provide relevant content to move them through the sales funnel.
- Make use of LinkedIn Publishing to publish your article. Write an article regarding a trending topic in your business and share your article with your connections through the LinkedIn publishing tool. You can publish articles on topics relevant to your audience, offering insights, tips, and best practices. When people like or comment on your article, more people see it, which makes you look even more credible. So benefit from LinkedIn’s publishing platform to showcase your expertise, share success stories, and address common pain points faced by your audience.
- LinkedIn for market research. You can use LinkedIn to learn about popular trends in your industry. LinkedIn is a valuable resource for conducting market research and knowing about consumer preferences. You can ask your followers about the new product or service you’re considering launching through polls. You can record their feedback to improve your products. You can also check out what people are talking about in groups related to your industry to see what is trending in the market right now and analyse market demands. Use LinkedIn’s search and advanced filtering options to find professionals in your target market and engage them in conversations to gain valuable insights.
- Utilise LinkedIn Events: You can use LinkedIn’s Events feature to conduct events for your audience; either live or in-person events can be hosted as per the requirements. These events, like webinars, workshops, or networking meetups, give an opportunity to showcase your expertise, meet new customers, and build relationships. You can promote your events through your network and relevant groups so more people can join in and participate in the events. Make sure you follow up with attendees after the event to continue the conversation and capitalise on the momentum generated.
- Collaboration with Influencers: Collaborating with influencers can be a great way to expand your brand’s reach and credibility. These influencers are individuals who have a large following and are considered trustworthy in your industry. By teaming up with them, you gain access to their audience, which can help you reach new potential customers and build trust with existing ones. These collaborations can be done in several ways, like:
- Guest Blogging: You can share your expertise with their audience by writing a guest post for their blog or website.
- Co-hosting webinars: It is a great interactive way to engage with potential customers. By co-hosting a webinar together, you can combine both your knowledge and expertise and give valuable content to your audience.
- Join a content campaign: You can pool your resources together and create engaging content that resonates with both of your followers. You can create content like videos, podcasts, and other social media content that is highly effective in reaching a broader audience.
- Product Collaboration: If relevant, you could collaborate on developing a product or service together. This not only leverages each other’s strengths but also generates excitement and interest among your respective audiences.
- Implement employee training and development initiatives: Invest your time and money in training your employees on LinkedIn best practices, personal branding, and networking skills. Equip them with the knowledge and tools to represent your brand on the platform effectively. Teach them how to engage with prospects and nurture relationships. Encourage employees to participate in LinkedIn Learning courses, attend industry webinars, and stay updated on platform updates and trends. By empowering your team to leverage LinkedIn effectively, you not only enhance your brand’s presence but also cultivate a culture of continuous learning and professional development.
- Offer Exclusive Content or Resources: Offer your LinkedIn followers things that they can’t get anywhere else, such as reports about our industry or special webinars. Providing this exclusive content or resource to your LinkedIn followers is a great way to gain engagement and loyalty. Promote these offerings through your LinkedIn page and posts, encouraging followers to engage with your content and share it within their networks. By offering valuable insights and resources, you can position your brand as a trusted authority in your field and attract a dedicated following.
- Measure and analyse results: Once you have tried out these strategies, it is important to check if they are working well. LinkedIn has analysis tools that can help you check how many people are interacting with your posts and if they’re doing what you want them to do. Monitor things like how many people view your posts, like them, comment on them, and click on any links you’ve shared. If you find something isn’t working as well as you hoped, don’t worry. You can always try something different until you find what works best for you.
Practical uses of LinkedIn for businesses
Here are examples of five businesses that used LinkedIn to grow:
- Google: They highlight their employees on LinkedIn, sharing their personal and professional stories to humanise their brand and attract millions of followers.
- Amazon: They use custom images on their LinkedIn page to highlight their key points, setting a good example for visual content marketing.
- Coca-Cola: They share stories from their digital magazine, Coca-Cola Journey, on LinkedIn. With over 2,000 stories and a big social media following, they engage and connect with their audience.
- American Express: They targeted small and medium-sized businesses on LinkedIn to promote funding solutions. This shows how focused advertising can reach specific audiences effectively.
- Mashable: They share business news and advice in short pieces on LinkedIn. This proves that delivering valuable content in a simple format can attract and engage audiences easily.
Conclusion
LinkedIn is more than just a social network; it’s a powerful tool for growing your business. By implementing the strategies outlined above, you can establish yourself and your company as leaders in your industry. Whether you’re reaching out to potential customers, collaborating with influencers, or gathering feedback for your market research, LinkedIn provides endless opportunities to achieve your business objectives.
With dedication and a carefully planned approach, LinkedIn can become a vital asset in your business growth journey, providing meaningful connections and driving tangible results. Utilise these strategies, adapt them as per your unique needs, and watch your business grow in the dynamic landscape of LinkedIn.
References
- https://blog.hootsuite.com/linkedin-for-business/
- https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/how-to-market-on-linkedin
- https://www.wishup.co/blog/grow-your-business-on-linkedin/
- https://www.cognism.com/blog/linkedin-marketing
- https://www.appypie.com/blog/grow-business-using-linkedin
- https://sproutsocial.com/insights/linkedin-marketing/
- https://www.semrush.com/blog/linkedin-marketing/
- https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10376-linkedin-for-business.html
- https://mauryalliance.com/7-ways-to-use-linkedin-to-grow-your-small-business/
- https://www.trendscoutuk.com/blog/10-ways-to-use-linkedin-to-grow-your-startup-business/
