I talk a lot about strategies to help you build your business because I want to help you achieve the profit and success you deserve.
Today, however, I want to discuss something you shouldn’t waste your time on: LinkedIn Business Pages.
I know this might contradict what you’ve heard before, especially if you’re in the B2B world, but hear me out:
Unless you’re operating at the same level as Nike or Google, investing in your LinkedIn Company Page isn’t going to dramatically impact your bottom line. And the reason is simple:
People want to interact with other people — not with companies or logos.
Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t have a solid LinkedIn Company Page. Prospects will check it out from time to time, and it’s a helpful resource to inform people of what you do. But most entrepreneurs simply don’t need to invest in growing and maintaining their LinkedIn Business Page.
So, what’s a small-to-medium size business to do instead? Let’s take a look:
Build your brand with LinkedIn profile pages
“People do business with people they know and like.” - Keith Ferrazzi.
Who would you rather work with: a faceless company or a living, breathing person? If you said the latter, you’re not alone. 70% of consumers feel more connected to brands with CEOs active on social media.
Even with digital transformation, people crave human connection. Your prospect wants to build a relationship with you — to know, trust, and like you before they do business with you.
You simply can’t foster the same human connection between followers and a company page as you can with your LinkedIn profile.
So, build your personal brand and invest in relationships with your prospects. You’ll become the trusted authority in your industry and blaze past your competition. These LinkedIn tips will help:
How to get better results with your LinkedIn Profile Page
1. Optimise your LinkedIn Profile Page
Let’s start with the most crucial step to LinkedIn success: optimising your LinkedIn profile, not your LinkedIn Business Page. Your profile is where your prospects will learn all about you and your company, so let’s ensure your ideal customer likes what they see.
Here’s how to create a LinkedIn Profile that’s up to par:
- Upload a professional headshot
- Choose a creative cover photo that showcases your skills
- Write a clear, compelling headline that’s optimised for search
- Highlight your relevant skills
- Craft a client-focused profile and clearly convey how you help your prospect. (Don’t just spout off your accolades.)
- Always include a Call To Action
2. Connect with prospects and thought leaders
Now that your LinkedIn profile is ready to go, it’s time to start building your connections and learning how to increase LinkedIn followers.
Maybe you’re creating an Accounts Based Marketing campaign so you can close that dream client. Or perhaps you want to build your professional network and connect with thought leaders and authorities in your industry. Either way, LinkedIn is the place to reach out without fear.
Start by connecting with the people you know, but don’t be afraid to expand past your contact list. You won’t get a positive response from every connection request, and that’s okay. You can improve your chances, though, with these two tips:
- Send a personalised message explaining why you want to connect. Keep it relevant, and avoid selling anything from the get-go. Remember, LinkedIn is about building relationships. Focus on providing value, and the sale will follow.
- Engage thoughtfully with any content your target connection has shared. It will show you’re genuinely interested, and your connection will notice you’re already a familiar face.
3. Engage with your network
Engagement doesn’t end once your connection approves your request. A few minutes a day commenting on videos and articles is a powerful way to grow your circle of influence and build your authority.
The secret to engagement on LinkedIn is to leave meaningful (not self-promoting) comments. Add value to the conversation, and readers will inevitably navigate to your profile to learn more about your expertise.
4. Share articles and industry advice
What’s another easy yet powerful way to add value and position yourself as an industry authority? Share articles, videos, and updates that provide value to your target audience.
I’ve written about content marketing before, but it bears repeating:
What makes digital content so potent is that it’s not disruptive. In other words, you’re not interrupting your buyer as they go about their day. On LinkedIn, your prospects are actively searching for the valuable insight you provide.
If you already have a content marketing strategy, you can repurpose your blog posts into LinkedIn articles. Prefer a visual approach? LinkedIn videos are a fantastic tool, too.
There’s a reason why I consistently post articles to LinkedIn — it works! So, start becoming a memorable leader and building your LinkedIn influence by providing relevant content to your target audience.
5. Consider going live
Live video could very well be the future of marketing. Live streaming saw enormous expansion in 2020 (thanks to the global pandemic) and shows no signs of slowing down. Plus, viewer habits are changing; surveys show 80% of audiences prefer live video to other content forms.
Live video can be intimidating at first. It helps to remember that your viewers don’t expect perfection — they simply want to get to know you and your brand.
LinkedIn live video is still new, so you’ll have to meet approved criteria to access the feature.
6. Join LinkedIn groups
Joining the right LinkedIn groups can be an excellent way to expand your network, connect with prospects, and enhance your industry knowledge.
LinkedIn groups weren’t well regulated in the past, so spam and promotional material were common. But thanks to new regulations, LinkedIn groups have gotten a renovation and now foster environments for meaningful interaction and education.
Share well-crafted, educational content and engage with other group members, and you’ll build your influence and prospect list.
Don't worry if you’ve invested time in your LinkedIn Business Page. Prospects will still check out your company page from time to time. However, to get the most bang from your marketing buck moving forward, opt to build your LinkedIn Profile Page. You’ll engage with your target audience and build meaningful relationships that propel your business forward.
Want more digital marketing tips that work? Schedule a free consultation with our team to learn how we can help you grow your business today.
