LinkedIn is often referred to as professional Facebook, but how exactly is it different to Facebook? LinkedIn is used by businesses and individuals to network, and can be a fantastic business to business communication resource. But what benefits does LinkedIn have for small business?
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Increasing your reach.
LinkedIn has 660 million unique accounts, and is growing in popularity. The app has a unique audience based compared to the likes of Instagram or Facebook. LinkedIn’s demographic is mostly comprised of professionals. However, this may give you a unique competitive advantage against other businesses in your area. LinkedIn is currently under utilised by small business owners, however, its unique reach can present an opportunity to reach new and profitable consumers.
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Networking with other local business owners.
LinkedIn allows you to connect with other individuals and business owners in your area. The app is a fantastic tool for networking, and is perfect for the current covid-19 climate. LinkedIn can even help you make new strategic partnerships with other local businesses, as it allows you to “chat” with your network. Creating a LinkedIn profile can also help your business gain credibility among your target audience. LinkedIn is also fantastic for keeping up with industry trends. LinkedIn can allow you to connect with prominent figures or organisations relevant to your field, and updates will be shown to you in your feed. Keeping up with industry trends insures you keep informed and compliant with your industry’s guidelines (and you can use the content you find on you social media channels). LinkedIn allows you to connect with important stakeholders and leverage unique business opportunities.
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Growing your email marketing contact list.
As well as connecting potential clients to your website, LinkedIn can also help you build an email marketing contact list. You can message up to 50 contacts at a time with a crafted letter to invite each of your connections to your email marketing list. You can include a link to sign up, or just collect the potential client’s email via the chat function. Email marketing is great for engaging current clients through targeted messages, offering enticing deals or communicating important clinic updates. Increasing your contact list will help in increasing the return on investment for your email marketing campaigns. But (and this is a big BUT) – this takes time. You must engage first. If your first message to someone is to get them to sign up to an email list, you’ll most likely just annoy them. Engage, offer value and then reach out with your email list invitation.
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Growing your team.
One of LinkedIn’s best functions is as a recruiting service. Your staff are your most important asset as a small business, so recruiting good talent is incredibly important. LinkedIn Recruiter is a function of the app that allows you to find, connect with and manage suitable candidates. It also filters applications based on the skills and experience you require to fit the role. As well as recruiting through the app, you can also vet current candidates through taking a look at their profile. Personal LinkedIn profiles will often have an individual’s past work history, unique skills and other relevant information, and act as an interactive resume. Although recruitment might not be considered marketing, everyone knows that the best marketing comes from within!
LinkedIn is so much more than just professional Facebook! It’s an interactive and unique platform with plenty of functions for small business marketing. Whether you’re looking to increase your audience, network, or grow your business, LinkedIn is a great platform for extending your digital marketing plan. Want to know more about using LinkedIn or social media for marketing? Contact us today!