Learn how you can use Linkedin To Maximize Your Business and Leads Today!

1. Maximizing LinkedIn For Your Business:
The ABCs & 1234’s
There’s no doubt that Twitter and Facebook dominate the social conversation.
It’s all about whom to friend and follow, what to post and tweet and when to
like and hashtag. But don’t forget that business casual member of the social
trifecta – LinkedIn.
According to a recent HubSpot study, LinkedIn generates the highest visitor-to-
lead conversion rate – almost three times higher than both Twitter and Facebook.
However, in a space populated with large corporations, many small businesses
and entrepreneurs are uncertain about how to successfully establish their
presence within this highly effective social platform.
So loosen your tie or kick off those work heels and get business casual with
Square 2 Marketing’s guide to maximizing LinkedIn and generating real,
quantifiable results for your business.
1) Maximize the Profile
This is possibly the simplest attribute of LinkedIn, but unfortunately, many individuals fail to complete
their profile. With more valuable information on your profile about your business, you’ll appear higher
and more often in relevant searches. Also, a thorough profile attracts potential prospects and relevant
thought leaders to reach out and connect with you.
Here are the nuts and bolts of the LinkedIn profile:
a. Photo – This should be a photo of you or an appropriate
figurehead for your business, not an impersonal company logo.
b. Summary – This is a brief, keyword-optimized description of who
you are and what you hope to achieve from networking on LinkedIn.
c. Recommendations – This means asking for recommendations
and giving recommendations to current and previous co-workers.
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2. Another aspect of the LinkedIn profile that is commonly under utilized is the “profile view.” If someone
took the time to read your profile, there’s a good chance that he or she is an influential member within
your industry or even a potential prospect. Either way, it’s important to view these analytics at least
weekly. Also, reach out to the qualified individuals with a connection request that includes a quick note
on who you are and why you’d like to connect. Keep it professional, but with a personal touch!
2) Maximize the Groups
Groups are not only a great way to connect with individuals within your target market, but also an
opportunity to position yourself as a thought leader within your industry.
To start off, find two or three relevant, quality groups. Try to contribute at least three times a week to
each of those groups, whether you’re initiating interesting discussion or intelligently contributing to
another post. And, as always when it comes to social media marketing, avoid the intrusive sales speak!
If your language is laced with “close the sale” cadence, you’re going to lose people’s interest, your own
credibility and, potentially, your membership to the group.
No matter how LinkedIn savvy you are, always keep in mind that it’s not about the quantity of groups
you join, but the quality of those groups and your participation in them.
3) Maximize the Answers
People have questions, show them you have answers. LinkedIn Answers allows you to ask and answer
relevant questions pertaining to a wide range of industries and topics. What makes Answers different
from Groups is that it allows you to search posts/questions without member restrictions.
LinkedIn Answers is an awesome opportunity to boost your company’s credibility. A ‘Best Answer’ is
selected for each question and awarded to one responder, so the more questions you answer with a
credible response, the more recognition you receive as a thought leader in your industry. Give yourself
a goal of contributing four qualified answers a week to your target market’s questions.
Reality Marketing™ Tip: You have questions, your
leads and prospects have answers. Use LinkedIn
Answers to understand your target market’s pains,
straight from their typing fingers. What questions
are they most frequently asking? What issues
are they facing? What kind of language do they
use to describe their pains? Use this insight to
enhance your marketing strategy with relevant and
solutions-based messages for your target market.
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3. 4) Maximize the Applications
LinkedIn provides a number of free applications to more effectively share news, events and
presentations, etc. with your connections. Three prime applications for entrepreneurs include:
a. SlideShare and Google Presentation – These applications have similar functionality, but
with Google Presentation, you can incorporate video. Extend your PowerPoint presentations to
your LinkedIn connections!
b. LinkedIn Events – This allows you to search for virtual or live events as well as to post and
market your own events. Here’s a great tool to market your next webinar series!
c. LinkedIn Polls – Implement this tool directly to your profile – when visitors arrive on your
page, they can answer your question and even see the results. The analytics on this tool are
also very helpful and show the responders’ ages, genders and titles/positions. Insight with a
collaborative element – now that’s a social application.
With strategy and dedication on your team, LinkedIn becomes an extremely efficient social tactic. But
remember, real and quantifiable results take time, so be patient and take the effort to fully integrate these
four guidelines. In time, you’ll get the “close the deal” results your business needs … without the “close
the deal” cadence.
Who We Are.
We’ve helped hundreds of companies just like yours integrate their individual
marketing tactics and campaigns into powerful Marketing Machines™ that
increase sales and set their businesses apart from the competition. To learn
more about how Square 2 Marketing can help you turn your organization
into a completely seamless, fully integrated success engine, give us a call at
215-491-0100, or visit www.square2marketing.com.
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