Five LinkedIn Tips For Your Business

Posted by Jyll Stuart on Mar 30, 2010 in Social Media | Comments Off

As a business owner, LinkedIn can be one of the most valuable tools to market yourself and your business. LinkedIn is a social network of over 60 million experienced professionals like you from around the world, representing 150 industries and 200 countries. Joining LinkedIn is easy, simply register for an account; fill out your profile; connect with business associates; and go! Here are five quick tips for success:

Your Profile

The inner workings of LinkedIn rely on each individual’s profile. Not only is your profile key to others finding and connecting with you but it is also key to LinkedIn showing you relevant content. Your summary and experience are very important so spend an appropriate amount of time composing each. If you’d like my assistance or feedback, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and ask!

Your Company Profile

As a business owner, you’ll want to make sure that your company’s profile is on LinkedIn. You can create your company’s profile just as easily as you created your own. Check out Veracity’s profile on LinkedIn. If you own your own domain name and have email delivered via that domain name, you can add a profile for your company. Click on “Companies” in the top menu bar and then click on “Add A Company” at the top right of the page. Follow the steps listed to add your company to LinkedIn.

Groups

Using LinkedIn with your business is just as simple. One of the best ways I’ve networked with folks is by joining groups. Use the Groups menu at the top of the page to select the Groups Directory. You can search using keywords, or browse categories and/or languages. For example, if you own a custom jewelry shop you might search on “jewelry designer” to see the 14 groups currently available. You can click the group’s name for more information and decide whether or not you’d like to join. Some groups have automatic approval while others require the group owner to approve your membership request.

Answer Questions

The Answers Section on LinkedIn is a great place to interact with other professionals.  Q&A topics are organized into broad categories. Folks that provide answers to questions are ranked on the quality of that answer (by the original poster). This is a great place for you to share your knowledge and build connections.

Sharing

You’ll want people to connect with you on LinkedIn so be sure to let them know where to find you and your company. Use your LinkedIn profile address on your email signature, your business card, or in the “About” section on your website. Make sure that your employees know you have a company profile that they can connect add that to their profile.