5 LinkedIn Features you probably didn’t know

Hello again, and of course, welcome to another episode of Marketing Musings with Me, Tina Hay!?

If you have ever had a conversation with me about Social Media or networking, then I’m sure you know how much I LOVE LinkedIn. This platform has helped me grow my business from the very beginning!?

2022 has been full of many events, one being? LinkedIn celebrating its 20th birthday!!?

Can you believe that LinkedIn has been around for that long? To this day, it is still one of the best social media platforms that connect businesses and employees to potential clients, talent and potential partners.?

If you are using LinkedIn as a business owner, then you’ll know that finding the time to network takes time and effort - sometimes the two things you don’t have. The good news is you can network via LinkedIn quickly and efficiently!?

LinkedIn is full of features that can help your business grow and succeed. Whilst some of them are obvious, others may be less so. Here are five features I LOVE and think you will too!?

Search and Filter?

Sounds easy, right? However, I have found that this feature is widely under-utilised. The search and filter function allows you to search and connect with like-minded people and businesses in your industry, your region or on your hit list of people to connect with! You can search for people based on locations, industries, universities, schools or even employees of a particular company.??

Groups?

As with Facebook, LinkedIn also has groups where users with similar interests can come together to discuss topics, ask questions and network. As a business owner, this is an excellent way to gain insights from others, contribute to topical discussions and find out what’s trending in the industry. It’s a great way to connect with potential clients and referral partners.?

Newsletter?

One fantastic feature which not everyone is using is the LinkedIn Newsletter, Hello ;). This feature allows you to create content that every time you share as a newsletter, LinkedIn will send to subscribers via an email notification. Your initial publication will send all of your connections a "ping", notifying them of your newsletter and giving them the option to subscribe. When people subscribe, LinkedIn will notify them to let them know it's there waiting! A really strong way to stay front of mind with potential clients and partners.

Sponsored Content?

Sponsored content is a form of advertising that allows businesses to have their content featured prominently in users' feeds. If you want to test out Linked Advertising, we would recommend starting with some sponsored content as it fits in natively with the app, therefore becoming a part of the user experience. We would suggest having ads direct to a free lead magnet, such as a downloadable guide, and a nurture automated responder series to nurture leads via email. Our ads team has extensive experience with these types of campaigns and would be happy to guide you if needed. Please reach out if you need some help.

Paid profile vs free profile?

When discussing LinkedIn, clients ask a common question: “Do I need to pay to play?!” The answer is it depends on how heavily you’d like to use LinkedIn as part of your marketing strategy.?

There are many features available on the free version that can help you in business, including those mentioned above. The paid versions of LinkedIn help you amplify this even further.

Some of the features where you’re able to access ‘more’ data and insights include viewing who has viewed your profile (paid version allows you to see ALL profile visits vs a handful in the free version). The paid version also allows you to ‘InMail’ a lot more people who are not yet connected, save your searches and have a greater search filter when trying to find connections.

Although it may be easy to overlook LinkedIn due to the ever-expanding amount of social media platforms, LinkedIn should not be underestimated. LinkedIn offers a wealth of features that can help you grow and succeed if your target audience is others in businesses or professionals.?

If you would like some more information on how you can make the most of your LinkedIn profile, please -contact the Puzzle team! We are happy to help.?