February Blog - Why post on LinkedIn? Why update your website?

I have been posting on LinkedIn for many years now and have become a huge advocate for self-promotion and promoting the company for which I work for, but why?

LinkedIn is a great recruitment, networking and marketing tool and the best part - its free! I have recruited and have been recruited through LinkedIn and its a very unique platform where you can portray both a 'personal professional' image but also represent your company's image in one forum. It is where you can either build or ruin your professional reputation in one easy post.

Posting in capitals, all in lowercase, posting 'rants' or abusive remarks can easily set you apart from other 'professionals' and this can easily ruin any chances that you have of maintaining a professional image or gaining 'new' business - which is the panacea of all aspirations in business. On the flip side, consistently posting, maintaining a corporate brand or regularly updating your website (linking this through your LinkedIn) can all help with promotion.

Here are my top 5 reasons on why posting on LinkedIn is important and means that you stay relevant and current -

1. You are a brand - so is your company.

You are a valuable asset. You have a worth in the marketplace and promoting yourself is a surefire was to remain as a high worth individual and investing in your own career is something that should always be important to you.

If you are in sales, you should be promoting your company every day and what better way to do this than by sharing corporate posts, sharing website updates and updating your followers on how much value you create for them? Why would anyone consider using your business if they are a LinkedIn advocate and you have a bland and uninspiring LinkedIn profile - the same applies if you have applied for a job, don't you think your online profile/personality should reflect how professional and forward thinking you are?

2. You're an expert, aren't you?

If you work within a technical field or a legislative based industry then how can anyone judge how you can add value to their organization if you don't show that you are an expert?

If you are constantly promoting yourself, your companies culture and expertise then surely this will capture a percentage of an audience - the struggle when finding 'easy' new business is identifying a specific need - what better way than using a platform to identify a way you can help a business and let them come to you?

How can anyone judge your competency before taking a punt on your services if you don't show how good you are?

3. Are you a bot? Or human? Or just a number?

I have seen many, many posts from social media advocates on LinkedIn. These regular posters are consistently updating their followers on their business, on their personal life and their belief system (effectively the culture they push) - this gives me a great sense on who that person is and how they work. Surely your clients bought from you because they liked you (people buy from people) - wouldn't you like to tell your 'non-clients' about you? So they could get to know you and know that your not really a bad person?

How do top sales performers get their message across? Are all the top salespeople in your business nice people?

4. Your business has just updated its 'insert anything here'...

Promotion in magazines, promotional banners on websites and advertising all cost money! How can you show that your business has updated its working? How does anyone know that there is a new chief at the helm? How will you show that your company is forward thinking without giving an update to your followers?

Its free too which is perfect for those companies with a limited advertising budget!

I have been in a sales position where I haven't had an influence over advertising or where this should be best used - how can you be effective in sales without a tailored advertising approach? Why not seize control of that and advertise in your own way? You know your customers and how they will receive the information in the best way possible and you know (as a forward thinking sales person) how you want to be seen in the marketplace!

5. Inspiration.

Many CEO's advocate reading as a way of continually learning and there are many social media posts which identify the best books to read, the best sites to get information and the best ways to keep up to date.

Why don't you see yourself as an influencer? Wouldn't your followers appreciate knowing what you're inspired by? What the last book you read was? (Mine: Principles by Ray Dalio)

You can get inspiration from your followers and your followers can be inspired by you.

These reasons are not exhaustive and there are thousands of reasons why your company should continually update its website, the functionality of your online presence and your company/personal profile. It is about being relevant and moving with the times. It creates an image of your company and if you want to recruit, you want to win new business or become an industry influencer then spending 30 mins typing a well aimed post can help and if it doesn't, what harm does it do*? (*Remember the punctuation, grammar and spelling).

SAFi has recently updated their website, the functionality and have a unique technical department which can support the most bespoke of requests. If you want to take a look, then visit www.safi-valves.com or click on my profile, look at my employment history and click on the SAFi logo (there's another benefit - you can have that one for free).

Feel free to contact me - [email protected]