Top Tips for using LinkedIn for Business

If you’re a business owner, you are probably on LinkedIn, but you may not be using it to its full potential. LinkedIn has loads of potential benefits for your business, but you have to take initiative to leverage those options. Let’s explore a few things you can do today on LinkedIn to help your business.

Create a really good LinkedIn profile

So, there are two kinds of profiles on LinkedIn, there’s your profile, which is about you, not your business. It shows who you are, your work history, your education, etc. If you own a business, your profile shows you as the owner of the business. This is different than your company profile, which if you own a business you should also have. They are two different profiles, but they are within the same account. Don’t go create a second account for your business. (Here’s my profile.)

You need to optimize your personal profile. Imagine if you’re a potential employee or business partner and you go to look up the business owner and the information is out of date or non-existent. You may be reluctant to take the next step.

Your profile needs an up to date photo of YOU. Not your dog. Not your company logo. Not your favorite super hero. LinkedIn is a professional business networking service, your profile photo should reflect that. It should be professional and show you as a business prospect would expect to see you.

Your profile should also be up-to-date. That means if you stopped working at Joe Company Inc. ten years ago, it shouldn’t still show you as employed at Joe Company Inc. Keep your work history up to date.

Optimize your Company Page

Like I said, you should have both a personal profile and a company page. The company page is your business’s profile. It should tell potential customers and employees more about your business. How long have you been in business? How many employees do you have? Where are you located? This should be up-to-date as well. (Here’s our company page.)

Connect with Others

Are you connected with other businesses, employees, etc? If you never login to LinkedIn, you probably aren’t. Networking only works if you actually network. Which means finding other people on LinkedIn to connect with. This can be employees, staff, colleagues, entrepreneurs and more. Build your connections so your network can grow.

Publish Great Content

I always tell people that having social media won’t help you if you don’t use it. LinkedIn is the same way. There are several ways you can share content on LinkedIn, by sharing your own content, like from your blog. Writing original content right on LinkedIn, or by sharing content from other thought leaders and professionals in your industry. If you publish great content that is interesting to your target audience, you’ll get more engagement and more followers.

Engage with Your Connections

Don’t just be a lurker. Get in there and interact. Has someone shared some content that you find interesting? Comment on it. Like it. Ask questions. Engaging with your connections is one of the best and easiest ways to extend your LinkedIn reach. It only takes your time and thought to do.

LinkedIn can be a great place to build business connections, extend your online presence, find new employees and engage with your colleagues in the field… but you have to get on there and use it for it to work.