LinkedIn is often referred to as the ‘boring’ social media platform, primarily due to its formal and executive nature. Most youngsters log into it just to seek jobs and leave their profile untouched till their next professional pursuit. However, LinkedIn has a world of opportunities to offer.
Apart from connecting job seekers and recruiters, this one-of-a-kind platform also provides marketers and business owners the benefit of showcasing their brand and connecting with their target audience. It is the biggest online professional network that is available in 20 languages across the globe.
Additionally, it has an extensive database of over 42 million business professionals in India, more than half of which belong to those in influential positions in their respective firms.
You can take your business to new heights with the right concoction of networking, referrals and mentorship. LinkedIn does exactly that for you and it’s the one platform that is growing rapidly in 2017 . It is the most effective and inexpensive form of online marketing which is guaranteed to give your brand the exposure it deserves. Here’s how you can promote your business on the professional networking site.
Get to know the platform
While creating your profile on LinkedIn, make sure it is as attractive as possible. Keep your information crisp and to the point — your profile will be the first introduction between you and a potential client.
Your aim is to showcase your services’ credibility, so work on your bio keeping this in mind. You can also consider creating a LinkedIn company page, that can directly link to your resume on the platform. This will give viewers the opportunity to visit your company website directly and help you generate more leads.
Make sure you use the necessary keywords in your description to get featured in filtered searches.
Stay active and build connections
Keeping your account active and up-to-date is the primary key to promoting your business on this platform. Make sure you keep posting about your business ventures, your recent collaborations and the services offered by your firm.
Actively work on building connections by keeping your target audience in mind. Stay updated and ensure that you are visible to the people who are searching for services that are similar to the ones your company is offering. You can also consider showcasing your credibility through testimonials shared by your peers and recent clients.
Engage in forum discussions
Joining related groups and forums is a guaranteed technique to generate leads and establish your brand. Remain active in group discussions and make your presence felt. However, stay away from a direct pitch.
Instead of promoting your brand upfront, address their concerns with the services you offer. Forums are a great place to pick up potential clients and to intrigue them with the facilities your firm provides. Once you build a relationship over a discussion, you can send them invites and create a connection.
Consider investing
Though online marketing is effective in generating leads the organic way, you can boost your sales and take your business to great heights with a little bit of investment.
Since LinkedIn is known to be the largest professional networking site, showcasing your brand through ads on the site is a sure-shot way of boosting your returns. Furthermore, you can also opt for a paid membership, that offers advanced features and a better reach.
Many businesses have begun using LinkedIn-sponsored updates to increase their visibility. An average of 20 sponsored updates spread over two months is a guaranteed way to generate leads at a minimal cost. You can also consider using text ads on the site to reach your target audience. These are usually in the form of a destination link with a headline and some copy, which generate high return-on-investment.
Another latest update introduced by the platform is that of LinkedIn lead ads, which work wonders for B2B businesses. A lead ad works like a regular ad with a call to action, that takes you to a lead form. LinkedIn makes this entire experience extremely convenient and hassle-free by pre-filling the form with information extracted from the user’s profile.
Publish on LinkedIn Pulse
All marketers know that content is king. Promoting your business through blogs and other articles will not only help you with better SEO results but will also help advertise your brand.
With the LinkedIn Pulse feature, you can now write blogs to explain your services and share articles connected to your line of work to reach your target audience effectively. These blogs can also be shared on other platforms like Facebook and Twitter, with backlinks to your website and other blogs. This will, in turn, help you generate leads and boost sales. There are many other brilliant features introduced on the site that make it the most effective platform for boosting businesses, in 2017.
With many organisations banking on online marketing as their newest and most effective marketing strategy, it is about time you consider connecting with your peers and reaching your target audience through this utilitarian platform.