Apart From Your Profile, How Else Can LinkedIn Promote You.Inc?

Utilizing the power of LinkedIn for business development is something that a lot of people still haven’t managed to grasp.

We’ve already covered how vital it is to spend time developing an awesome profile, but what else can the site offer you when it comes to promoting your small business?

Free now – but what about the future?

Basic membership to LinkedIn is free, and there are many small businesses that can get everything they need from the site from the free service.  And, we’d like to let you in on some insider information; we’ve been told by the MD of the Asian and Australasian arm of LinkedIn that there are currently no plans to change this.

There are paid upgrades to the site, and in some cases these upgrades can be beneficial, but right now, let’s talk about some other free ways that you can use LinkedIn marketing to benefit your small business.

Share your expertise

LinkedIn offers a plethora of different groups; groups that cover every business, trade, profession and industry, along with ways to market and expand your business.  Choose the groups you wish to interact with carefully.  They should be relevant to your own business, and you should decide if you want to ‘take’ information from the group, or if you want to input your own expertise.

Because, and this is the important part so pay attention, every time you ask or reply to a question in a group, it’s linked to your profile.  This means that a few carefully chosen words here and there is yet another way of showcasing you and company’s talents.  In essence – it’s free advertising.  Utilizing these kinds of strategies to expand your LinkedIn marketing efforts are powerful, clever and show potential clients that you’re passionate about what you do.

And if you fancy setting up a group of your own, then don’t do it simply to advertise your business.  What the canny marketer will do is to set up a group that gives value to others.  It should be relevant to those who might be in the market for your services, but provide them with a reason to join – in other words, direct promotion is not what setting up LinkedIn group for marketing purposes is all about.

Subtle, clever advertising.  That’s the most successful kind.

In a nutshell, utilizing the power of LinkedIn to market your business is something that shouldn’t be overlooked.  And as with every other aspect of communication, make it personal.  Personal to the people you’re trying to connect with, and personal to your target market.

And if you fancy connecting on LinkedIn with us, then we’d love to hear from you.