Getting connected: mastering Linkedin for business

Linkedin is often described as the business version of Facebook. The aim is to build connections with working professionals locally and across the globe, whilst also spreading your company’s digital presence. It also handily shows the World Wide Web what skills you have to offer. There are three main ways of using Linkedin to promote your business, and the first one starts with you.

Build a personal profile

Once you join Linkedin, you should first work on building up an impressive and professional personal profile. Your profile is effectively an online CV, detailing every piece of experience you’ve ever gained and when you did it. If you’re a creative type, Linkedin lets you add multimedia content to your profile, either alongside work experience or as part of your bio, so you can showcase that amazing video you made at university or link that article you had published in a newspaper.

Learn how to master Linkedin for business

Focus on your skills

One of my favourite parts about Linkedin is the ‘Skills and Endorsments’ section. Here you can add any relevant skills you have gained, and your network of contacts on Linkedin can endorse you for these skills. Endorsements show the world, and potential employers, that you aren’t just blowing your own trumpet and that you are justified in saying you have those skills. For instance, if you have 15 endorsements for ‘blogging’, you will be taken more seriously than someone with no endorsements. Don’t just endorse your friends to be polite – give credit where credit is due.

Use a professional, clear picture for your profile image, and you can even design your own header image if you’re feeling creative. If you do chose to add a header, use it to showcase your talents, not just to fill the space.

Once you have a personal profile sorted, it’s time to establish your business.

Create a company page

You may be wondering why this isn’t step one, but having your own personal account makes setting up a company page on Linkedin a whole lot easier. Under your profile, you can select the option to create a company page, where you will be prompted to fill in the necessary details Linkedin needs to register the company. Once your page is established, then you can really start making an impact.

Create a company page on Linkedin

Make sure you explain what your company does and why people should be interested in your about section. Be dynamic, clear and professional – make people want to learn more. Linkedin collects Followers, a bit like Twitter, but it’s not as easy to gain popularity. It takes a while to gain a following on Linkedin, particularly because you can’t request participation, like you can with Facebook. However, having a huge following on Linkedin is not essential. You can reach a lot of people through ‘updates’.

What are Linkedin business updates?

Business updates are short posts that you can post on your company page. They could be a blog you have written, a relevant article you found online which was interesting, or to tell your audience about a new service you now offer. Short relevant posts every day or every few days shows you’re active online and keen to share your knowledge. By each post you will be able to see the amount of people who have seen your post, as well as how many people interacted with it.

Post regular updates on your Linkedin page to boost engagement

Advertising

If you have a budget allocated to social media, you could choose to boost your Linkedin company page through advertising. Definitely on the dearer side of social media advertising, (with a minimum spend of £8 a day compared with £5 on Facebook), Linkedin advertising can help you gain new followers and deliver your updates to a greater number of people. You can also target the kinds of people you choose through targeted advertising. If you have the money to spare and are a B2B company, it is worth giving it a go.

Once you have a business page and personal profile, you can use the two together to maximise your digital impact. On a personal profile you have the option of sharing full blog posts, so you could use your profile to advertise work content with your network for free. Additionally, as part of your work experience, once you have a company page you can select your own company when you add in your current job, making it easier for people to find your company online.

If you still need some convincing, consider this fact from Forbes:

According to the Salesforce 2015 State of Marketing report, LinkedIn is the third most commonly used social network for business owners. With 62% of business owners reporting that they use the platform, and an additional 22% saying they intend to use it in the next year, the use of LinkedIn as a valuable business tool shows no signs of slowing down.

So, what are you waiting for?

If you would love to establish your business on Linkedin but simply don’t have the time to do it, why not give us a call on 0145 4222 959, or email us at: hello@notgreedy.media.