It's no secret that LinkedIn is the world's largest online platform for professional networking. If you're in sales or B2B, it's also the best platform to market yourself and your business. Having a strong LinkedIn presence is key to increasing brand awareness, identifying new leads, and ultimately growing your business. A comprehensive LinkedIn marketing strategy involves more than just creating a profile - it's about engaging with new connections, posting consistently, and following trends. Here's what you need to know about LinkedIn marketing for your business.

Create and Optimize Your Profile

Your profile is an extension of your brand, so it's important to ensure your profile accurately reflects your story and experiences. However, filling out your profile is just the first step. The true impact of your profile comes from optimizing it. Here are a few actionable steps you can take to optimize your profile:

• A customized banner with your phone number, email address, and logo will be more eye-catching than a plain banner, or worse - no banner at all.
• Don't just list your job title in your headline. This is valuable real estate to showcase your brand and what you want to be known for. There is a big difference between a “Sales Manager” and an “Experienced Sales Manager Dedicated to Driving Business Results”.
• While you should list your current position, experience, and top skills in the About section of your profile, use language that shows your personality and makes you approachable to potential clients.
• Recommendations are often an underutilized section on many LinkedIn profiles. Encourage colleagues and current clients to post a recommendation to your profile, which can further establish your credibility.

Expand Your Network

If you are starting from scratch and don't have any connections, or want to expand your current network, try connecting with the following people:

• Former and current colleagues
• Former and current clients
• Alumni and former professors from your college or university
• Members of organizations you are part of
• People you've met at networking events or conferences
• Friends and family

As you meet new people throughout your career, make sure you connect with them on LinkedIn to continue growing your network. Who knows, they might be able to help you in the future!

Establish a Content Strategy

Now that you've filled out your profile and have established your network, it's time to start posting! It's important to post consistently so viewers know you are active on the platform. While there is no rule of thumb for how often you should post, 1-2 times a week is a good place to start. There are many types of content you can post to your profile, including:

• Client testimonials
• Informational videos and graphics
• Product and service features
• Reposting industry news (even better if you include your own take on the topic)
• Photos from events you attend

As you scroll through your feed, take note of what people in your network are posting. You can also view what top companies in your industry are posting to make sure you're up to date with the latest news and trends. While posting is important, make sure you're engaging with posts in your network by liking and commenting. This will help increase your profile's reach over time.

Once you follow these steps, you're well on your way to elevating your professional brand on LinkedIn! At Addison Clark, we've partnered with many small businesses to optimize their LinkedIn presence, and we can do the same for you! As always, our team is here to answer any questions you have about LinkedIn or how it can benefit you and your business.