Why LinkedIn? Why Now?
by Kathy Bernard
I’ve written a lot about how to use LinkedIn, but it’s also important to talk about why it’s so valuable for your company.
The most obvious reason is that LinkedIn is the world’s largest business network with more than 700 million members, so you can pretty much figure that anyone who is in business is on LinkedIn. You can use its search functions to find the right person at prospect companies and because of its invitation to connect capabilities and home page posting options, you can introduce yourself to potential clients and promote your business for free.
You can even establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry by writing long-form articles using the “Write article” feature starting from your home page.
Additionally, you can create a company page for free where you can add your logo, banner, business overview, and list up to 20 specialties. Your employees can all link their profile work entries to your company page so that prospects can find your organizations through them.
You can also join up to 100 industry groups related to your business and once you are accepted into the group, can send individual messages for free to other members, including your sought-after prospects.
So, if you’re been hesitant to take a deep dive into LinkedIn, I encourage you to up your game. You’re sure to benefit from its many business-building capabilities.
Kathy Bernard (kathy@wiseru.com), CEO of WiserU.com, is a St. Louis-based LinkedIn expert/trainer who equips businesses to maximize LinkedIn for sales, marketing, or fundraising.