Your brand identity is everything. It may be easy to see other platforms like Facebook and Twitter and their use in your online brand identity, but if you have a business and you’re not on LinkedIn, you are miles behind. When you utilize the perks of LinkedIn, it can be a great place for networking and spreading the word about your business. The key tip to remember is LinkedIn is a professional social media platform.
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Professional vs. Personal
That’s right – your profile image is not just a nice bonus. You may know what your brand looks like, but you’re not taking full advantage of LinkedIn if you’re not showing off your brand with visuals as well. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but you still need words, too. Post a status a couple of times per week. It should be something involved with the business: a job opening, a promotion, achievements of the company – something along those lines. It should never be a personal status about what you are up to that day. Also, fill your page with contact information, skills, passions and experiences. You want it to be as easy to read, accessible and relevant. You want those who might be interested in your work to be hooked on your business. Prove that your business is professional.
What to do once you’re set up
There are over 3 million businesses that have a company page. Get connecting! This is where the networking really begins. Here are a few ways to engage with fellow LinkedIn users:
Join groups
Be involved in groups that best fit what your business is all about. Make sure the group has at least 100 members. A couple thousand members is the cut off point. Expect to visit these groups a couple times a week. Even if it’s just a few brief visits, your presence will be noticed.
Post something in your groups
Visiting your groups and reading up on others posts is good! But it’s even better if you post as well. Be involved in the conversations. Do you care about what’s going on in your field? Show up for it!
Recruit for job openings
If your business has a job opening, it’s a great idea to advertise that. On LinkedIn you can post job openings to to specific users who are the most fitting.
- Click jobs at the top of the Linkedin page
- On the right, there will be a button that says “Jobs”
- Fill out the appropriate information for the open position
Ask questions and ask people to comment
No, this does not make you desperate. It’s just inviting more engagement which is just fine!
If you ask people to comment and you don’t return the favor, there’s a good chance they’ll stop the engagement.
Get started!
Linkedin is a powerful and useful networking platform. Wield it correctly and you will be moving forward with your business branding. That’s not something to overlook, and it is well worth your time. Follow the steps above and connect with me if you have any questions! — Photo Credit
