Learning on LinkedIn in Uncertain Times: 8 Ways to Make the Most of LinkedIn

In light of the current global environment, a vast majority of business has shifted from the reliance and familiarity of in-person business development towards a new virtual reality. While traditional methods of business development are temporarily paused, such as trade shows, conferences, and in-person meetings, it is a good time to shift focus onto digital best practices, learning how to connect and nurture relationships online. 

Over the years I’ve often been asked by many government leaders, why use LinkedIn? Once they establish the need to use the tool they then ask how they can use it to influence key decision-makers, talent, and companies that would benefit their communities. 

LinkedIn is the logical starting place, as it is the #1 b2b online platform globally. With 706 million users from 200 countries across the world, LinkedIn is the ideal location to cultivate virtual relationships.

Over the years LinkedIn has changed many features and the ways in which users can enable meaningful business relationships, B2B intelligence, and access key talent. If your organization has felt the impacts of COVID 19, (non-existent travel, reorganization…..etc) and you are looking for new approaches to conduct business as unusual then look through these 3 areas to improve with the following 8 tips that we’ve laid out below:   

Profile Optimization

Your profile shouldn't be about you, it should be about the prospects you’re trying to attract. After all, your intended targets aren’t recruiters, they’re leads. Ensure your headline has keywords, such as economic development or FDI and write an attractive summary that lets leads know how you can help them. Additionally, use a professional headshot as your profile photo and create a customized header image. Canva.com is a great, free, tool that allows you to create customized images where you can overlay your company logo and other creative elements that highlight your community.

1) Use Keywords - Simply putting your official job title and company name in your headline does not adequately convey to your intended audience the work that you do. By using specific keywords, users will be able to quickly identify your value without having to read your profile. Example headlines are included below:

• Global Business Consulting | Speaker | Communications + FDI Leadership | Economic Development | City Innovation
• Helping individuals & companies achieve their goals in [insert location]

2) Create A Unique Linkedin URL - Personalize the url of your LinkedIn profile page to create a cleaner looking, more professional rul. Use this customized link on business cards or your email signature. To learn how click here: https://www.jobscan.co/blog/how-to-change-linkedin-url/

3) Create a Banner Image - A customized banner image is helpful to cultivate the overall message you want to express to prospects. Use https://www.canva.com to easily create a personalized banner for yourself, or for your team.

Post Content

Posting on a regular basis on LinkedIn depicts you as a thought leader and can serve as organic marketing material for your community.

4) Use Hashtags - Always use hashtags, such as #ForeignDirectInvestment and #InvestmentPromotion when posting new content. Incorporating popular hashtags can help expose your message to audiences you might not have been able to reach otherwise.

5) Create Images - To increase engagement with your posted content, use an image that will catch a users attention as they are scrolling down their homepage. Try to avoid generic photos and instead use a website like Canva to add a CTA , title, or message to draw a reader’s eye and peak curiosity. The size of photo optimal for this layout is 1200 x 627.

6) Tag People and Companies - Mentioning companies and individuals in your posts, and tagging them, provides more opportunities for impressions and interactions. Tagging a user alerts them of the post and incentives them to share the post with their followers. Sharing will get your content viewed to an entire new network, driving up unique impressions and awareness

Use LinkedIn Sales Pro

LinkedIn Sales Pro is an excellent tool for lead generation and should be utilized by every investment promotion agency’s business development team. By subscribing to the $79 / month platform, Sales Pro users can use hyper-targeted search criteria to find and connect with new leads in specific industries, locations, companies, etc. Once connected, these new contacts will now be exposed to all organic marketing posts in their LinkedIn feed, keeping you top of mind with thousands of potential contacts. Additional strategies include reaching out through in-mail to suggest a discovery call or requesting their email to send new information.   

7) Create Lists - Create lists of leads based on specific targeting filters. Once saved, a lead list can automatically add in new contacts that fit your criteria and send you alerts on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. This automation will make finding and tracking new leads simple, allowing you to focus more on the outreach process.

8) A+B Test - When reaching out to potential leads, draft multiple messages using different sales pitches, such as differing competitive advantages or selling points, and test which messages resonate the best with your audience and have a higher conversion rate. Additionally, ensure that each message is tailored to your target industry. This will also increase relevancy and improve performance. 

LinkedIn makes connecting with the right contacts possible - so you can go about the business of telling your location's story. To learn more about the benefits of leveraging LinkedIn or other tips on utilizing all the features, please reach out or join us for an upcoming training on Oct. 21st at https://conway.com/virtual-fdi-training-series/.