I’m always asked if LinkedIn is worth the effort or not. And my answer is always, Yes, if that’s where your customers hang out. And, Yes, if it gives you a platform to share valuable content and start a conversation. Go for it. It’s worth it.
Marketing is all about showing up where your customers are so that when they are ready to buy they think of you. So, if your clients are on there. You should be on there too.
LinkedIn isn’t known for its coolness, but it’s emerged as the cool kid of 2018. Adding new features, enhanced profiles, video capability and audio messaging.
Business owners, sick of changing algorithms and diminishing reach of other channels have flocked to LinkedIn. And they are seeing great results.
According to Social Media News, there are 4.5 million ‘active’ users in Australia. And that number appears to be rising.
But, don’t go on there thinking it works the same as Facebook, or other social platforms you’re on. You’ll be disappointed. Like anything, you need to get to know it’s quirks and styles to make the most of it.
Here’s what you need to know about LinkedIn
It’s all about your audience.
- It’s not about what you want to say. It’s about what your customers want to hear.
You need to have a goal.
- Know why you are on there.
Otherwise, LinkedIn will be another time suckhole, waiting to draw you in. - LinkedIn is the place to start the conversation before meeting in person. But don’t spam everyone with requests too early. You need to get to know each other first.
Write with a specific audience in mind
- Be clear about who your audience is. Understand who you want to start a conversation with and when they are online. If you do this, you’ll get greater engagement on your posts and it will build your credibility.
Pay attention to your profile
- Have an amazing profile. You need to stand out and help people know what you do straight away. LinkedIn profile pages aren’t meant to read like a resume so there are plenty of places you can demonstrate what you do and how you help.
- Your profile needs to be current and has all the sections filled in. If you’ve bothered to sign up – why do a half-assed effort with your profile? You may as well go all in!
- Make sure you have a recent quality photo. It amazes me how many people still have an avatar as their profile pic, or even worse, a glamour shot from the 90’s.
Have a plan to create good content
- You need a content strategy to get the most of LinkedIn for your business. Every great content strategy starts with your audience, and what they find valuable.
- Set your strategy up for success with a dedicated resource and budget.
Be social
- LinkedIn isn’t a broadcast channel. You need to engage and get involved in the community. Like and comment on posts as well as sharing your own information counts for a lot. Don’t Post and Run.
- Better still, write posts that make other people look good.
- Be professional. But remember to show your personality. People want to do business with other people.
- Grow your network – but don’t spam people with offers.
- Personal Posts get up to 10 x more reach and engagement than company posts.
Get your employees involved and give them a reason to share your content.
Know the hacks
- Invite comments on your posts or ask questions of your audience.
- Remember to use relevant hashtags #
- Don’t link off to your website from a general post. If you need to, pop the link in the comments. LinkedIn will penalise you if you try and drag people away from their platform.
- Only tag people if the post is relevant to them.
LinkedIn is no longer a jobs platform only. It has much more to offer and is a great way to improve the perception of your company.
I started seeing great results with my small business the moment I started paying it a bit more attention and suspect you will too.
And remember the goal is to start a conversation on LinkedIn but work out a way to move the conversation offline and work with each other. Connect with me on LinkedIn
