Republished with permission of Comms Dealer
First published in Comms Dealer Jan 2015, p.8
People head to LinkedIn for one reason only – to create and nurture business-related connections. Future vendors, partners or job prospects, whatever reason they approach the platform for, they are typically in a different mindset than on any other social platform.
This makes LinkedIn the perfect platform to reach out and connect for business reasons. You can take advantage of this as a small, medium or large business and dramatically grow your network.
All the time and effort put into expanding your network helps with several other aspects too, such as the opportunity to conduct research in your field of interest. You can pick at your audience’s brain for a minimum cost and this can give you insight into what your consumers, partners and potential markets want.
Needless to say, LinkedIn provides you with a great platform to find new talent for your venture. Keeping an eye out for people with skills and experience is often a key driver to business growth. You’ll be surprised how specific skills are on LinkedIn and how with a thorough search you can find your ideal candidate. It is, nowadays, the ultimate recruitment tool.
Due to it’s content, complexity and structure, LinkedIn is an invaluable tool in spotting and monitoring trends and competitors’ activity. But maybe the biggest advantage of using LinkedIn is its immense potential for lead generation. Everyone is there for business, so the likelihood of wastage and errors is minimal. It is, amongst all the social platforms, the most powerful tool to build partnerships and bring in new business.
Whilst it seems pretty straightforward, LinkedIn is something that requires a solid content and strategy plan, attention and professionalism in its approach. Mastered, as a tool, can help boost a business’ potential and grow its activity.
Next month we will look at social media do’s and don’ts, as well as moving forward in the digital age.
