How LinkedIn can help your online business grow
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with more than 120 million members and still growing. LinkedIn connects one to his trusted contacts and helps him exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals.
If you joined LinkedIn and filled out the profile thinking it was only an online resume, you’re definitely missing out on a world of opportunity. But there are more than 150 million people there who are ready to do business. It is, no doubt, the professional social network.
Linked-In is undoubtedly the most desired one in the field of marketing. In a time span of 7 years it has established itself as one of the leader in the social media space. If you are a businessperson or an entrepreneur looking to promote your business digitally Linked-In is something that should be considered. Linked-In has come up with a wide range of features and applications that a marketer can use to promote their business. If used wisely it can take the brand to an unprecedented height.
Here are some ideas that can help turn LinkedIn into a prime source of new prospects for the business and helps to gain maximum benefit out of this Social Media platform.
Getting started with LinkedIn
Just like other social media platforms here too a user needs to create an account simply by filing-up a form and confirming the activation link that Linked-In provides to its users. Once this is done one can leverage many applications and platforms that Linked-In offers to its users and customers.
Promoting business with Linked-In Groups
Groups are the digital space where like-minded people congregate to exchange their views and ideas. A group may have hundreds and thousands of people who are in the same niche and industry. You can build your relationship with these people simply by joining the group.
One of the easiest ways to use LinkedIn is to create thought leadership content in one’s areas of expertise. It not only helps to share interesting content from one’s own blog or website as status updates on LinkedIn, but also can dive into LinkedIn Answers and LinkedIn Groups.
By joining Groups related to one’s areas of expertise and participating in discussions, one also can soft sell oneself to a new audience of colleagues and prospects.
Over time with both LinkedIn Answers and Groups, other users will be curious about whom you are, click through to your profile and ask to connect with you — and this helps business grow.
LinkedIn group gives the ability to generate an amazing number of leads from high-end decision makers.
Create Powerful Events
Hosting an event is a great way to build the business. LinkedIn has an events platform that allows one to target thousands of professionals for free.
Creating an event on LinkedIn is simple. One just needs to answer a few questions and then start promoting the event. Send an invitation to the people who would be interested in the event based on region or niche. A person will notice a wealth of opportunities from hosting one’s own event. This is one of the ways of Linked-In Marketing that helps business grow.
Run an Advanced Search in Target Market
It’s so easy to generate leads from LinkedIn. The advanced search function helps one get in touch with the exact people one is going after. One can search by industry, keywords, company and title, to mention a few.
Send Personal Messages
Once you find leads, you want to send them personalized messages. The best way is to connect with someone on as many personal levels as possible. Look at their profile, find out which companies they’ve worked for in the past, which school they attended, what groups they’re in, listed hobbies and who your mutual connections are. Then, write a personal message.
Linked-In Campaigns
Blank Page can help one set up one’s LinkedIn company page and also plan LinkedIn advertising campaigns as part of the broader digital marketing strategy
Here are some ways to launch the campaign:
Speak at community events
Offering your expertise at public occasions is an easy way to get the word out about your business. This maximizes the impact and lends credibility to the product or service.
Ask customers for referrals
Generating referrals from current customers is one of the best ways to market your business.
Spend two days in the customers’ shoes
To find out what customers really want, observe how customers are treated, as well as the kinds of services that appear important to them; then adapt the business accordingly.
Offer free samples
If a person can get someone to try his product or service, chances are they’ll buy it. Let employees give out product samples.