Leverage LinkedIn at its Maximum Level

According to LinkedIn, by January 2013 the social networking site was being used by more than 200 million professionals in more than 200 countries. With this kind of reach, LinkedIn provides a golden opportunity for small businesses to enhance their marketing, build brand awareness and engage their customers around the block and around the world.

Build Your Brand

To enhance your brand, add value to your profile and build a following of clients that recognize your company as a leader in your field, take advantage of LinkedIn's branding capabilities. Keep clients informed by using Status Updates to post relevant and timely information about what's happening in your company.?

Syndicate your blog posts to your profile to provide followers with in-depth information on products, services, and company news. Post a LinkedIn event to inform customers of speaking engagements and opportunities for personal one-on-one contact.

Request recommendations from your connections that highlight their impressions of your skills, expertise, and performance. Positive recommendations carry weight with current and future customers.?

Establish a Huddle Workspace, a private, secure online workspace offering project collaboration and sharing tools for you to use with your connections.

Get Connected

Your business' LinkedIn profile isn’t just about networking with your clients and colleagues, it's also about connecting to other companies in your industry. The site's search capability includes the extensive data LinkedIn has collected from its account holders, covering everything from job postings, recommendations, key leaders at organizations, promotions, title changes, and recent hires.?

This wealth of data is pivotal for businesses to conduct sales inquiries or get a foot in the door with a potential new customer.

Collaborate with Community?Features

LinkedIn's community atmosphere includes interactive features where your business representatives can communicate, build relationships and collaborate with other community members. For example, Groups give your business a voice in focused conversations, allowing it to expand its presence on LinkedIn.

Aim to become a top five influencer -- contributors whose discussion generates the most feedback from other group members. Being on this list means your business builds a reputation as being a trusted and knowledgeable expert.?

Additionally, conduct a poll to learn about your competitors and your customers to stay abreast of trends and changing tastes in your industry. Answers also allow you to share your business acumen with colleagues and present yourself as an expert in your field when you share your knowledge with others seeking advice and assistance.?

Use Company Pages to find like business. You can also use these pages to research competitors, showcase your knowledge, post job announcements and announce news.

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