5 Things You Should do to Grow Your Business With Linkedin

Need more Linkedin tips? Check out these “How-To” examples from our blog:

• How To Market Your Business on Linkedin
• How To Use Linkedin Sales Navigator To Find New Prospects
• 5 Steps For Writing Successful LinkedIn Text Ads

So here are the 5 things you should do to grow your business with Linkedin

1. Update Your Profile on A Regular Basis

Things are likely to change with your business over the course of the year — new management, new team members, mergers, and acquisitions, or the relocation of your main offices, just to name a few possibilities. Outdated information isn’t going to do you any favors if someone is coming across your business for the first time via LinkedIn. Even if no significant changes occur within your business, it never hurts to change wording or spruce up paragraphs now and then. Refreshing your LinkedIn page extends:

• Profile Photos
• Headlines
• Profile Summaries

2. Incorporate Keywords and Phrases

You can have a killer LinkedIn profile, but it’s not going to do you any good if it doesn’t rank high on SERPs (search engine results pages). There are plenty of free online tools you can use to determine which keywords and phrases are most likely to give your page a boost on SERPs. Avoid Google keyword stuffing or too many internal site links within your content to avoid getting penalized. For better results, consider hiring a professional Social Media Marketing agency that already knows all the best techniques to boost your marketing efforts.

3. Build a Quality Network

Just because you get an invitation, doesn’t mean you have to automatically add another user to your network. Take a moment to review each invitation request to determine if the user at least has a fully completed profile. Too many users in your network with haphazard profiles aren’t going to reflect well on your business. Resist the temptation to automatically accept LinkedIn suggestions of possible matches since there’s no point in having people within your network you’ll never interact with beyond that initial invite acceptance. A quality LinkedIn network includes users who tend to:

• Belong to the same group
• Have previously read and shared your content
• Include a personal note with their invitation to explain their reason for seeking a connection with you
• Work within the same general industry (or have previously worked within your field)
• Share common interests or support similar causes referenced in your profile

4. Remain Visible and Consistent

Be just as interactive as the people you wish to attract. Post regular status updates on your profile at least once a day to let people know you are active. If you have nothing groundbreaking to share, pose questions related to your industry — What are the most important features you look for in a new home? What are your top three must-have tech gadgets? — to solicit responses. The “LinkedIn Today” tab will show you trending news topics you may be able to spin as relevant to your business. You can also check notifications at the top of your profile to see who’s been recently interacting with you, who likes your posted discussions, who like your updates, and who have made comments on your updates. You’ll also get a glimpse of what people in your network are talking about, with the option to jump right into the conversation.

4. Choose a Handful of Quality and Relevant Groups

Further, increase your activity on LinkedIn by participating in 3-4 groups with equally active participation. While you can join up to 50 groups on LinkedIn, you’re not going to really be able to be an active part of each one, so pick and choose the ones most relevant to your business. Position yourself as a leader by asking questions or starting new, relevant topics to establish credibility. If you can’t find a group that’s right for you, start your own group. Be courteous and professional with your engagements and avoid:

• Sending anything that can be considered spam
• Making public sales pitches (a link back to your website will suffice)
• Posting disparaging comments about competitors (whether true or not, such negativity isn’t likely to go over well)

Final Thoughts

Only a quarter of LinkedIn’s million members actually use the social platform on a regular basis. This means that many businesses aren’t maximizing their efforts with a platform that can be a great way to make a good first impression on visitors. If you fall into this category, incorporate some of the above tips into your LinkedIn efforts. Track your stats (even with a free account, you can still see how many people are visiting your page) and adjust your efforts accordingly to fine-tune your results.