LinkedIn is the business social media site for professionals, executives, business owners and the self-employed. Many people are on it, but few use it properly!
Used effectively, LinkedIn can provide plenty of opportunities to any home business, helping you to connect with clients, prospects, referrers, former colleagues and build relations with your market peer group. The pressures of the day job could mean that you continuously put marketing – particularly online marketing – off for another day, yet it could be an untapped source of business. What if you are missing out?
LinkedIn is a fantastic and evolving business tool. With 590 million members worldwide, it provides unlimited potential for making connections. And this number is only set to rise – LinkedIn has reported impressive growth in recent years, with an increase of up to 60% year-on-year usage on mobile alone – indicating a move for professional communication to go digital. The platform has resisted social media conventions to create a professionalised space, ideal for budding entrepreneurs.
The potential for growing your business is massive. Founder of Sweet Fish Media James Carbary says that LinkedIn has helped his business generate nearly £80,000 of sales, while Becky Mollenkamp, creator of the Own It, Crush It movement, thanks LinkedIn for over half of her annual income.
If it’s that easy, why aren’t all home business owners using LinkedIn?
If your LinkedIn profile is receiving little attention, you’re probably not utilising its full potential. Read on if you want to learn how LinkedIn could grow your home business.
5 top tips to a winning LinkedIn profile:
1. Don’t be a catfish
When was the last time you updated your profile picture? Can’t remember? Then it was probably too long ago. Be sure to make a great first impression with your clients by using a professional headshot – ideally from within the past year.
You must look professional – regardless of the size of your business, you want your clients to place their trust in you. A clumsy picture will present a careless individual, meaning that potential clients may not even click on your profile. Be sure to appear serious, yet approachable.
Remember: you can also use your background photo to say a bit more about you. This can be a great opportunity to showcase your business by featuring an image of a logo, a product, or even some happy customers.
2. Keep active
Just like doing regular exercise keeps your body fit and healthy, being active on LinkedIn will do wonders for keeping your own business looking fresh.
It is crucial to comment, post and share content regularly. When your connections notice your activity, they will be reminded of your area of expertise, in other words, you will stay top of mind. By engaging with relevant content, you will position yourself as a top commentator – and a subject matter expert. This will build your business’ reputation and help you to attract new contacts, who could well turn into customers.
I will not tell you how often you should post or how much is too much, this is something you need to figure out for yourself since it depends on your unique LinkedIn network’s responsiveness. However I will tell you this, focus greatly not just on creating and posting content but also on content promotion and distribution, making sure your unique content gets in front of the eyes of your target prospects.
It is also important to respond to messages in a timely manner. This is especially important when a potential client is making a business inquiry. Being slow to reply could mean contacts look elsewhere for services and will not help your reputation as a reliable business.
3. Plan your content
Get a diary and get organised with your LinkedIn calendar. Design your posts to fit around your company, your industry or your own unique content (i.e. a photo of you at your client’s premises, your attendance at a conference, a presentation you gave etc.). Keep up-to-date with current issues and try to respond quickly to important problems relevant to your business. Produce relevant blog posts and consider their timing. If you want to be seen as an industry leader, you must assert your knowledge and opinions on topical matters.
Commenting on posts by larger companies can be a great way to stand-out beyond your first connections, by joining in a wider conversation. Keeping those comments short and to the point and providing value is key here.
Instead of forcing tired commentary on long-standing events, predict what issues will evolve over the coming months – or even years. By talking about such topics ahead of the curve, you will quickly become recognised as an expert.
By keeping your activity modern, you present a forward-thinking approach which will be applied to your business.
4. Polish up your summary
Make sure your LinkedIn summary introduces who you are and what you do. It is your best opportunity to outline your area of expertise and stand out in your unique professional field.
Avoid a bunch of text clumped together. That said, you don’t have to limit yourself to a few lines, but on the contrary, try to take advantage of this 2,000 character real estate. Simply space it out, and make sure your skills are clearly highlighted. No one will read an essay – so make sure your business stands out to even a brief skim-reader.
Your summary could also include contact details if you wish. This could be a great way to encourage potential clients to get in touch.
Ultimately, you want this section to really shine – after all, it is the simplest way to tell your story.
5. Think about ‘why’
To create and manage an effective LinkedIn strategy it is first important to consider your long-term goals. What do you want to achieve from being on LinkedIn? Who are your target prospects? Why should people be following you? Only by answering these questions can you be sure that you are achieving your commercial goals online.
What does success mean for your LinkedIn strategy?
These are important questions to ask yourself before designing your LinkedIn strategy.
Make sure your presence (personal & company profile), posts and shares reflect your purpose. Consider the impact your content will have on potential clients to avoid making mistakes. Will it stimulate discussion? Will it make them reconsider their current position on the topic? Try to write articles that take a fresh stance and encourage consideration.
While being outspoken and forthright might get you noticed, always stay professional and shy away from anything that may offend your clients.
For every action, consider how the resulting effect will contribute to your business’ goals. For instance: if your target is to increase brand awareness, you may want to consider what sort of posts are most likely to be shared beyond your first connections.
By following these simple rules, you can transform your digital image and improve your business’ reputation. LinkedIn is a fantastic tool for expanding your clientele – so what are you waiting for?
