marketing

3 Ways LinkedIn Groups Can Build Your Small Business Brand

LinkedIn originally was created as a networking site for professionals, but it might seem a bit stiff and stodgy compared to the younger, fresher Facebook and Twitter vibe — sort of like a much-older, career-oriented cousin you only see once a year. LinkedIn is less “meme” and more “MBA”; less “emoji” and more “education.”

But there are plenty of ways you can leverage LinkedIn for your small business, and many of them center around LinkedIn Groups.

Here are three ways you can use them to your advantage:

Mine LinkedIn Groups for Information and Industry Trends

Once you’ve joined an assortments of groups relevant to your business, it’s simple to spend a bit of time each day trolling through the member posts. What are they talking about? Is there a topic that pops up time and time again? A hot-button issue the group just can’t quit debating? A burning question that doesn’t seem to have any concrete answers?

Some covert sleuthing can be absolutely instrumental in creating content for your own social media pages. Blog about that hot-button issue. Solve the unanswerable question. If enough people are talking about something, you can bet they’ll also be searching for more information on the topic — and if you have the information, you have a ready-made audience!

Promote Yourself

Become a contributing member of your groups. Establish yourself as a leading authority on whatever it is that you do/make/sell. Participate in conversations. Make friends!

At heart, LinkedIn is a networking site, and as we’ve discussed before, you can never have too many people in your network. You never know when the opportunity for a mutually beneficial professional relationship will appear — so be prepared when it comes knocking!

Engage Potential Customers

LinkedIn may have a different feel than Facebook or Twitter, but that doesn’t mean your content is any less worthwhile when you post it there.

Does your small business have a special event? Promote it. Are you celebrating a milestone? Share it. Have you won an award? Brag about it! Although you should never be “spammy” (which isn’t tolerated in most LinkedIn Groups anyway), you should always be on the lookout for new engagements.

Since your group posts will lead back to your company profile, you need to make sure that it’s up to snuff. Utilize your showcase pages, make sure all of your contact information is up to date and have plenty of links to your blog, website and other social media profiles.

When used correctly, LinkedIn Groups can be instrumental to your marketing strategy, so dive in and start making connections today!

Do you need more tips on how to leverage LinkedIn or any other social media platforms? Mischa Communications has you covered. “Connect” with us (or just send an email) and let us help you become a maestro of social media.