WSI Simply Social

Are you using LinkedIN for your small business? My last LinkedIN Blog Post generated some interest from WSI Internet Consultant Lou Unkeless so I hope this post helps him.

While you may have a LinkedIN profile, are you really leveraging the power of it? It’s great for small businesses for many reasons among them:

• Brand Asset Optimisation
• An excellent platform for service oriented professionals

Useful Tips for Small Businesses Using LinkedIN

Use these simple tips to make the most of your small business LinkedIN profile.

Your Profile Page

Make sure you add a photo. Your profile will appear dormant without one. There is also an option to choose a branded url for your profile – For example http://www.linkedin.com/in/yourcompanyname. Login regularly and show that your account is active. Post updates and interesting industry related topics that help you to become a thought-leader in your market. Alter your email signature so that it links to all your Social Networking profiles (including LinkedIN).

Giver’s Gain

Use the Question & Answer feature on LinkedIN wisely. By answering questions throughtfully you are given the opportunity to demonstrate your expertise in the field. In addition to this you will attract/gain leads that are drawn to your knowledge. If you’re really good you will be rewarded by LinkedIN’s rating system and you will gain extra exposure.

Remember to ask questions too. Aside from gaining the information you’re looking for, asking questions on LinkedIN is an excellent way to create discussions and engage with other connections.

Start a Group on LinkedIN

Anyone can start a LinkedIN group and begin networking on a specific topic. With some added effort you’ll be able to gain influence with your network and some professionals have found this to be one of the surefire methods of building a strong following. Building a group around an established brand is also a great way to bring users or customers together.

Start a Poll

Another feature worth exploring is their poll tool. You can create and send polls to your networks for free, or send polls to a targeted community for a fee. Great conversation can come from starting a poll on LinkedIN.

Read more about Optimising your LinkedIN profile for search.