LinkedIn is changing the conversation for social media, becoming the first professional platform where people can connect, network, find work or employees, and essentially build a following that’s focused on business. Unlike Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, LinkedIn was built for businesses specifically, which makes it a great choice to add to your repertoire when you’re trying to build your online presence. Of course, there’s a lot more to it than just creating a page for your small business and checking in occasionally. Like all your social networks, your LinkedIn Business Page also needs a proper development, monitoring, and management strategy.
Fortunately, there are several tools available today that can assist you in creating a solid LinkedIn presence that gives people access to all the information and resources that they need. LinkedIn has a pretty dynamic set of features for small businesses, making it easy for everyone to customize their page perfectly. To take advantage of all that you have to choose from, read on to learn more about the best business page features that you can put to work.
Business profiles or pages are designed specifically for business use. They have different features, settings, and admin controls than individual profiles, and they also come with a host of assistance and support from LinkedIn itself. They’re committed to helping businesses make the most of their platform, and they’ll be sure to welcome you with open arms.
A business page has room for a logo, call-to-action, and other business details that you won’t find on a personal page. It’s also classified as a business page so that it’s properly indexed by search engine spiders. This page comes with a host of features and tools that will help you grow your audience when you properly incorporate them.
Speaking of which, let’s talk about which tools you can’t afford to live without.
Your LinkedIn strategy should include a customization plan for your business page so that you can create something unique to your company.
LinkedIn has a full suite of marketing solutions content, including a guide that contains the best practices for LinkedIn Pages, including how to create a successful page for a small business, the enterprise playbook if you want to see what the bigger companies are doing, and so much more. This is probably one of the best features for small business owners—the fact that LinkedIn has created so many resources to help set you up for success.
Posts that have custom images or collages tend to perform much better than those with stock photos or no media at all. People want quick, easily digestible content. They have short attention spans and expect more from the brands with which they do business. If all you’re doing is sharing existing content and never adding your own pictures or video, you’re going to keep falling short.
Mentions are a great way to get your organization noticed and re-share posts that are related to your business. You’ll find posts on the Activity thread, which allows you to see employees, executives, and customers that are sharing your content and/or talking about your business. This kind of engagement is critical to the future success of your company.
Hashtags are fun, but they’re also fundamental for business owners using social media. People often search for content by keywords or phrases and when you have the right hashtags on your posts, they will be easier for people to discover. You can even try to start your own hashtag trends on LinkedIn or get involved with the ones that already exist.
This is one of the best features of LinkedIn, and it is absolutely free. You can use targeting to get your post to the right audience, right away. Targeting allows you to set parameters for each post, including the languages and regions, job function and industry of readers, and even company size, location, and more. For global audiences, it’s a great way to keep everything organized and make sure that the right people get the right content.
LinkedIn helps you build a community by offering targeted product pages that you can use to engage enthusiasts and product experts, interested customers, and more. This will also help you increase awareness, generate leads and sales, and grow your small business with ease. You can even use these product pages to introduce your company and products to spotlight customer reviews, showcase ratings and featured products, and so much more.
Like all social profiles, LinkedIn has an “about us” section that gives you a chance to tell every single visitor what they should know about your company. This is a great place to use simple language, outline the goals and/or intentions of your business, and more. This section should answer the following questions:
Follow the best examples from existing company pages to build yours, in addition to using all the features and tools that LinkedIn has to offer. And of course, this is just a sampling of all the features that are available—find the ones that help you build the business presence you need and deserve.
Once you’ve got yourself set up for success on LinkedIn, are you ready to field all the new leads coming your way? You’ll want to invest in a 24/7 answering service to ensure that you never miss a single lead. Partner with the virtual receptionists at Smith.ai and you’ll get that along with lead intake, appointment scheduling, and even assistance with your outreach campaigns to get you moving in the first place.
Schedule a consultation or reach out to hello@smith.ai to learn more about how our virtual receptionists can help you with your business leads and more.