LinkedIn for business development is currently one of the most effective ways to stand out in your industry. Here’s why business owners should pay attention to using LinkedIn for business development and learn how to use LinkedIn to get clients.

LinkedIn is one of the fastest-growing and most trusted social media platforms for the global business community. Between 2019 and 2021 alone, the number of business organizations on LinkedIn almost doubled, growing from 30 million to 57 million. Here are some other compelling statistics for business owners to consider:

  • LinkedIn accounts for over 50% of all social media traffic to B2B websites. Keep in mind that the platform has over 822 million registered members across more than 200 countries worldwide – helping to expand your reach and visibility. 
  • 6 out of 10 users seek industry insights on LinkedIn – allowing you to stand out amongst other business owners by posting relevant and educational content. Doing this will help drive user engagement, increase lead generation, and build trust in your brand.
  • 4 out of 5 LinkedIn members help drive business decisions, including 65 million decision-makers and 61 million senior-level influencers on the platform. Engaging with LinkedIn decision-makers and influencers will help you establish your online presence. 

Establishing and maintaining an online presence is one of the most effective marketing strategies in today’s global business market. These statistics also suggest LinkedIn’s considerable growth is not losing momentum anytime soon. Now that we’ve established why LinkedIn for business development is so important – how do you get started? 

an infrographic with tips for using LinkedIn for business

HOw to Use LinkedIn for Business Development

Getting started on LinkedIn can seem overwhelming, especially if you are not social media savvy. It is not as intuitive as Facebook Business Pages, for example. Fortunately, the platform is very user-friendly and allows you to develop your business’s online presence in a way that works best for you. 

Let’s start by looking at how you can use LinkedIn for business development. 

  • Company Pages – A company page will help increase visibility, generate leads, and provide a home base to advertise your products and services. Before officially making your page live on the platform, check out HubSpot’s free guide to help maximize your results.  
  • LinkedIn Pulse – This allows you to create original content on LinkedIn and is helpful for people who are inexperienced with blogging. As with any aspect of content marketing, there are best practices you should follow to help you reach your target audience. 
  • Showcase Pages – These are extensions of your main business page and can be used to highlight promotions, initiatives, and achievements. Not sure what aspects you should be showcasing? Hootsuite offers examples and advice to help you use this feature effectively.    

Now that you have created your Company Page and have become familiar with posting content on the platform, the next step is creating your LinkedIn marketing strategy. As with any social media platform, self-proclaimed gurus will often try to promote a “guaranteed formula,” so be sure to do what makes sense for your business.

LinkedIn advertising can provide an extra edge to your marketing strategy and help you achieve your goals, although this platform feature is fee-based. To create LinkedIn ads, you must set up a Campaign Manager account. Creating this account will allow you to choose your campaign objectives and help you manage your advertising budget. 

Getting The Most Out of LinkedIn 

Like any other social media network or website, your LinkedIn Company Page will have a search engine result page – or SERP – ranking. Incorporating SEO best practices such as posting original content, engaging with followers, and using keywords will help you to rank higher for online inquiries. 

LinkedIn analytics is another powerful feature for monitoring the results of your business marketing strategy. Hootsuite offers a free, comprehensive guide to LinkedIn analytics for marketers. In a nutshell, LinkedIn analytics allows you to track and monitor data metrics, including:

  • Follower analytics – Who is interacting with your content and updates. 
  • Visitor analytics – Who is coming to your page but hasn’t started engaging yet. 
  • Update analytics – How much user engagement your posts are receiving. 

Data insights such as these help you gauge your marketing strategy’s effectiveness and identify areas that need improvement. Seven Oaks Consulting offers even more digital content strategy hacks to help you critique or create your marketing plan. 

Besides providing a platform to engage with others, LinkedIn for business owners offers multiple services and tools to generate more leads by helping you connect with your target audience. Some helpful LinkedIn resources include The Business Owner’s Guide To LinkedIn and LinkedIn’s own Big Thinking digital magazine.   

LinkedIn continues to evolve, and some may assert that it is becoming synonymous with social media marketing. How to use LinkedIn for business development may evolve over time.

With various free LinkedIn marketing and automation tools available, it is now easier and more cost-effective than ever to reap the platform’s benefits. Don’t wait to jump on the proverbial bandwagon as millions of business organizations around the globe are discovering the power of LinkedIn marketing. How to use LinkedIn for business development should be part of your skillset.

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