SEO resellers know that LinkedIn is one of the most powerful
small business marketing tools today. While a lot of companies, specifically
their human resources departments, use it for recruitment, there’s so much more
to this modern and professional social network. For one, it’s free to use. You
won’t even need to upgrade to a premium account if you’re merely using it for
marketing. Business owners should definitely take advantage of its power.
Here are at least 7 tips on how you can maximize LinkedIn in
marketing your small business.
More and more businesses are creating their LinkedIn company pages (LinkedIn)
1. Be on LinkedIn
Obviously! But quite frankly, not all business owners have private
label SEO resellers actually have profiles with the professional social
network. It’s a sad reality that must change now. Just type Linkedin.com on
your browser and you’ll find the sign up form right on the home page. Fill it
out with your name, email, and a password you like. Curious how many people do
this? Two people sign up with LinkedIn every second. And now the site has over
238 million members.
2. Set Up Your Business Page
The site calls them “Company Pages” but you get the point. Over
3 million companies have already published their pages. In the last 12
months alone, some 500,000 company pages were set up. This just shows how hot
company pages are and that your businesses should have one. Not only will it become
another possible search engine result, it can also help doubtful prospects
verify your business. Be sure to include your products and services. Some 1.275
million distinct products and services are currently offered by site members.
3. Join Groups
Like Facebook, LinkedIn also allows you to join communities
or groups of people that share common interests. From the point of view of a
business owner, you should join groups that your prospects take part in. For
instance, if you own a pet grooming shop in your area, you should join a group
about pet grooming. What should be your intention in joining? Should it be
spamming the group with your links? Should it be plastering your business name
all over the place? Read next tip for the answer.
LinkedIn lists some of the most "actionable" updates members post. (LinkedIn)
4. Publish the Most “Actionable” Updates
According to LinkedIn statistics, the four types of updates
that get the most action are as follows: company branding (inside looks and
interviews), employment branding and career opportunities, tips and best
practices, find facts and quotes. For SEO resellers, this means helping your
clients generate content that will give their prospects a glimpse of the
company that produces the item they wish to purchase. It also means coming up
with quality articles that the target audience can identify with and learn
something from.
5. Write a Brief Career Summary
On your personal profile, write a short but specific summary
of your career. How short? A Forbes
magazine article says it should be 100-300 words. “Include telling details
and quantifiable achievements,” the article adds. So, have you been providing
search engine optimization for small businesses for quite some time now? Make sure
that’s visible in your profile. Have you been managing your own flower shop for
the past few years? Make sure your summary includes that info.
6. Optimize Your Content with Keywords
It is not enough that you publish helpful content and
populate your profile and page with pertinent information. You must optimize it
with the right keywords. Keywords make it easier for prospects to find you and
help establish you as an authority in your chosen niche. Are you an expert in
SEO reseller reviews? Make sure to use those keywords in your content, as well
as in other information you publish on your profile and pages.
Steven Burda (pictured above) is the most connected person on LinkedIn with over 50K direct connections.
7. Acquire Contacts
Small business
marketing via LinkedIn may mean acquiring new friends. Similar to joining a
group, LinkedIn contact acquisition is building a list of prospects that may be
interested in your products and services. It is not easy to build a group or
following in any social network, especially if you are after contacts that are
willing to spend for your products and services. Always remember, be sure to
contribute to your social circle. When people see that you are providing value
for contacts that are interested in your niche, they will add you. If you see a
prospect that may prosper your business, do not hesitate to send a personalized
message together with your invite.
BONUS TIP: Outsource All the Hard Work
As what SEO resellers do, business owners can also outsource
the hard work to service providers. Resellers, in particular, are in a great position
to assist business owners in this aspect if their backend provider covers
LinkedIn and other types of social media optimization. The biggest advantage of
using outsourced human resources in marketing your business is being able to
focus on your core business.
Marketing your small business via LinkedIn requires a lot of
time primarily due to the need to produce quality content and publishing this
content on the social network. Good thing though, business owners can look to
resellers and providers for quality, engaging content.
