When it comes to social networks, the “big three” that have consistently maintained popularity and importance are Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Facebook and Twitter are social networks for anyone to communicate with anyone else. LinkedIn is a bit more specific; it’s a professional network used primarily by business people and employers.
For something with such a clear niche, it’s really a testament to its value that LinkedIn is considered to be on the same level as Facebook and Twitter. Because it is different, the same tactics that work for promoting your company on Facebook and Twitter don’t always apply to marketing on LinkedIn. Here are some tips for promoting your company on LinkedIn.
SEO Your Page
On your company page, be sure to fill out all the appropriate information pertaining to your business. It’s the same as with your directory listings – the more complete your profile is, the more helpful it will be to potential customers. It’s also important that you consider SEO for your LinkedIn page. Use the keywords you target within your profile several times, because the page will be indexed. Additionally, your page will rank higher on results within LinkedIn for anyone who is searching the site for related topics. The same principles you’d apply to your website or blog generally apply to your LinkedIn page, too (keyword density, authentic content, etc.).
Use Your Products/Services Tab
The products and services tab gives you the chance to show off what your business offers its customers. You can include a full list of your products and services, as well as images and detailed descriptions. Once you’ve done this, people can post recommendations of your listings. Try to encourage your customers, employees, and business associations to endorse your listings.
Refine Products/Services Tabs with Demographics
You also have the ability to target the products and services you list to specific demographics, and this is a great tool for businesses with very diverse offerings to use. You can target your listings based on another user’s geographic location, industry, job function, and more. This helps you target the people who will find your products and services most relevant.
Post Targeted Status Updates
Status updates via LinkedIn are an excellent tool for keeping people up-to-date on happenings within your company, events, new product launches, staff changes, general news, and more. LinkedIn recently added the ability to target your status updates by demographics, just like with products and services. You can now increase the impact of your updates by writing specifically for one segment of your followers, such as specific locations, industries, or company sizes.
Use Groups
The groups of LinkedIn provide many opportunities for promoting your company, but they also require time and attention. If you join a group related to your business, make sure you regularly add valuable comments or begin interesting discussions, and never try hard selling. Creating a group is also an option, but it’s generally a better idea to join a group that’s already established and has a large membership than trying to start your own community from scratch. The polling option within groups is a great tool for companies in order to drive engagement or gather information and opinions from the people who are closest to and most involved in your niche.
Cross-Promote
Finally, a quick reminder – don’t forget to cross-promote your LinkedIn page across other channels. Include a link on your Facebook and Twitter pages, and add a “follow” button for LinkedIn on your profile alongside your “like” and “retweet” buttons.