LinkedIn is often touted as the best social platform for boosting the credibility of your business. The site was initially established as a networking resource for individuals searching for jobs and guidance in professional marketing.
It has since grown into an all-inclusive marketing, recruiting, and publishing tool to help companies grow. But is it something all businesses should focus on?
LinkedIn offers many opportunities to promote brands, but some companies might obtain better social results through Facebook or other platforms. If you’re a clothing business that markets to teens, for example, LinkedIn probably won’t put you on the same page as your customers if you choose it as a primary social connector.
Most companies, however, will benefit from using LinkedIn for marketing and networking. To see whether this might be the case for your business, study the following reasons you might benefit from LinkedIn’s marketing dexterity.
You’re a B2B Business
According to the 2015 Social Media Marketing Industry report, LinkedIn has officially bested Facebook as the most powerful social media platform for B2B marketers. Asked about the effectiveness of the platform, 41 percent of B2B marketers give their stamp of approval as compared to 30 percent who preferred Facebook.
Though it can be useful for B2C companies, LinkedIn is not as widely recognized as the best social site for the job. Only 21 percent of B2C marketers believe that LinkedIn is the best platform for marketing their operation.
You Need Quality Employees
There’s no other social network that’s quite as effective for recruiting talent. Its reach in terms of talent recruitment has grown to incredible levels. More qualified job applicants are turning to LinkedIn for job searches.
Research by the firm shows there has been a 73 percent increase in job recruitment usage on its site. This dwarfs the 15-percent increase on other Internet job boards over the past four years.
Quality employees look to LinkedIn to share their skills and find quality openings. For example, Park West Gallery, one of the largest privately-owned art dealers in the world, often posts job openings on its LinkedIn profile because the company’s managers know that quality employees use LinkedIn for job references.
Park West Gallery desires top talent that will continue to make the organization look great, so LinkedIn is an obvious choice.
You Want to Generate More Leads
There is a little more debate about whether LinkedIn is the most effective platform for lead generation. But in 2012, it had an average conversion rate of 2.74 percent, which was almost four times as much as Facebook and Twitter.
The numbers have likely declined since then, but LinkedIn is still considered an excellent platform for generating leads among B2B companies. It’s certainly the best social medium for connecting with businesses and finding names for both warm and cold calls.
The Popularity of the Platform Will Expand Your Reach
There are currently more than 440 million active LinkedIn users who frequent the site for job postings, networking opportunities, articles in a given niche, and endorsements. When your company presents a quality profile to these millions of professionals, you have an easier time making contacts.
This is simply the best place online for companies whose customer base is in the professional realm. Firms that seek to market to a younger and/or less educated audience won’t see as much engagement or expansion via LinkedIn.
You Want to Become a Thought Leader in Your Industry
There is no better network for thought leaders than LinkedIn. Through a developed profile, well-crafted summary, strong connections, and positive reviews, a business can establish itself as an authority on a variety of topics within a niche.
The most useful wing for information sharing and lead generation is the LinkedIn blog. When you publish articles on this blog, it not only looks good to search engine algorithms, but it also shows that you know what you’re talking about.
Publishing information on a professional level can quickly raise your quality index and establish your business.
Evaluate each of the above LinkedIn benefits with care and weigh whether it applies to your business before proceeding. Most businesses will decide LinkedIn would be incredibly useful for networking, improving credibility, and finding quality talent.
