Why is LinkedIn so Important for Small Businesses?

Everyone knows LinkedIn, but it’s surprising how many people aren’t actually USING it. You know what we’re talking about... that thing that your boss and your bosses boss is always telling you to get on, that thing where your friends get hired into a big job and you’re like, “Wow, I wonder who they knew?” and turns out- it was because of their LinkedIn profile. Yea, that LinkedIn..

...but do you also know that it can be an incredible social media platform for you and your small business to promote your products and services? Fact to make you believe: LinkedIn is third in the world for being one of the most visited social media networking sites.

30.2 million small business owners make up our economy in the US, but unfortunately  most of them aren’t doing enough online promotion.

So if you’re still wondering why and how is a LinkedIn page the best thing for your business, look no further. We’ve curated some of the best reasons why:

1. Customers want to know who you are, what you do, and what you can give them.

Before buying anything online or in-store that you aren’t quite sure about, what do you do? If you’re any normal, technology using person you’re probably going to look it up. And the same goes with anyone doing research about a business. It isn’t the age before the internet where if you needed a service or product you had to physically get yourself to that place- first impressions now are mostly on the internet, and opinions are formed almost instantaneously. So being able to have customers find who you are fast and whether or not you can give them what you are looking for will save both of you time and perhaps and little money.

Which is why LinkedIn is so great for business who have a low budget or who are just starting out and don’t have money for a website. It allows you to introduce your small business and showcase what you can cater to your customers.

2. You need to Network, Network, Network- oh, did we mention Network?

If you want to make a long and lasting impression in this industry, and hopefully stick around too, then LinkedIn is one of the best places for any business’s favorite buzzword: Networking. You can use the site to connect to so many small (and big) business owners, potential employees, or anyone with knowledge of anything you find of value. LinkedIn also has groups that allow you to join and find small business owners that are near you.

3. It’s great for your business’ Search Engine Optimization.

Having an Instagram and Facebook for your business is great, but in terms of SEO ranking, they don’t really put out like LinkedIn does -- because unlike the social media platforms we all know and love and use today, you can post articles that keywords for your business that make you rank higher.

TIP: The about section or the profile description of your LinkedIn can handle more words than other social media platforms- however, don’t make it too wordy. Use it to add your services or products on your account’s headline for better exposure, but as with any sort of writing or copy, it’s best to keep everything short and sweet.

4. Reach out to profile visitors and article readers

In Spring of 2015, LinkedIn released a new analytics tool that allows you to see who’s reading your published articles and who actively follows your posts and activities. It can give you a better grasp on who your target demographic is, where you’re lacking in certain areas or where you can back off too. Additionally, it’s a good resource to have because you can reach out to that audience too and see what else they’d like to see from you, how they discovered you, etc.

So, with that, we hope we’ve successfully convinced you to hop on that LinkedIn train. Sure, it can be scary at first, especially in a world where everyone is telling you to get on this or do that or try out this new thing. But trust us when we say LinkedIn is one of the best things you can do for the life of your business.

Lost on how to get that up and running? Reach out to us today. We’ll get you there. *wink.*

Lauren Bordelon