How to Use LinkedIn to Grow Your Business

Kiley Peters

Content Marketing

LinkedIn is here to stay, and here’s a fun fact: it’s one of the oldest social media networks still around in 2021. Started in 2003, it predates Facebook. That’s some staying power! You don’t want to sleep on this resource when you’re running a business, as it can help you increase visibility in your industry, connect with VIPs, and build your team. With 740 million users as of 2021, if you’re not on it yet, you’ve got an untapped resource on your hands. Let’s hit the high points of using LinkedIn to grow your business.  


CREATE YOUR PAGE

Everybody’s gotta start somewhere, and the first place to start on LinkedIn is to build your page. Your page is your chance to talk about who you are and what you do, and now is not the time to be shy. Create a Company Page and be sure to fill out the following essentials:

  • Logo and cover image
  • Headline
  • Summary
  • URL for your business
  • Location
  • Testimonials or reviews

Let people know who you are, where you are, and how to find you. When you write your headline and your summary section, use it as an opportunity to tell your company’s story. Weave in nuggets of information that reflect your mission, vision, and values and keep the juicy stuff in the first 156 characters of your summary. LinkedIn is SEO friendly, and Google can find your company profile and log it in its searchable database. If Google can find you, so can potential customers and contacts.  

The more you fill out on your page, the better your chance of connecting. And while you’re out there creating pages, make sure to create one for yourself. You, the CEO, the big cheese (hey, we’re in Wisconsin, after all). If you’re more visible, your company is more visible. 

After you create a bangin’ LinkedIn page for your business, make sure you link it on your website. You can even add a LinkedIn follow button so people can follow you on LinkedIn directly from your website. Tell everybody about it, and get ready to connect.   

BUILD YOUR NETWORK - EVERY DAY

It can be tempting to add any Todd or Betsy to your list of LinkedIn connections but resist the urge. LinkedIn requires a bit more intention when it comes to connecting, and sincere connections do matter. Here are some ways to increase your network in a LinkedIn-sanctioned way:

  1. Add employees, fellow leaders from your company, and business contacts to your list of connections.
  2. Go to the My Network section and import relevant contacts. 
  3. Peruse the People You May Know section, also under My Network. 
  4. Join groups related to your industry. 
  5. Follow other businesses’ pages.
  6. Check out hashtags related to your industry and find thought leaders you want to know. 
  7. Follow relevant hashtags

When you interact with another company or professional, be honest, be intentional, and provide value. Spam messages and thoughtless attempts at interaction are just as frowned upon on LinkedIn as they are in the world of online dating. But you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to be successful on LinkedIn.  

Just a few minutes a day of expanding your network can make a big difference. But don’t stop at building your list of connections; make sure you sincerely connect with others through private messaging, commenting, sharing, and other forms of direct engagement. 

USE GROUPS TO CONNECT
WITH YOUR INDUSTRY

LinkedIn Groups is a valuable resource for growing your business. Start by defining your areas of interest. Look for groups related to your industry, the services you provide, or the products you sell. Join these groups and get ready to interact. See what other people are posting about, respond with your expertise, and post valuable information yourself. Like with some of the other functions on LinkedIn, the idea is to start or contribute to a conversation, not overtly advertise your business. 

Participating in LinkedIn Groups is an opportunity to establish yourself as a source of information, a leader people want to talk to and know, and a reflection of your company’s story. If you’re looking for some general guidelines for what to post, look no further: 

  • Share a success
  • Poll your audience
  • Let people know you’re hiring
  • Reflect on industry changes 

If you’re feeling extra ambitious, you can even start a group yourself. Ultimately, LinkedIn Groups is a tool for building a community beyond the people you already know, and isn’t that what business is all about? So you’ve set up your profile, added your contacts, and started a group. Now what? It’s time to post high-quality content. 

PROMOTE YOUR GRADE-A CONTENT

Social media changes constantly, which is what makes it fun but also hard to keep up with. But currently, consistency is king when it comes to posting, and posting at least once or twice a day is best practice. Don’t worry; we’re not going to leave you hanging. There are best days and times to post, and in 2021 that means Tuesday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Now on to what to post. And while you’re posting, don’t forget to add relevant hashtags to help people find you.  

The best practice when it comes to content is to repurpose and get creative. If you have a blog, let your LinkedIn connections know a new post is live. Track the posts that do the best, look beneath the surface, understand the type of content that resonates. Then rinse and repeat. You can always repost high-performing posts or tweak and repurpose those posts, making them shiny, new, and just as relevant. 

Original content is trial and error. As much as we would like to, sometimes it’s hard to predict what’s going to land, and you just have to take a leap of faith and see. But here are a few LinkedIn-friendly topics to get you started:

  • Post business updates
  • Highlight an employee’s good work
  • Let people know you’re hiring
  • Provide insights into your industry
  • Share your innovative approach
  • Drop a how-to list 
  • Post a behind-the-scenes video
  • Poll your audience
  • Show that you’re a thought leader
  • Answer a question customers commonly ask
  • Share articles and posts about you from third party sources

Whatever you do, track your analytics. There are many services you can use to schedule posts in advance, and most of them have built-in analytics. You can always set up a good ol’ fashioned spreadsheet and track manually, but ain’t nobody got time for that. If you know how your content lands with your LinkedIn audience, you can better connect with your company’s customers.

Content is one of the most valuable assets you can have for your business, and if you need help creating stellar content, we can help.

LOOK FOR YOUR NEWEST TEAM MEMBERS

Besides being a networking goldmine and place to show people what your company does, you can also use LinkedIn to find new employees. You have many options for connecting with potential powerhouses to join your company. Consider: 

  • Posting a job
  • Posting a job ad
  • Posting content letting your audience know you’re hiring
  • Letting your groups know you’re hiring
  • Searching for qualified candidates directly by name
  • Checking potential candidates’ profiles during the interview process

LinkedIn makes it easy to connect with potential candidates, and every feature revolves around the world of work life. 

CHECK FOR NEW FEATURES

LinkedIn is constantly evolving and adding new features that help businesses grow. One such feature is the LinkedIn Sales Navigator. It has all kinds of fancy benefits, such as the ability to integrate with your customer relationship management (CRM) software, sales tools, and a bunch of advanced networking. Check it out. 

LinkedIn Open for Business is another feature that allows you to list services you offer on your company page and wait for prospective customers to come to you. It’s the stuff that dreams are made of.  

When you have a company page, you can now add custom buttons to help you further connect with other industry professionals or potential customers. These custom buttons are located front and center, above the fold, right under your profile picture. Where people will find them. Options include Visit Website, Contact Us, Learn More, Sign Up, and Register. When people can easily continue a relationship with you through LinkedIn, it opens up the possibilities. 

USE LINKEDIN TO CONNECT AND CONVERT

LinkedIn is an essential resource to grow your business in 2021. It’s a trusted social media platform that allows you to share who you are, what you know, and what you do that makes your company an essential player in your community. The folks at LinkedIn are constantly creating and refining features to make your networking experience more effective. It’s up to you to use them. 

Kiley-Peters-Headshot-FINAL-web

Kiley
Founder & CEO

Kiley Peters is the Founder and CEO of Brainchild Studios, a boutique audience research, content strategy, and website creation agency primarily serving brands targeting Millennial Moms or business owners. She is also the Founder of the Work From Home Playbook, a series of online courses guiding aspiring entrepreneurial moms through the steps of starting a virtual business. She also launched the Brainchild Fund, a nonprofit initiative to support women and girls in business and entrepreneurship Follow her on Instagram.

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