Social media platforms come in every size and shape these days, and they have proven exciting ways for businesses to advertise and market a range of services.
LinkedIn was originally thought to be a way to connect prospective employees and employers, but many businesses are now using LinkedIn prospecting as a way to develop sales strategies and identify prospective leads.
If you are looking to tap into new forms of media to boost sales, consider these 5 top tips for using LinkedIn.
1. Optimize your presence
First of all, you won’t get very far in searching for business prospects if your LinkedIn profile is only half completed. Make sure you’ve included any relevant keywords that people may be searching for, and provide plenty of resources or content that are related to your industry.
2. Make connections
The brilliant thing about LinkedIn is that it allows you to connect with people in different ways. Those that you directly know or have contact with are typically the initial first-degree connects you will have, but you’ll be able to get an entire picture of your network through the connections that your immediate network has.
For example, if you have a potential sales lead in mind, you can check to see if that person is connected to you through anyone else. In the case that they are, you can have your first-degree shared connection introduce you both. This is a great way to start a business relationship based on a recommendation, which potential buyers love.
3. Join some groups
Like other social media platforms, LinkedIn allows users to join groups based on specific industries, interests, or workplaces. Joining a group is the fastest way to immediately connect with people who are already interested in what you have to sell, and you can therefore use these connections to develop more aggressive sales strategies.
Being an active member of the group also helps others see you as an authority and reputable figure in the field. People will want to learn more about your brand if you are providing a compelling front.
4. Stay active
Don’t just fill out a profile and leave it sitting for weeks on end. It is important to stay as active as possible to make sure that you are getting the most visibility on the site.
Since you are able to publish articles and posts to LinkedIn, consider sharing anything you have written that will show your worth. Similarly, continue to recommend others that you know as that will give you more chance of reciprocal recommendations on your page.
5. Do your research
No, you are not stalking if you are looking up the LinkedIn profiles for prospective clients. After all, that is exactly what the service was designed for! This can be helpful for targeting company management, or deciding on whether a person’s history reflects the potential for a long-term relationship.
Keep in mind that people do have the ability to mark what they are interested in on their profiles. Most people have joined the platform to connect, so they will be open to everything from job offers to questions. However, make sure that you are not trying to contact someone through LinkedIn who states that they do not want sales solicitations.
