We are a small business that recently moved from Connecticut to Charlotte, NC. Being a small business in a new area means that we need to get our name out there in as many ways as we can. Since we are new, we can’t rely heavily on word of mouth referrals like we did at our old firm in Connecticut. That being said, we recognize the importance of using social media as one way to get our name out there. We went to a BNI meeting a few weeks ago and there was a presentation entitled, “LinkedIn or LeftOut” that was led by Ira Bass, CEO, IB Media LLC. The presentation pointed out some things that we found informative about creating a strong LinkedIn presence, so we thought we would share some of what we learned with you. Ira Bass offers a variety of media services, if you are interested in additional information about him, check out his website here.
Here are some helpful LinkedIn tips we learned:
– It’s important to include a headshot in your profile, people are interested in knowing the person behind the business.
– The most important pieces in your profile are:
- Headline
- Current position
- Past position
- Summary
– Your summary is very important. When writing it, be sure to do it in the first person and remember that it tells a story. Include how you got to where you are and be sure to infuse it with key words. Key words are important because they help your business’ name pop up in a potential client’s internet search. For example, if someone were to search the internet for “bookkeeper for nonprofit organizations” and we included that we do bookkeeping work for nonprofit organizations in our summary, then Accounting By The Books would pop up in their browser.
– When posting on your page, the best types of posts are:
- Content that you found helpful that you think others may find helpful as well
- Good news about your business
- Business promotion, but do it lightly. No one wants to see advertisements spamming their newsfeed.
– When you want to connect with someone, don’t send out a generic “I want to connect” request but rather say something in the body of your request identifying who you are and what you do.
– If someone wants to connect with you and you don’t know who they are, don’t deny their request without doing your homework. Research them and find out who they are, or contact them directly to find out who they are. Remember that LinkedIn is a networking tool, take advantage of the beneficial connections it can provide you with.
I hope you found this as helpful as we did.