How To Use LinkedIn For Business In 2021

If you’re a small business owner, you’ve probably already got a presence on social media – but are you using the right types of content for LinkedIn? You may have used this platform to keep an eye on your professional network or advertise job opportunities, yet to stop there could see you miss out on a marketing gold mine. 

Here, we identify some key components of a LinkedIn marketing strategy. They include:

• Building your personal and business page
• Showing the personality and knowledge behind your brand
• Interacting with your network and industry
• Utilising images, native video and targeted ads

Let’s take a deeper dive into the benefits of these areas, as we look at how to use LinkedIn for business.

Optimise your personal LinkedIn profile

When was the last time you viewed your LinkedIn profile to make sure it’s an accurate, professional reflection of what you do? If you can’t remember, it’s probably in need of some TLC before you start investing time in using this platform for your business.

Updating your headline and bio with relevant keywords will help you appear in search results, and it’s a crucial first step in improving your ranking on LinkedIn’s Social Selling Index. Want to know how well you’re already performing on LinkedIn? Get your SSI score and actionable tips on where to focus your personal activity on the platform. 

Set up your LinkedIn business page

Optimising your personal profile is key, but it’s also wise to invest time in building your company’s page too. From the content in your ‘About’ tab to the pictures you use, you’ve plenty of opportunities to show off your brand’s personality and specialisms. The hashtags you choose will also allow you to comment as your company on posts by others.

Transparency is the key to a trusting relationship between you and your audience. So, make it easy for them to know who you are, what you do and what you can offer. 

Show off your brand and its expertise 

With your profiles complete, you can get to work on putting them in front of the right people. Never underestimate the power of flaunting your expertise – it’s one of your greatest assets, after all. If blog posts are part of your marketing strategy, share them with LinkedIn as a status update. Asking questions, running polls and offering your opinion on industry news will also position you as a thought leader with their finger firmly on the pulse.

How you look is just as important as how you sound. It’s no secret that content with attractive imagery increases engagement. Attaching a carousel of pictures to your posts gives a view into the humans behind your organisation, helping your audience connect more with your brand.

Using LinkedIn native video instead of an external platform, like YouTube, is well worth exploring too. Direct uploads allow you to reap the rewards of auto-play – an invaluable feature that drives more engagement, interaction and, ultimately, brand awareness. Our top tip? Add subtitles for any dialogue to accommodate the viewers scrolling by on mute. 

Involve and engage your professional network

Of course, your activity on LinkedIn shouldn’t be one-way. And if you don’t think about how your network fits into the picture, your reach and engagement will be limited. 

When posting, make use of tagging and sharing features to shout about any clients or customers you have. Supporting the content published by affiliate brands or those in your networking groups is a great way to align yourself with them – and they may even return the favour. Also, look out for comments on posts and mentions of your brand, and respond to messages from LinkedIn members in a timely manner. 

Your employees can help too. You can even notify them when a new post goes out on the company page. Get them to stamp you loud and proud on their work experience section, as well as interact with your statuses, and you’ll merge their network with yours to boost your reach. 

Finally, having a presence in niche industry groups is another proven method of providing real value to qualified audiences. They’re already interested in what you’ve got to say, so your posts should go down well here. Just remember the golden rule: only ever posting sales messages about your product or service is a big no-no.

Generate leads with targeted ads 

Although specific marketing goals may vary from business to business, generating leads is a mainstay in any strategy. And to help make this a reality, LinkedIn allows for targeted ad campaigns to reach your desired demographic with the right message.

Take aim with your ads based on follower profile data, and even reach your identified target market beyond your network of connections. Sponsored content and various other ad types – including InMails – are all available on the advertising platform. 

All you need to do is set a budget, identify your goals, and away you go. Our blog on tying your paid ad strategy to the three stages of the sales funnel can help further fine-tune your efforts. 

How can Making You Content help? 

As you can see, LinkedIn’s marketing potential goes far beyond filling job vacancies – it’s capable of growing your business by attracting, engaging and nurturing your ideal audience. It does this by acting as your brand’s shop window, as well as a crucial direct line of communication.   

At Making You Content, we recognise the power of this platform. With our social media expertise, we can build a strategy that allows you to get the very most out of LinkedIn (and any other platforms where your target market hangs out) with a mix of organic and paid social support. If you don’t already have one, we can even create a LinkedIn business page for you, taking care of the initial setup all the way through to community management.

Ready to tap into LinkedIn’s potential? Let’s talk! Our team will discuss how best to share your message with the world.