How to Use LinkedIn with Inbound Marketing and Small Business

Much like any other social network, LinkedIn can be leveraged as a powerful marketing tool. However, if you are not careful, LinkedIn can work against your business instead of helping it blossom. If your profile is not presenting your company and its value to the potential customers in the proper manner it could be an obstacle to your success.

Let’s review how you can leverage Linkedin and what key points you should include on your LinkedIn company page to encourage community engagement, lead generation, and brand recognition.

There are many ways a small business can use LinkedIn:

Use inbound marketing as a recruiting tool.
Network with the industry’s most sought after thought leaders. Draw attention to your business and sales strategies and poise your company as the place to be.

Use office events and excitement as a way to show the truth in your brand.
Network and communicate with like-minded, innovative, and motivated individuals like yourself. Build partnerships, and establish thought leadership groups.

Learn and let learn.
Get to know your network more than in passing. Participation within your LinkedIn community allows you to understand and aid your community in their own journey to success. The Society of New Communications Research study, “The Social Mind”, found that nearly 80% of people participate in online communities to help others. Also, almost all respondents reported that that they “participate in online networks and communities for educational purposes and to learn about topics.” (SocialMediaToday.com) Communities everywhere are looking for your subject matter expertise. Let those communities learn from you.

All of these amenities and business-building bonuses don’t come standard with your registered LinkedIn account, unfortunately. It takes time and a little elbow grease to get your small business linked-in on LinkedIn.

Let’s review some of those tips and tricks to get your business the brand recognition it deserves amongst your peers and potential leads. LinkedIn is about building community, much like inbound marketing is about building community and recognition around your brand. Let’s get started.

LinkedIn touts its ability to enable your small business to establish, connect, and engage with your past, current, and future customers.

As seen on their small business home page:

Knowing your audience, creating your information hub, and creating a Linkedin page that is easy to find. Here are the three big tips from the business professionals themselves. ( Pictured Above )

“Make it easy for the right people to find your Company Page by adding SEO terms in the description and ‘Specialties’ sections.”
– LinkedIn

Other simple but often ignored tips to achieve success on LinkedIn include:

Be sure all fields in your personal profile and your LinkedIn company page are filled out properly and fully. This is important for a few reasons. Being transparent is vital when using the inbound marketing methodology. Creating doubt or uncertainty is never productive. Also, you want to provide the most information possible, allowing the viewer the ability to learn and engage.

When linking to anything from your LinkedIn company page, it is important to use anchor text, which is more professional and easier for search engine to identify.

Participate. Engage. Delight. Always focus on the customer, provide insights on trends, interesting images, industry relevant news. There are many ways to attract and delight with LinkedIn, be sure you are maximizing your social potential by producing high-impact video, interactive multimedia, and content that encourages innovation and thought leadership.

LinkedIn can be used as the communicator of your business website. You can establish community, engage with clients, and connect with individuals to further your business goals as well as theirs. Get LinkedIn with inbound marketing and achieve overall business success.