With almost 700 million members across the globe, LinkedIn is certainly a platform that just about every business owner should be using. And if you are currently on LinkedIn, the key is figuring out how to utilize it most effectively when it comes to building your network.
Unlike some of the other social media platforms out there, LinkedIn is focused exclusively on business. So yes, many are on the platform for B2B purposes. However, more and more people are going to LinkedIn in a B2C context as well, as they know that it is centered around businesses. Therefore, knowing how to leverage your LinkedIn presence is critical, because this will ultimately enable you to build a larger network.
Create a Dynamic Profile
Your profile is the first step toward developing a LinkedIn presence that gets results. You want to include a photo; you want to have a comprehensive resume posted, additionally, writing a compelling bio will also go a long way toward helping you flesh out that profile. People want to learn about you and get a sense of who you are and what you do. They will thus feel more comfortable contacting you and consequently, are more apt to want to engage your services.
Make it Clear That You Can Help
After you have a killer profile in place, then you may want to start thinking about reaching out to selected people. Keep in mind, randomly selecting a whole bunch of users to send generic emails isn't going to get you the results you want. Rather, look for those who are pertinent to your business. And then once you discover something about a person via their profile, take the time to create a message that is specifically geared toward them—in other words, make it personal. This is key. Otherwise, your message is likely to get deleted and the odds of you connecting with fellow LinkedIn users are greatly diminished.
Make Content Meaningful
The more engaging your posts the better. You want to post articles and other such content that gets people talking, that compels them to interact with you. Just as with other social media sights, the more interactions, the more meaningful the connections will be. Additionally, consider using hashtags in your posts, as this could potentially reach more people across the platform. And once people do respond to something you've posted, be sure to engage. Answer any questions and offer relevant comments.
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