How To Use LinkedIn for B2B Business Growth (2024 B2B Guide)

What do Taylor Swift and LinkedIn have in common? They're both going through a change of Eras. LinkedIn has well and truly evolved beyond just the platform to upload your resume and apply for new roles. It's the place where people come to do business.

My follow-up question for you to consider is: " Is your B2B business getting left behind by not building a LinkedIn presence for your business and your employees?"

To state the obvious, a presence is not just a company page set up with the bare basics, gathering dust, or LinkedIn profiles that are outdated and undersell your employees at best.

If the answer is yes, the good news is that I will share what I would do if I were starting and wanted to leverage LinkedIn to generate more leads and opportunities for business growth.

Is LinkedIn Good for Growing Business?

The simple answer is yes. The reason you want to pay attention to LinkedIn as part of your B2B marketing or social selling strategy is -

1. LinkedIn is a trusted platform. This means there is little reputational risk, and the platform is professional. An element of protection comes with profiles attached to personal names and details with professional reputations at stake.
2. Reach over one billion professionals worldwide, including decision makers, C-suite and B2B buyers.
3. LinkedIn provides the tools to build your brand, create content, establish a community, and network professionally.

Should You Let Your Employees Use LinkedIn at Work?

Given LinkedIn's history as a job search site, I can understand the apprehension of some business leaders who are reluctant to encourage their teams to be active on the platform. However, being digitally invisible is a bigger risk to your business. Every day on LinkedIn, connections are made, and opportunities are discovered well before traditional selling methods have the chance.

Listen to this quick snippet from the Social Media for B2B Growth Podcast . Michelle J Raymond is joined by Katie Brinkley .

Full episode details - https://socialmediaforb2bgrowthpodcast.com/episode/the-power-of-presence-social-media-tactics-for-business-leaders-with-katie-brinkley

If you are a business leader who believes that only people who aren't busy are active on LinkedIn, you are gravely mistaken. LinkedIn is a legitimate sales channel, and those businesses that invest in social selling training or employee advocacy programmes are stealing opportunities from you.

LinkedIn Is a Team Sport

If you are starting to get your B2B active on LinkedIn, the most important thing to understand upfront is that LinkedIn activities don't belong to any person or team. Results come when everyone works together.

Business Leaders - must lead by example. You set the standard for the activity that will be undertaken by the entire business. If it's important enough to you, and you understand the benefits, you will make the time. Your involvement will ensure the right resources are allocated to this ongoing and important work.

B2B Marketing Teams - In most businesses we work with, the marketing team is responsible for increasing brand awareness on LinkedIn. They often run the LinkedIn Company Page and create content for distribution.

The best advice we can give you is not to be afraid of asking for help and getting buy-in from other teams. Think big: sales, technical, customer service, legal, product teams, etc. The more you work together, the bigger and faster the results.

Watch this video to avoid the Top 10 most common mistakes in getting employees active on LinkedIn.

Employees - no more saying, "It's not my job." This is an opportunity to achieve your goals by building a strong personal brand. Working for a brand that stands out, wins more opportunities and leads the industry will strengthen your brand.

Personal brands backed by strong company brands and vice versa are THE winning combination. Michelle J Raymond

Invest in LinkedIn Profile and Company Page Set Up

When starting out on LinkedIn for business, it's really, really, really (you catch my drift? ??) important to review the set-up of the Company Page and LinkedIn Profile for employees. Look for outdated or missing information.

The benefits of this review -

• Ensure that visitors take away a great first brand impression.
• Make it easy for people to contact your business by not having outdated information.
• Missing information or sections can lead to poorer LinkedIn search engine optimisation, meaning you don't get discovered as often.
• Don't undersell your offerings; make it clear who they are for and that they are dealing with the best professionals in the business.

Resources To Help With Company Page and LinkedIn Profile Set-Up

LinkedIn Company Page - buy a copy of Business Gold - The Only Company Pages Book on Amazon in print or e-book https://getbook.at/BusinessGold

LinkedIn Profile Updates - we recommend you allocate a budget for LinkedIn Profile Writing Services for key business leaders. One of the hardest things to do is write about yourself, balance the needs of the LinkedIn search algorithm, and write the profile with your target audience in mind.

Find out more about our LinkedIn Profile Writing service here - https://b2bgrowthco.com/linkedin-profile-writing/

LinkedIn Branding Assistance - to help make set-up easier and understand how company pages and profiles work together, grab a copy of THE LINKEDIN?? BRANDING BOOK by #MichelleSquared on Amazon. https://mybook.to/The_LinkedIn_Branding_Book

How To Use LinkedIn for B2B Sales

All the foundational work you have completed in the above steps will pay off now that it's time to get active on LinkedIn. But there is no point in being busy for busy's sake. That's why B2B GROWTH CO - Get Your Business Active on LinkedIn?? for Growth we developed an easy-to-follow G.R.O.W.T.H Framework.

G = Game Plan. Invest time in defining goals, target audiences, and target clients.

R = Relationships. Learn how to discover those you want to do business with.

O = Outreach. The art and science of connecting with new people on LinkedIn without spamming.

W = Willingness. Mindset is everything, and overcoming fears on LinkedIn is an important part of the puzzle.

T - Thought Leadership. What content should you create, how often and what matters most?

H - Habits. Learn how to use the platform efficiently and effectively to stay focused and get results quicker.

This framework is a powerful LinkedIn strategy aligned with business goals for the best results.

Consistency and Persistency on LinkedIn Wins Every Time!

It's easy to get excited and enthusiastic when just starting out. But this can wear off quickly when results seem never to come as quickly as we want. Building a brand takes time, and creating demand also takes time. But they are worthwhile investments that compound over time.

Start small and set some achievable milestones for the business as part of your Game Pan. Make sure that you reward those that are involved.

Whatever you do - DON'T GIVE UP!

Need LinkedIn Coaching, Strategy or Training for your business?

Reach out to Michelle J Raymond via direct message or book a time for a FREE 15 min intro call - https://calendly.com/michelle-j-raymond/book-an-intro-call-15mins

Cheering on Your Success

Michelle

Michelle J Raymond is the founder of B2B Growth Co and has made her mark as a leading LinkedIn growth strategist. She offers comprehensive strategies and training to brands eager to harness LinkedIn for business growth through thought leadership, content marketing, and social selling techniques.

With 20+ years’ experience in B2B sales, and almost a decade of social selling on LinkedIn, Michelle stands out for her significant LinkedIn contributions as the co-author of two globally acclaimed books: "Business Gold," the first book exclusively dedicated to LinkedIn Company Pages, and "The LinkedIn Branding Book," and her insightful podcast Social Media for B2B Growth.

Follow her YouTube channel @MichelleJRaymond for helpful how to’s.