Using LinkedIn for Small Business Owners 2017

Should I use LinkedIn for My Business? 

When considering whether you use LinkedIn for your business there are two main areas to consider. Firstly what outcome are you looking to get from using LinkedIn? Obviously for B2B companies - using LinkedIn as a tool for your business should be given. 

But what about consumer-facing businesses? While a LinkedIn business page is unlikely to sell say women's' clothing - it's still a way of promoting your brand and your values. And, as we know, here in 2017 - consumers want to know about brand values. 

There is also another consideration for small business owners who have companies who deal directly with customers - building trust in your personal brand  If, as a business owner you are getting involved with conversations on LinkedIn about areas such as finance, news in your industry, or dare I say it, even politics, you are showing your potential audience, future business partners and suppliers what you are all about. 

That's not to say that you should put your main focus on LinkedIn if it's not where your buyers 'hang out' but do consider your reputation, and the benefits that a professional profile can bring to you. 

Should I set up a LinkedIn Business Page or Use my Personal Page for my small business? 

So you've decided to take the plunge and look at LinkedIn as a way of promoting your business. How should you proceed? Do you need a LinkedIn business page - or should you go about personally building your audience via your personal page? 

The answer, as with most social media decisions is - it depends! I would always suggest that you build your personal profile if you have a small business with few employees, before you build a page. The reason being that LinkedIn business pages can be tricky to promote on your own. It takes a good amount of work, and you need to be able to leverage your contacts to get followers to the page. 

How Can I get More Followers to My LinkedIn Business Page? 

Unlike Facebook - there are no direct ways to invite personal connections to your business page. So you need to put the work both inside and outside of the LinkedIn platform. As with all social media plans - start with your content strategy - if there's nothing interesting being posted on your LinkedIn business page - then there is not much to attract someone to like it! Post interesting and engaging articles - these can be shared from your website or from a LinkedIn Pulse post which you have personally posted. Get your employees, if you have any, involved. They can help to share your content and spread the word about your business page. If you have genuine contacts who use your business, send them a message to let them know about your page. Engage in LinkedIn groups as an individual, and signpost relevant content on your page. 

Outside of the platform itself - you should always ensure that your LinkedIn business page is linked from your website and on other social media platforms. Add your page to your email signature. There are many ways to gain traction on LinkedIn, but many misunderstand business pages and how they can be leveraged. If you're struggling with your business page - do get in touch with our marketing experts to see how we can help. 

How Can I update my Company LinkedIn Page from my mobile App? 

I have added this, as it's a personal gripe of mine that the LinkedIn app does not let you manage your company page! Wise up LinkedIn - we are all using mobile - so c'mon and update this feature!