LinkedIn Is Your Suit & Tie

LinkedIn for small businesses has stepped up its game. From a 360-view-point, there are new features popping up weekly. As a result of these changes, LinkedIn launched its LinkedIn Live, a program designed for small-business leaders and local professionals to share insights on using LinkedIn to drive real business results. It made its first west coast debut last week at the Portland Zoo. The event consists of keynotes, speakers, panels and an actual team from LinkedIn.

Image courtesy of Pixabay and Unsplash

The all morning event was highly beneficial and I handpicked my fifteen favorite pointers on LinkedIn for small businesses that you probably don’t already know or do. The following list is taken from speakers geared toward personal branding, sales, marketing, and HR. One speaker said it best, “LinkedIn is your suit and tie”.

1. Sales should be using it to research and identify targets.
2. Before talking to a prospect, a sales representative should review the prospect’s LinkedIn profile.
3. Sales reps should connect the dots on news and trends, broker introductions, and become a group aficionado so people view you as a valuable source.
4. Sales can save an advanced search for prospects and receive weekly updates of who joins.
5. LinkedIn’s Pulse is booming and small businesses should work with LinkedIn to integrate content to show up in Pulse.
6. Process and display referrals on your company page.
7. Joining groups is good but starting your own LinkedIn group and recruiting your own people is even better—connect it to your personal account or company.
8. Periodically set up LinkedIn polls and discuss the results with your audience.
9. Periodically monitor and measure your page’s audience and engagement to determine what content to post.
10. Regularly Tweet out for people to join your LinkedIn group.
11. Look into LinkedIn’s new “Influencers” (currently in BETA).
12. When traveling, search LinkedIn for people who are in the area to go out for coffee with and network.
13. Join other groups to add value and help others for lead generation.
14. A sweet spot for groups is to join and interact with 5-10. Don’t over commit.
15. A key point of the company page is to be a learning hub for people considering work at your company so display your company culture.

Work to implement one of these points a week to achieve a highly successful presence on LinkedIn for small businesses.