Our top 5 LinkedIn tips for new business owners

You’ve done it!

Whether by choice or by circumstance, you’re now the proud owner of a business – and you’re ready to start getting your exciting new venture out there.

But where do you start?

LinkedIn.

Every. Time.

Because when it’s managed correctly, LinkedIn can be such a powerful platform for start-ups in virtually all sectors.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a management consultant, an online retailer, a plumber or a cake maker – there will be an audience for you on this hugely popular social network, which has been helping entrepreneurs make a better name for themselves for nearly 20 years.

Here are 5 handy tips to help you gain more exposure and grab more of those all-important leads from LinkedIn!

1. Spend time shaping your profile

When it comes to marketing yourself on LinkedIn, nothing is more important than creating a standout profile. Your online CV needs to be packed with plenty information about you, your experience, and, crucially, your new brand.

Complete as much of your profile as you can and use its features to your advantage. I recently listed some useful tricks and techniques in this post.

2. Don’t just sell – share insights

It can be tempting to bombard your connections with sales messages in the hope that some of them will stick. But LinkedIn Marketing is very much about adding value to conversations by sharing your knowledge and signposting others towards interesting resources that will aid them on their business journey.

Air your opinions. Link to quality articles. Share testimonials. Mention your business wins. Publish the kind of content that will help your followers get to know you personally as well as professionally – because at the end of the day, people buy from people!

3. Join Groups

There are millions of Groups on LinkedIn, covering pretty much any business-focused topic you can think of. These collectives make it easy for members to make stronger contacts and share their unique knowledge in a forum-like setting.

You can only be active in 50 Groups at any one time, so you will need to be discerning about which ones you join. Try to choose Groups with big followings that appear to be updated regularly. Don’t be afraid to answer questions, share your own content, and initiate connections with other members if you find you have things in common.

4. Work the room

Once you’ve nailed your profile, settled on a content strategy and found out where your ideal client hangs out, it’s time to bite the bullet and get involved!

You don’t need to spend hours each day working on your LinkedIn presence, but consistency is key to getting in front of the people who really matter. If you’re strapped for time, posting little and often will work just as well.

5. Set up a Company Page

You can make a lot of magic happen with your personal profile – but for maximum impact, we’d highly recommend setting up a separate LinkedIn Company Page. It’s a great platform for sharing news and updates that are specific to your business, and its built-in Analytics suite allows you to monitor post activity, track new followers, and even set up custom call to action buttons.

Need a little LinkedIn boost?

At Jelly Bean Social, we LOVE helping new businesses find their feet on LinkedIn.

We offer totally managed outsourcing solutions to start-up owners who want to hand over the day-to-day management of their LinkedIn account from day one. Our team also runs a series of LinkedIn engagement groups that are designed to keep you engaged with the platform, help you achieve better performance metrics, and introduce you to lots of lovely like-minded people who are all in the same boat as you.

Contact us today to learn more!