Growing Your Business Using LinkedIn - Interest and Participation

Many people use social networking sites for personal communication and interaction. What they may not realize is that these sites have great professional potential as well. Growing your business using LinkedIn may be something you haven’t considered but it can be very effective when used correctly. One of the best ways to get started is to create your profile page. This can be your personal page, or a page set up specifically for your business. Make sure the information is correct and that there are no typos. LinkedIn is for professionals and if you do not look the part online, you will not be taken seriously. 

The next step to growing your business using LinkedIn is to do a search for the decision makers in key industries and invite them into your network. Not everyone has an email address attached to their profile, so you may need to do a bit more searching, using other methods. This has the advantage of allowing you to learn more about them and their company than what is in their profile. Learning about their company will give you something to talk about to begin building the relationship. Show interest in them and what they do. 

Ask about what other networks they are members of. Find out what publications they read or where they find the most beneficial online information. This creates a tightly focused target group. When they join your network, they also make connections with each other. This helps them expand their networks and increase connections as well. When growing your business using LinkedIn, these connections can build to become valuable relationships. If you have a webinar or online discussion group that you lead, invite your network members with an open invitation for them to invite people in their own networks. Send out a tip sheet periodically that showcases your specialty.

Provide updates on what you have been working on and the results. This will increase your reputation as an expert in your field and lead people to use you as a resource and share with others in their networks. As your reputation spreads, your network will grow and you will find that growing your business using LinkedIn was not as complicated as you once thought. It is also important to join and participate in groups, those that specifically interest you as well as those that are complementary. Each of these groups may have a different perspective on the same topic. Exploring these differences can increase your awareness and help you learn new methods to grow your business.