LinkedIn For Business: How to Get Started

When LinkedIn was first launched in 2003, it was intended to be a tool for recruiters and job seekers.

Now owned by Microsoft, LinkedIn has become more than just a place to find new talent and apply for jobs. Yes, it’s still the optimal spot to look for job opportunities and recruit top talent, but it’s also a place for businesses and professionals to: 

• Connect with others in their industry

• Engage in thought leadership

• Find new qualified leads

• Generate new customers through social selling

• Research prospects

• Stay up to date with industry news

• Grow professional skills

• Network with other professionals

The popularity and capabilities of LinkedIn continue to grow, making it a huge opportunity that businesses don’t want to miss out on!

Should You Use LinkedIn for Your Business?

If you’re wondering if LinkedIn is “worth it,” here are some stats that might encourage you to spend some time on this professional social media platform: 

• LinkedIn is consistently ranked as the most trusted social media platform

• LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network, with more than 850 million members in over 200 countries

• There are more than 65 million business decision-makers on LinkedIn

• More than 57 million businesses have a LinkedIn Company Page

• LinkedIn is considered the most popular platform for B2B marketers

Needless to say, LinkedIn is a fantastic place for businesses. If you’re considering incorporating LinkedIn into your social media strategy, this guide is perfect for you. We’ll walk you through some of the best ways to utilize this powerful platform for your business.

Getting Your Business Started on LinkedIn

The first step to getting your business started on LinkedIn is to create a Company Page. Set up your page for success by adding your business logo and a cover photo, as well as filling out all the sections available. For businesses that want new leads, set up a lead generation form on your page. If you plan to invest in LinkedIn’s advertising tools, you can also set up a LinkedIn Ad Account and link it to your Company Page. 

Once you set up and optimize your LinkedIn Company Page, it’s time to start sharing content. Posting consistently will help you grow your following. You should also spend some time interacting with other pages to get your business in front of more people. 

LinkedIn Best Practices

As you craft your business marketing strategy on LinkedIn, there are a few best practices to keep in mind. 

First, fill out every section of your Company Page. In the description section, you can add up to 2,000 words. Try your best to use most of those words to describe your business, including who you serve, the types of products/services you offer, and any competitive advantages. Consider some keywords related to your industry and incorporate those into your profile. 

You also have the opportunity to add up to three hashtags to your Company Page. These should relate to your industry and target customers. For example, on Tribute Media’s LinkedIn page, we included #inboundmarketing, #webdesign, and #digitalmarketing as relevant hashtags for our industry. 

Once you start creating and sharing content from your page, consider what people will find most interesting and valuable. Keep your captions simple unless you have a specific topic you’re wanting to expand on. Add engaging visuals like photos, graphics, or videos that support your message. You should also incorporate a few relevant hashtags to help your posts reach the right people.

As you spend time engaging with other people and businesses on LinkedIn, remember to keep it professional. Of course, you should get creative and have some fun! But, this is a platform for professionals, so your messaging should reflect that and stay on brand. 

4 Ways to Grow Your Business on LinkedIn

How your business uses LinkedIn depends entirely on your business goals. Maybe you’re hoping to increase the visibility of your business or trying to get your products/services in front of more people.

To help you craft your LinkedIn strategy, here are four of the best ways you can use LinkedIn to grow your business.

1. Share Relevant, Valuable Content

LinkedIn is a place where people expect value when they’re consuming content, so remember that when you’re posting. There are many different approaches you can take, but it’s always best to keep a healthy balance between educational content and promotional content. A general rule of thumb is to have 80% of your content provide value while the other 20% promotes your products or services. 

LinkedIn has added a lot of engaging tools to utilize on their platform, including polls, articles, newsletters, events, livestreams, and more. Test out a couple of these features for your business to see if it helps boost engagement. 

Thought leadership is also booming on LinkedIn, so consider establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry either through your Company Page or personal LinkedIn profile (or both!).

Above all, keep your target audience top of mind when sharing content, because those are the people you want to reach. LinkedIn has said its algorithm primarily focuses on engaging content tailored to each person’s interests and provides value. The more engaging, relevant, and valuable your content is, the more likely it is to reach your ideal audience!

2. Engage with Others on the Platform

Just as much as you’re taking time to share relevant content, you should also be carving out time to engage with other pages and people. Start by finding other thought leaders in your industry and interact with their content, leaving comments or sharing posts.

A great way to connect with others on LinkedIn is to offer your knowledge and expertise. Where can you add value to discussions already happening on the platform? Search relevant keywords and hashtags to find content to engage with. 

LinkedIn Groups can also help you find prospects or connect with others in your industry. You can only join groups through your personal profile, but it’s worth it to learn more about your prospects and find the right content to interact with. LinkedIn Groups can be a good place to answer specific questions or offer expertise by sharing a recent blog post, case study, etc.

The ultimate goal is to build meaningful relationships, so be strategic about who you engage with. Other content you could engage with includes recent news in your industry, current trends in the professional world, and popular conversations among your customers. 

3. Invest in LinkedIn’s Advertising Platform

LinkedIn has one of the most robust advertising platforms, particularly when it comes to targeting. Since so many people want to keep their LinkedIn profile up to date, the targeting capabilities are much more accurate compared to other social networks. You can target specific industries, job titles, skills, interests, and more. You can also use customer lists, website retargeting, and retargeting by engagement. 

Some of the objectives you can use LinkedIn’s Advertising Platform for include: 

• Increasing brand awareness
• Driving website traffic
• Generating qualified leads

If you’re a B2B organization, you should really consider running some LinkedIn ads. While the platform’s costs can be more expensive, the payoff is much higher due to more precise targeting. 

Social selling on LinkedIn has also grown in popularity, especially since the platform has such robust data. If you’re looking to use LinkedIn for social selling, LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator tool is worth the investment. This sales tool allows you to conduct advanced research on your prospects and connect with qualified leads to move them along the buyer’s journey.

4. Encourage Employee Advocacy 

One of the best strategies for growing your organic presence on LinkedIn is employee advocacy. In fact, employee content can receive eight times more engagement than a Company Page. 

Encourage your employees to amplify your content by reacting, commenting, sharing, and more. If employees are interested in doing more, tell them to build their own thought leadership and tag your business when possible.  

Ultimately, your employees are your best advocates, and LinkedIn is the perfect place to get them more involved in your brand’s mission.

Time to Get Started

Now that you better understand the power of LinkedIn and the best ways to use the platform, it’s time to get your business started. We wish you luck as you put these strategies into action and watch your business grow.

If you’re looking for more help building and executing a successful LinkedIn strategy, we’d love to help!