If you want to promote your books and other information products to a business audience, you need to be on LinkedIn. This guest blog by Sarah Brooks offers advice for promoting your business and yourself on this social media platform.
LinkedIn is currently the preeminent general work and business networking site. Sure, there are plenty of additional sites geared to specific job fields, but LinkedIn is a great resource for businesses of all types. Job seekers have long used this site to highlight their work qualifications and look for employment leads. Companies of all sizes can also benefit from LinkedIn, particularly when seeking to promote a particular product, brand or marketing campaign. The myriad ways in which businesses can fully utilize such a site are still being explored. However, these five simple and cost-effective methods will help promote your business via LinkedIn.
Get Connected
To become a household name, a business must connect with its audience. Each LinkedIn member represents a potential client, referral or employee. To compete in today's web-based business world, it’s crucial to deliver a strong and insightful message about your company, what it does, who's involved and what your future goals are. Though it’s a more professional platform than many others, LinkedIn is still a social media site, something you can use to garner connections and followers. So establish your account, set up your profile and begin connecting.
Provide Assistive Content
One great low-cost way to get people interested in your products and services is to provide content that helps people. It doesn't need to be extremely complex, but it should be engaging, thought-provoking content that provides value to readers. Though this strategy may initially feel like you’re giving the store away, the interest in your company's page should increase exponentially if the content you furnish is engaging and valuable to others. Once you have an interested following, it’s easy to find ways to monetize the effort.
Utilize Premium Marketing Solutions
Your level of involvement with LinkedIn will largely depend on the specific needs of your organization and your budget. Premium features such as professional marketing solutions can assist in a variety of ways, from targeting specific audiences and pertinent ad placement to increased social engagement within the LinkedIn platform – and beyond.
Group Participation
According to Wordtracker Academy, group and forum participation can be a great way to raise awareness about one's business. Alongside providing helpful content, group connectivity makes clients and prospects feel emotionally invested. When done right, using groups is a great way to put a bit of personality into a company's image. Just be mindful to post messages that are cohesive and ensure that those posting on your behalf are cognizant of your social media goals.
Groups are also a great way to recruit new employees or partners for new projects. Can't find a group that suits your purpose? Start your own!
Play Well with Others
Just like in a traditional office setting, the way people comport themselves online is important to projecting the right image. Remember: LinkedIn is used by businesses, employees, job seekers, and also potential clients and customers. Many are becoming very discerning when deciding how to spend their time and money, so it is imperative that you make the right impression. Do good work and happy clients will use social media to sing your praises. Use their solid recommendations to dispel any negative perceptions about your organization. And if a valued former employee asks for a public note of encouragement on LinkedIn, give them the reference they need. Even small efforts like these deliver beneficial returns.
This is a guest post by Sarah Brooks from best people search. She is a Houston based freelance writer and blogger. Questions and comments can be sent to brooks.sarah23 @ gmail.com.
