Did you know that LinkedIn is one of the premier business networking sites? It provides amazing coverage of the professional market and one that you shouldn’t ignore, especially if you are a B2B business (a business where your clients are other businesses.)

Unlike Facebook or Twitter, LinkedIn is geared more for business owners who have the intention of connecting, supporting and sharing information with other business owners.

Below are some basic tips and strategies to get you started in the world of LinkedIn social media marketing.

Through LinkedIn, you have the ability to:

• Expand your personal and business brand reach far beyond your website. LinkedIn is weighed heavily in Google searches so your profile is likely to be found ahead of your website if filled out fully.
• Find and be introduced to potential clients, service providers, experts, and more.
• Be found by others specifically looking for your service or product.
• Collaborate with others for JV partnerships, guest blogging and/or interview opportunities.
• Refer your connections to others who are in need of a specific service and in return, others can refer you to their network.
• Boost your social proof and credibility by collecting recommendations and endorsements from your peers.
• Increase your thought leadership exposure through group participation and LinkedIn Pulse.
• Find qualified personnel for your vacant job openings.

As you can see, there are lots of benefits to using LinkedIn as part of your daily business regimen. The more you utilize its vast array of options, the more you can become very successful.

Setting up your LinkedIn profile

When joining LinkedIn, you will want to fill out your profile as much as possible to get the best results. Strive to reach the “All-Star” level.

This includes filling out the “Summary” section fully and adding your accomplishments, experience and areas of interest as well as your education, skillsets, past and current work experience and more.

Be sure to use appropriate keywords throughout in order to get found when people are doing searches looking for someone with your offerings.

Always use a professional profile picture of you and not your logo, product picture or a selfie of you at the beach. People will connect with a real person far better than a logo or image of your product. It is also against the LinkedIn Terms and Conditions to use anything else other than a personal photo of you.

Once your profile is filled out, you will then want to expand your network by inviting others to connect with you. With each new connection, you are benefiting from their connections as well, which become your 2^nd degree connections.

If you haven’t done so yet, please connect with eVision Media here: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/evisionmedia

If you are new to LinkedIn, it can be a bit daunting getting your way around all of these different areas. Here’s some tips to help get you started.

8 Tips and Strategies For Using LinkedIn

1. Be strategic about what you feature and post on your profile so that it meets your business goals and reflects your values.
2. Use effective keywords that relate to your business and industry in order for those doing searches for your expertise can easily find you.
3. Use the “recommendations” feature by recommending others that you know and have worked with and by also asking your clients and associates to post a recommendation for you.
4. Join LinkedIn groups that are focused on areas of your interest and/or where you know your ideal client is hanging out in order to build your connections and credibility.
5. Use the InMail paid feature to send news and articles to your network connections.
6. Post consistent updates to share brief tips, informative articles and other tidbits of information that they will find useful and valuable.
7. Build your connections offline such as when out networking, going to workshops and attending seminars and conferences, etc.
8. Add a LinkedIn button on your eSignature and website for maximum opportunities and exposure to get lots of connections.

Once you have your personal profile created, your next step is to create a company profile for even more brand exposure.

Do you use LinkedIn on a consistent basis?

To your success,
Susan Friesen

About the Author, Susan Friesen

Located in the lower mainland of B.C., Susan Friesen is a visionary brand strategist, entrepreneur, and founder of British Columbia’s premiere boutique web development and digital marketing agency, eVision Media.

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, she is an expert in helping businesses establish their online presence and create a strong brand identity.

Her passion for empowering entrepreneurs and small business owners to succeed in the digital world has earned her a reputation as a leading authority in the branding and marketing industry.

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