Connecting with your audience on LinkedIn
The more people who know about you and your brand, the more business you are likely to get as a result of referrals and word of mouth. By targeting the right people and building a community, you can form a group of brand advocates and associates who can actively help you to drive your business forward.
How to start building your community
Engage the people you already know, such as colleagues, existing customers, friends and family.
IMPORTANT: Make sure that your employees have updated their own profiles to include their current role. That way, your company page will appear on their profiles and they can help to drive traffic in your direction.
Things to check
Have your colleagues or employees included your business on their LinkedIn profiles?
Are your family members and friends following you?
Have you converted current customers into followers?
Are you including links in your business communications, such as emails, letters and your blog, to encourage LinkedIn followers?
Have you added a Follow link on your website to make it easy for visitors to get to your company page?
Why are these measures important?
Your friends, family, colleagues and employees are likely to be your biggest advocates. Do not waste the opportunity to build brand awareness and connect with more people in the easiest way possible.
REMEMBER: Current customers already understand the value you can offer. This puts them in a perfect position to share this information with others.
A Follow button on your website will ensure that you don’t miss out on opportunities to engage with customers, past and present. Lead them to your company page on LinkedIn and provide them with a forum through which they can share positive experiences about using your business.
Groups which are talking about your industry, sector or company offer great places to take part in valuable conversations and build on your reputation as a thought leader.
IMPORTANT: Becoming known as a leader in your field by posting relevant content and offering opinions can be invaluable in building up your brand. Who doesn’t want to do business with the best?
Connect, connect and connect some more
DO put yourself out there by joining groups and promoting your page.
DO become a thought leader to drive traffic to your page.
DO consider using Sponsored Updates and LinkedIn Ads to reach more people.
DO use the available analytics to monitor your progress and refine your page.
How to make sure you find the right people
Make use of targeting criteria such as geography, industry, function and seniority to make sure that you position your business in front of the people who could help you the most. A scattergun approach can be useful in some instances, but a planned and targeted campaign is likely to return the most efficient and effective results.
And remember…don’t just forge ahead with your connection efforts without keeping track of the effects you are having. Use analytics to understand how you are expanding your follower community and exactly who you are reaching. These valuable insights should be the foundations for tailoring future posts and ensuring your page is returning the maximum rewards.