Kickstart your LinkedIn Presence

The tide of time did not wait for Orkut

The word social was derived from ‘society’, for we wouldn’t be high-functioning individuals if it wasn’t for our peers. However, in the digital age, the word social has taken on a new construct to imply networking and more. I’s not just about updating statuses and posting pictures anymore. A profile is for everyone to see – your friends, their friends, matrimonial alliances, prospective employees, and so on.

So, what’s the first thing you do when you meet someone new? You don’t really look twice at their business card anymore, right? Instead, you look them up online. On Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. This has put a veil on social media. Profiles are carefully constructed and maintained without a shred of scandal.

There is now more than ever a need to be presentable in person and online!

While Facebook became the go to place for sharing your life, Twitter became the hotspot for memes and puns. Instagram quickly followed suit as an infinite album sharing app. When these spaces became too cluttered for a fruitful networking opportunities, LinkedIn swooped in to save the day. It is an unspoken rule that you cannot look for anything but professional connections on LinkedIn.

With your digital presence growing everyday (whether you actively try or not), the responsibility of being proactive rests on you. Whether you’re an individual or an organization you need to consistently curate your online presence. Otherwise you risk looking lazy.

Getting started with LinkedIn

Here are a few steps to get you started with a business profile on LinkedIn:

Step 1: Create pages and profiles, and optimize for searches

Step 2: Get senior leaders to be active on LinkedIn

Step 3: Conduct awareness drives within your organization to encourage employee presence on LinkedIn

Step 4: Constantly create content on interesting topics that are related to your business

Step 5: Utilize sponsored content for maximum awareness and to augment sales drives

Step 6: Create Showcase pages, groups, communities, etc., to keep the brand fueled

What to focus on

LinkedIn is the perfect platform to build your organization’s image. It’s a place to project your achievements, look for potential recruits, and interact with your employees in a less formal setting. However, it’s also a great tool to build your business.

Here are some things that you might want to remember while you use LinkedIn for your brand marketing:

  1. Sponsored Content:
    Sponsored Content is quite expensive on the professional networking platform. So, it’s important to make the best use of your budgets by choosing the right audience. It can’t be a hit or a miss, you always have to aim for the bullseye.
  2. Ad Budgets: 
    Since ad budgets on LinkedIn are known to create a dent in pockets, you should look at leveraging your existing network. Everyone from the leaders to interns can share the updates from your LinkedIn Page. This way, you can tap into an extensive network in the second and third circles of your employees.
  3. Quality Content: 
    While sharing and promoting content is a good way to be seen, you have to ensure the type of content you are putting out is relevant and of high quality. Studies show that most LinkedIn users prefer long-form content. So create content that is meaty and provides solid information to your readers. Ask engaging questions that will prompt them to comment on your posts. This will help you boost your following organically.
  4. The Right Time: 
    Expanding your base is as simple as posting the right content, at the right time to reach the right audience.
  5. Using Slideshare: 
    SlideShare, an application by LinkedIn is perfect for creating short presentations about a new product or solution. You can even use it to create simple videos when the presentation runs on AutoPlay.
  6. Calendars and Planning: As with all marketing strategies, content/editorial calendars can go a long way in driving your LinkedIn presence. But it’s also important to constantly monitor any changes in your demographic, update content that isn’t doing so well and start engaging conversations with your audience.

 
To recap, if you’re not on LinkedIn, you should be. It’s a simple and efficient way of reaching your audience, building a brand and finding excellent leads.