When you want to market your business, you inevitably face a dilemma over which platforms to market your business on. It is common knowledge these days that from among a multitude of online platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can be employed to market a business successfully. But what about LinkedIn?
Businesses, particularly small ones really underestimate the potential of LinkedIn and the opportunities it could open up for them, even though LinkedIn is said to be the treasure trove of Fortune 500 corporate bigwigs.
Let’s go over some statistics to give you an idea. As per Fortune, TechCrunch, and Business Insider, LinkedIn has around 562 million members. And as revealed by LinkedIn Marketing Solutions 100 million users on LinkedIn actually have decision-making positions. While around 40% of all the members, are actively using LinkedIn, looking for valuable content to read, grow their business, reach new clients, and make precious connections.
So what does this mean for your business?
Make Valued Connections
LinkedIn’s basic function is to establish connections, not only with your employees or friends but with your current and target clients, too. With a major chunk of users in the decision-making and influential positions at their respective companies, LinkedIn helps you reach these influencers. Through this platform you can make them aware of your business, services, and what advantage it may hold for them. Fortune 500 executives may not find time or interest for Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, but they definitely spend their free time on this professional platform. So make the most out of it and secure your next contract here.
The Only Place for Quality Content
About 92% of B2B marketers, include LinkedIn in their content marketing strategy since it contributes to more than half of their website traffic. And around 3 million users on LinkedIn get 9 billion impressions over their content per week. That’s a lot of impressions! If you want to be at the top of your content game, LinkedIn should be your priority among other platforms, since your content is more likely to get exposure and legitimacy here.
Providing Increased and Customized Assistance
Microsoft bought LinkedIn in 2016, for a substantial price of $26.2 billion so that it can integrate LinkedIn with Skype, email, Cortana, and other Microsoft products. Microsoft not just bought a social networking site, but also a huge volume of user data the site garners. Quite obviously this massive amount of data will enable Microsoft to customize its services for the individual user e.g. displaying articles relevant to the current project you may be working on, MS Office helping you connect to an expert via LinkedIn to aid your project, Cortana preparing you for a business meeting and much more, turning LinkedIn into a new horizon hosting a number of brilliant prospects for users.
Reach New Consumers
Even if you’re a B2C business, LinkedIn helps you reach new customers. As mentioned above, not everyone uses social media to go through frivolous content. Some are more interested in reading specialized, informative and intriguing content, and participate in a discourse over that with professionals. According to LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, 87 million Millennials are part of its user base; they are our future or even present decision-makers; and 44% of LinkedIn users are women. Whoever you’re trying to reach, with a little bit of research you can gather a comprehensive understanding of their needs, wants, and demands, before you target them. Make them aware by posting fresh and stimulating content, provide them with a unique experience, start a conversation, and foster a relationship. Think ahead and these efforts will pay you back in quadruple now or in the near future.
Pool of Talent
A major chunk of LinkedIn users are job-seekers. If you have a vacancy, LinkedIn can provide you a huge talent pool to choose from. Other job posting sites only give you surface information about a job-seeker which is basically their CV, but a candidate is more than their CV. And LinkedIn allows you a glimpse into their activities, opinions, and knowledge, which can help you find the best match for your company. Just head over to their profile and see their activities on LinkedIn, the articles they’ve published, the projects they are working on, etc.
LinkedIn Groups for Advice
Whenever you face obstacles in a decision-making process in your business endeavors, you wish that you had a contact with a certain industry expert, who could advise you and give their perspective. LinkedIn makes it really easy for you to achieve that support. LinkedIn groups are a great place to post your queries and a dozen experts in that field will come around and provide you with their individual perspective that stems from their unique experience.
Establishing Your Credibility and Expertise
Whenever someone googles your business, your LinkedIn page is going to be among one of the top search results. People usually prefer to click over a social media platform rather than a website page, unless they are purchasing something from there. Social Media platforms provide deeper insights to the researcher about your business, its activities, and its culture, which is a huge factor in establishing your credibility, expertise and a stellar reputation. It’s imperative that your business keeps its page updated with new, useful and Keyword-filled content; that helps interact with and gain the trust of other users, business leaders, and industry experts.
Conclusion
If your business is not on LinkedIn, you are missing out on spectacular opportunities this platform can provide you. With the onset of high speed internet, more and more businesses are depending on social media platforms to search for new opportunities, new customers, ideas and information. LinkedIn’s goal is to reach 3 billion users and make it the professional hub for the entire world. Imagine connecting to those 3 billion users and the subsequent effect on the growth of your business. So go ahead, and flaunt your business and expertise to the world.