9 Steps to grow your business with LinkedIn in Nigeria

I’m pretty sure you have heard about LinkedIn before.

What I really cannot tell is whether or not you know it is the largest business oriented social platform today.

I know the biggest question in the mind of so many is this:

Does LinkedIn work?

The answer is simple: YES!

The idea behind LinkedIn is that it allow users create a strong network of professionals, so that ideas, information, and other opportunities can be exchanged and harnessed.

Just to educate you further, approximately 1.3 million small business owners, as well as professionals have an active account on LinkedIn open to gain new clients, enhance their online visibility, generate more leads for their businesses and to create more brand awareness.

Why LinkedIn?

Quite frankly LinkedIn is also another social networking platform. However, there are a few things that stand LinkedIn out from other social platform like Facebook, Twitter, etc.

LinkedIn allows users to design a customized business oriented profile with strong emphases on work experience, skills, educations, endorsements as well as curated posts. LinkedIn allows users to connect with other people using the “InMail” messaging service to extend opportunities and network on a user profile page.

The platform is also famous more results online if you are searching for new professionals. LinkedIn is the most effective and efficient tool for generating B2B leads, again several businesses out there have not explored it.

Read Also: 6 Tips to grow your business using social media

Here are some amazing revelations that is jaw dropping about LinkedIn:

What stands out here is the fact that 93% of B2B marketers agrees that LinkedIn is the best place to win leads

And also a whopping 64% of “corporate website” visits originate from LinkedIn

That is awesome!

Unfortunately most new and aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals like us are blind to the immense opportunities of being active on a platform like this.

Are you an entrepreneur?

Or you are a professional in your niche or industry?

And you do not have an active LinkedIn presence?

You are only hurting your business and career!

It sound harsh, but it is quite true.

How to use LinkedIn to grow your business

If you are ready to use LinkedIn to grow your business and make new connections, I have some hacks that will do the trick.

1. Create A Company Page

Besides using LinkedIn as an individual to establish yourself as an authority, you must also ensure to create a company page for your brand or business.

You want to know why?

Here is why…

It will give people room to learn more about your business

You will also be able to curate your content and centralize them for sharing related updates and necessary information.

It is also very important you have an updated and consistent company profile page – from Images to colours and also content.

Have you stumbled on a business page on social media that has not been updated with content in months? the logo and colour of the social handle doesn’t even match the website and business? That looks crappy right?

Look out for highly targeted customers and connections

The level of targeting in LinkedIn is second to none in digital advertising, it is very easy to target exact industry, company, size, job role of the people that you know would need your products or services. For example, if you sell customer support software to small businesses in Nigeria, you can easily set your ads campaign to  businesses that has less than 50 employees, based in Nigeria or any state of your choice – you can even target the ads to management staff or to the customer-support title holders.

2. Have a customized URL

This may seem like something not serious, on the contrary it is.

The page views for a link this: “linkedin.com/ng/businesshub” will by far more than what a URL like this: “linkedin.com/ng/A5467864” will get.

Again, a branded URL looks better, easily remembered and look more familiar with LinkedIn. A non-personalized URL communicates lack of familiarity with the LinkedIn network, and trust me – it will hurt your business.

3. Create an email list

It is highly recommended that everyone linked to your business is sent a well crafted professional message, appreciating them and also inviting them to join your newsletter.

LinkedIn allows you to send messages to 50 people at a time, this is a feature that can help you  build your list fast.

Again I recommend you throw a link to a lead magnet, people loves wonderful offers. They will be glad to opt in.

Read more: 13 Methods to Build Email List for Marketing Purposes in Nigeria

4. Use Sponsored Updates

With LinkedIn sponsored updates, businesses are able to pay to push their business posts into a targeted individual’s feed. This help to “amplify” a post to reach more people using targeting based on a demographic data of choice (location, industry, skill, education etc.).

With LinkedIn decreased over time cost per lead your business can earn more followers as well as traffic. This is good for business if you ask me.

5. Have a judicious post updates

It wouldn’t have been fair enough never to mention this point.

LinkedIn is not Facebook, twitter or even Instagram, where you can post as much as you love to on a daily basis. I know people on Instagram who posts more than 10 times or more daily, that is good for engagement on Instagram.

Two extremes I have noticed on LinkedIn, the first are people who never posts while the other extreme are people that post excessively. Both will hurt your business.

Personally I think posting 20 times a month is ideal. This is because the organic reach on LinkedIn is high, an average post would reach 20 person of your network, this far unique compared to other social media platforms.

Read Also: 10 Tips to Get Large Social Media Followers to Your Business

6. Join Groups

One important tip I always give to small business owner is to find relevant LinkedIn groups to join. This is very important because it will help you know your audience better. You will have access to their interests, problems, needs and above all how you can best market to them.

Always be there to give advice, you have access to send messages to members of that group even if you are not connected on LinkedIn.

This definitely increase brand awareness and engagement.

7. Create your own group as well

This is the best way to find and connect with hot leads, ready-to-buy prospects. LinkedIn allows you to join up to 50 groups, join as much as you can, once you are approved, search for members with demographic of interests and invite them to join your group. Once you have them join, then you need to give valuable content to solve their needs, thereby positioning yourself as an expert. This is very important else your competitors will also take them away from you.

8. Avoid hard selling

If you see LinkedIn like every other digital marketing you do online, then it will help you understand user behaviour more. People do not like to be sold to. No one comes to social media to buy anything! They want to connect and network, that is all you should do.

My recommendation is offer a lead magnet that will land your lead on your email list and then you continue the process of making them a paid client.

9. Build Good Relationships

Build good relationships with leads before selling, LinkedIn is a social network of professionals, it means people on LinkedIn are open to connections. Connect with prospects, strategic partners, business owners and any other people that can add positively to your business. This will go a long way to helping your business.

Conclusion

You can see for yourself that LinkedIn is not just a platform for getting more jobs, you can also showcase your business and brand yourself as an expert.

Content they say is king. Create and publish epic content on LinkedIn, make connections, interact with staff, both old and current, as well as everyone that can add to your business in one way or the other.

Maintaining your brand on LinkedIn will definitely go a long way to increase brand awareness among professionals and likely business partners. What are you waiting for?

I wish you the best in your business endeavours.

About The Author

Daps is a digital marketing expert, web developer and blogger at dapsdigital.com. He has serious passion for creating wealth online and over the years he has helped hundreds of people to replicate his success.

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