Leave the interaction with the consumer to Facebook and Twitter. When you’re searching for new networking and business-to-business opportunities, LinkedIn is the way to go. LinkedIn, by design, opens doors and builds better connections between businesses.
LinkedIn takes the “who you know” approach to building business connections. Each personal and business profile provides essential information for opening doors. Getting the name of a decision maker or an introduction is usually right in your own network of connections and has never been easier thanks to LinkedIn.
The more information you share about yourself in LinkedIn, the more successful you will become. Before you know it, one connection can turn into an entire network of resources including recommendations, referrals and business leads. LinkedIn provides the information of possible connections between company employees and yourself.
LinkedIn Groups
Don’t miss out on important events because you don’t have the budget or time. LinkedIn has created a way for you to attend virtual events without paying a dime. LinkedIn groups allow you to engage with people who are looking for the same information. Find a group based on geography and industry and get involved. Make sure to engage in discussions by asking questions and providing answers. Try “connecting” with members from the group to expand on your business relationships. Keep in touch and send follow-ups to events. This is a great way to become involved in industry events without taking up to much time or money.
Facebook is the place to be…
to reach a community-minded, broad network of followers. More than 70% of online adults are active Facebook users, but the platform is losing ground with a younger audience. Nevertheless, Facebook still has the largest audience and most frequent users delivering great engagement. Beware, you could be with the popular crowd here, but users primarily engage with Facebook for connections with family and friends. So, if you skip the warm, fuzzy personal approach, it may not be the most efficient place for a business connection.
Using Recommendations
Business is made between people who trust one another. Trust is formed through mutual friends or references by other companies. LinkedIn has a recommendation feature that allows people to endorse one other directly on their profiles. More recommendations build your credibility – so ask for endorsements and give them often.
LinkedIn is the place to be…
to maximize your B2B relationships or establish yourself as an industry expert to provide insight or network. Brands that provide services can greatly benefit from the connections with well-education, high income LinkedIn users, by marketing their industry expertise to a targeted audience. Developing the right message for a specific audience can land you that whale corporate account.
Status Updates
Providing and sharing information through LinkedIn is a great way to develop trust. Sharing information about your business can help others and therefore help your credibility. A status update is simply providing a bit of information for those who you are connected with. You can update your status as much as you would like.
LinkedIn has become the number one online network for business. Most professionals are familiar with LinkedIn and are likely to already be connected. Many industries such as finance and Hi-tech companies have established a big presence within LinkedIn. You can connect with up to all 175 million members worldwide. It provides the most concentrated collection of educated professionals and includes all levels within the company. While LinkedIn is one of the most powerful tools when it comes to B2B, you can’t forget to include the social media mix to attract different audiences.
