LinkedIn For Business Owners: Making The Most Of The Platform
It’s no secret that I think LinkedIn is an excellent platform for business owners.
Not only can you build conversations and brand awareness, but you can create true connections too.
But, only if you use the platform correctly.
LinkedIn usage is very different for business owners and employees.
So, let’s take a look at how you can utilise this space to do amazing things for your business.
Posting On LinkedIn As A Business Owner
Each individual who posts on LinkedIn will publish different content based on their industry, expertise and interests. But, your approach must be different again if you are a business owner rather than a company employee.
Here are some of the ways you can capitalise on the unique benefits of LinkedIn by publishing consciously as a business owner:
Business Representation
Employees represent only themselves. But, as a business owner, you want to establish the personality and purpose of your brand too. While there is still an element of showcasing yourself as the person behind the brand, business owners can also reflect on the company’s values, goals and achievements. This helps your audience connect with something bigger than just the business owner.
Individuals have to focus solely on celebrating personal achievements and career updates. Whereas, business owners should focus on a much wider content profile encompassing brand, business and people.
Audience Connection
More than just sharing information like an employee would, LinkedIn posts can be an opportunity for your business to engage with your audience and build on the relationship you have with them. This connection helps to create the Know, Like, Trust factor, making your business a more attractive prospect to potential customers or clients.
Consciously posting certain pieces of content that align with your brand’s vibe, mission and objectives can help you connect with your audience and boost your brand awareness at the same time. This only means good things for your business as it can increase leads and position your company as an industry leader.
Content Strategy
Getting strategic about what you post and when you post it can really boost your business’s online presence. While employees can get away with only posting when they reach a career achievement or randomly think of something to share, businesses should take a more strategic approach.
As a business owner, it is never a wise idea to simply publish something for the sake of having something to post on your LinkedIn page. That’s where a content strategy can help you take your audience on the right journey with your business. Being generous with your knowledge and publishing with an end objective in mind can help you turn those posts into opportunities to engage with present, past and potential customers positively.
Networking
LinkedIn can be a fantastic place to network with other business owners and industry leaders. Networking for your business is very different from networking as an employee. As an employee, you generally network for better job opportunities, but there is so much more you can do as a business owner!
You can gain exposure to opportunities that you may not have had otherwise, get and receive business advice, obtain new business or referrals, grow your brand visibility, and make valuable connections in the business world. This opens you up to collaborations, and project partnerships, plus can boost your reputation as an industry leader.
Professional Branding
LinkedIn is a fantastic platform for showcasing your professional branding. A strong professional brand is a key part of drawing the right kind of audience to your business. Employees simply build a personal brand that demonstrates their individual expertise, but a business has the opportunity to showcase their valuable assets, skills, depth of knowledge, and unique value proposition.
Personal Branding
It’s important that you don’t forget to build your personal brand as a business owner. While you may not necessarily looking for job opportunities like an employee would, you are still the face of your business. And people like to do business with other people as opposed to faceless corporations.
Even better, they like to do business with people that they have a connection with. So, taking the time to build those connections via your personal brand is essential on a platform like LinkedIn.
Making Connections On LinkedIn
Now we understand the differences between posting on LinkedIn as a business owner, self-employed entrepreneur and an employee, along with the importance of building your personal brand.
So, it’s time to start building your presence on LinkedIn and creating opportunities for people to connect with you both personally and professionally. By building your network in this way it will prompt people to think of you when they are in a conversation with someone and your skillset, experience or knowledge could fill a gap for them or something they know.
So, how do you post content of this nature?
The first step is to create a content strategy so that you maximise the potential of the platform. A LinkedIn content strategy will help to keep you on track by ensuring your content is in line with your business messaging and overall marketing goals.
If you are unsure how to put a LinkedIn content strategy together, then the best place to start is with an expert. With intricate knowledge of the platform and expert marketing skills, I'm here to help you nail your LinkedIn strategy.
Get in touch with me today to see how we can help you build your personal and professional brand on this valuable platform.
