B2B businesses and brands are increasingly waking up to the fact that LinkedIn can seriously boost their profile. It’s by far the most business-focused social media platform. In fact, according to LinkedIn, more than three million companies have LinkedIn company pages. If you’re on LinkedIn, there’s a good chance your clients are too. These tips could open up a whole new world of possibilities.

 
1. Get connected: start a group
LinkedIn claims its members are sharing insights and knowledge in more than 2.1 million LinkedIn Groups. Instead of joining a group, why not start your own based around specific interests? It’s a great way of getting people talking while establishing your business or brand as the dominant force. It shouldn’t be self-promotional; get the conversation started by flagging up an interesting development within your industry or suggest a new idea. Intel’s ‘Student Lounge’ group is a great example of a company putting its stamp on the youth market.
2. Be the leader of the pack
LinkedIn has recently opened up its publishing platform so that users can publish long-form posts about professional topics that matter to them. So if you’re an expert in your field, then this could be the place to let people know. Consider it an opportunity to position yourself as a ‘thought leader’, showing your clients that you’re at the forefront of your industry. These posts become part of your professional story when people visit your profile.
3. Keep things fresh
Once you start posting on LinkedIn, keep going. Don’t let your account sit idle for weeks on end with no sign of activity – think what kind of a message that sends to your clients and potential customers. As you read this, someone could be reading your company profile on LinkedIn. Will they be getting the best possible impression of what you offer? Used wisely, LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to control what clients discover about your company and, importantly, your brand. American Express regularly updates its account, using it to share the news, views, and achievements.
4. Brand it
It might be a business network, but your LinkedIn account doesn’t have to be bland. The look and feel of your page is really important. You’re putting your brand on display, and that starts with your banner image. Think about how best to utilize the 646 by 220 pixel space that’s available to you. It could be a chance to feature your product, or even the people who make your product. Exercise a little creativity to impress existing and potential clients. Adobe uses its banner image to make a strong, visually arresting statement about the company and the type of people it employs.
5. Use the analytics function
Your LinkedIn account might be full of information, but have you ever considered who is reading it? It’s actually really easy to view the data about your company’s performance on LinkedIn by using LinkedIn’s analytics page. You can see how engaging your individual posts are, understand more about your follower demographics and sources and discover more about your page traffic and activity. Taking ten minutes to review this information could give a seriously useful insight into your company, and help you adjust your strategy to become more competitive.
Conclusion
LinkedIn operates the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 300 million members in over 200 countries and territories. According to its own figures, professionals are signing up to join LinkedIn at a rate of more than two new members per second. That’s some pretty impressive data. When marketing your business/brand to other businesses, using LinkedIn makes perfect sense. It’s a serious platform where connections can be made and fostered. So the question is, can you afford not to be LinkedIn?

Source: Ekaterina Walter