By Alexandru Stan, serial entrepreneur and CEO of Tekpon, a one-stop platform for all software needs.
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If you're searching for a platform to help you reach out to other professionals or businesses, LinkedIn is the way to go. With its vast networking opportunities and carefully curated business-focused content, you can find everything you need to help your business grow. Here's how.
Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile
For a company CEO and for every team member, your LinkedIn profile is like a digital business card. So ensuring it's complete, professional and tailored to your target audience is important. Think about whether your profile gives people a first impression that will make them want to go or stay.
Developing a catchy headline showing your skills and expertise is a great step. This is the hook, as it is called in marketing. Also, remember the summary section! Use it to overview what you do and highlight your biggest accomplishments briefly. When sharing your work experience and skills, focus on the stuff that shows off your motivation and expertise.
And another piece of advice: Try to be original. Be yourself, and don't try to copy other people just because something worked for them. Even in business, people want to know the human behind the title.
Building A Thought Leadership Presence
LinkedIn is a great place to show off what you know and prove you're an expert. When you share your thoughts and insights, people start to see you as someone who knows their stuff. That can bring in new customers and help you find the right business partners.
If you're looking to get your voice heard on LinkedIn, try out their publishing platform. Share articles, blog posts and other pieces tailored to your industry. Ensure your content is engaging and offers practical advice to help your readers. Trust me, they'll appreciate it!
To make solid connections on LinkedIn, you must show some love to others' content! Comment, like and share your connections' posts so they know you're interested. This will help you build relationships. Join some LinkedIn groups that make sense, and you can chime in with your wisdom and become a respected community member.
Ultimately, it is all about making your presence felt in the community. Take this project seriously.
My signature way to make my presence felt in the community is that I always share other people's profiles or pages that I think can interest others in my community. I often recommend that people follow pages about changing their mindset. Thus, people probably see me as someone who likes to share others' profiles on LinkedIn, but it is about more than just this. I aim to unite people who can work together, connect and help each other.
Leveraging Company Pages And Showcase Pages
Take advantage of LinkedIn's company and Showcase Pages by posting eye-catching visuals and up-to-date information to promote your business. Showcase your brand's character to better attract potential clients.
It's crucial to regularly update your pages with engaging content that your followers will enjoy, such as product news, industry trends, customer success stories and stimulating articles. On my company's page, I like to keep our audience engaged with us by highlighting our podcast and articles. I'm delivering everything but discounts, numbers and offers per se. We are selling without telling them to their face that we are selling. I've found this makes people want to follow us.
Here are some additional tips:
• Highlight specific offerings: If your company offers a suite of products, create Showcase Pages for each product. For instance, if a software company has a project management software and a team collaboration tool, each could have its own Showcase Page.
• Tailored messaging: Customize your content to match the interests of your audience. If your project management tool is popular among small businesses, share success stories from small business owners.
Building And Nurturing Relationships
If you're looking to build and maintain business connections, remember that it's all about networking with the right people—potential clients, influencers in your industry and folks who could help you get ahead. So don't be shy—start engaging with the people who matter most!
I've found it helps if you make your connection requests more personal to increase your chances of getting accepted on LinkedIn. Don't just send some generic message. Take the time to make it meaningful. Give endorsements, write recommendations and engage with your connections. That way, you can build a real relationship with them.
It's always a good idea to show a genuine interest in what others do if you're trying to connect with people on LinkedIn and contact them through messaging to see if you can offer help or support. Building real relationships is key, so focus on meaningful interactions rather than just trying to make a sale.
Advertising And Sponsored Content
LinkedIn's advertising options can help you get online visibility and connect with the right people. Sponsored content and ads can zone in on your target audience and even bring people back to your site with remarketing. It's a smart way to get more leads and traffic and make your brand stand out as a go-to source.
To maximize the effectiveness of your LinkedIn ads and sponsored content, you have to prioritize your target audience. Make sure your content flows naturally and aligns with their professional context and preferences. Sharing valuable industry insights, establishing yourself as a thought leader and offering educational content that resonates with professionals can help you effectively convey your message and cultivate enduring relationships.
Ultimately, LinkedIn is a great platform for entrepreneurs seeking to promote their businesses, expand their networks and establish themselves as industry thought leaders.
I also want to leave you with some lessons I've learned to avoid risking your account getting blocked:
• Turn on two-step verification.
• Make sure the listed location reflects where you reside and not the location of your company or your country of origin.
• Do not spam members or the platform.
• Do not use the LinkedIn invitation feature to send promotional messages to people you don't know.
LinkedIn can be a game-changer if you want to take your business to the next level. Trust me; there's a whole world of possibilities waiting for you!
