Tuesday 18 October 2011

7 Tips and Tricks to Using LinkedIn for Your Small Business


Are you looking for a business tool that can increase productivity, cut costs and expand your client base? Do you want a platform where you can share ideas, find information, and locate who or what you need without spending even a single penny? If yes, you can check out LinkedIn, which can be used as a social media marketing tool. Running small business doesn’t mean you have to develop a website and wait for business to run itself.
Whether you are looking for job or doing your own business, you will get the benefit of the connections in your network. Networking has always been important for business and today with the growth of the internet and the many social websites it has become a lot easier to promote your business and make contacts. One of the most popular sites for many entrepreneurs and business owners today is LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is a social networking site especially for business that enables you to promote your profile and your business. It makes it possible for you to build a professional network of contacts and stay up to date with the latest information from your connections.
With 116 million user, it gives you an opportunity to make business connections that can help you to promote and increase your business. With so much potential, it is important for small business owners to be able to utilize and leverage the concept in order to use it to their advantage.
Here are some tips on how to use LinkedIn effectively:
1. Profile: Your profile in LinkedIn is your online business card so it is important to use it correctly in order to connect with potential clients and partners. Having a photo of yourself and a small intro text is important to look professional and also it will enable you to be found using a search engine. You can also add your skills and experience to your profile and it is also a good idea to keep it up to date.
2. Make a page for your company: You can also make a profile page for your company. You can add the details of your company which will help to promote it and you can add your location and a feed from your blog if you like.
3. Expand your network: You can also import your contacts list from your email to LinkedIn and the site will automatically find the contacts that have a profile so you can connect with them on the site for daily updates. It also recommends people for you to connect with based on your profile. This is also a good way to keep in touch with customers.
4. Try to get recommended: Getting recommendations from other people is a great way to enhance your profile. Having a lot of recommendations from satisfied customers will help you attract new customers more easily.
5. Join groups: You can find a lot of groups related to your line of business or groups especially for small business which can help you expand your network.
6. Use LinkedIn to recruit people: You can also use it when looking for employees and find someone related to your business.
7. LinkedIn Mobile: You can access LinkedIn from your smart phone and stay up to date with your clients.

by Mandira Srivastava
source-smallbiztechnology

1 comment:

  1. Why only Linked in.... try everything... u will always be in a win-win situation..

    ReplyDelete