As a consultant, LinkedIn should be one of your greatest marketing assets. Here are a few LinkedIn Marketing Tips for Consultants that I have outlined to help you get engaged with all of the wonderful people on LinkedIn… your prospects!
A lot of consultants set up a LinkedIn account but many do not actually use it to its full potential.
I hope this post will give you a little more insight as to how you can use this wonderful business development tool. As with all social marketing tools, sharing valuable content consistently will help you add value to your followers.
A few steps you should take with your LinkedIn marketing program;
- Build A Contact List: LinkedIn enables you to target and identify business contacts that you would like to do business with. Also, LinkedIn is one of the only social media programs that will enable you to export out your contact list. No need to purchase lists though list services, build a list based on relationships you have established through LinkedIn.
- Drive Traffic: Post “Status Updates” with links to articles, blog posts, presentations, etc. that you have created and presented online. Make sure you use URL Shorteners such as Bit.ly. Bit.ly is a good online program to help you with that. The URL shorteners keep your “character countdown” and will also aide in your tracking when people click on the link.
- Build A Strategic Profile: Your profile determines if people want to connect to you or not. Make sure your profile is up-to-date. Also, think strategically about who you want to appeal to. Use “Keywords & Phrases” in your profile description information that are search relevant to your audience. LinkedIn holds a lot of weight with Search Engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.
- Join Groups: There are many “Groups” on LinkedIn where you will find potential new clients. You need to join the groups and start reading and commenting on the discussions. The more you know about what’s going on with your potential clients (problems, challenges, industry changes, etc.) the better off you will be.
- Add To Discussions: GET INVOLVED. Add to and comment on discussions in the Groups. This is a great way to establish relationships with others in the Groups. People want to read what you have to say… add value to the discussion and people will do the same for you. Be constructive, not critical.[tweetthis]As a consultant, LinkedIn should be one of your greatest marketing assets.[/tweetthis]
- Start Discussions: Once you have joined a few Groups, start your own discussion. One of the best ways to quickly and consistently add discussions is to repurpose your blog posts. Your blog posts, if written to add value to your target audience, will provide great discussion material. I recommend that you only put part of your post up (an excerpt) in the discussion and provide a direct link back to the post on your blog. This will help drive traffic and get subscription followers to your blog and will enable them to browse your other posts.
- Start A Group: Now that you have been around the block a bit on LinkedIn, you need to think about creating a Group of your own. The objective of your Group should be to add value to your market & industry… remember, as a consultant, everything is always about your audience. You want to make sure that the people you invite to join or who elect to join are also are going to add value. The advantage of being a Group Founder is that you are the one that runs the show. You can see full profiles, make introductions, reach out and offer advice and assistance to other members. Remember, the point in using Social Media tools is to establish relationships and trust. Helping others is a great way to do that.
- Establish Credibility: Being single minded with your Profile, Content, the Groups you have joined and your own Group, you have set your-self up as an expert in your field. Don’t drop the ball now… keep it up. Keep providing valuable content and commenting on the discussions of others. Don’t sell.. Educate!
- Generate Interest: By now you are probably wondering “why would I do all of this work if I can’t promote my products, company or services?” Well, people buy from people they know and trust. If you have done your job well, they will be contacting you and wanting to work with you. You have shown everyone that you know about the industry & their challenges and are willing to be someone they can turn to. That is the type of person that everyone wants to do business with.
- Impact SEO: As I mentioned earlier in this list, LinkedIn holds a lot of weight with Search Engines. When you are developing your content for your Group, Discussions, Profile, etc. try to use the keywords & phrases that are being used by your target audience when they are searching for your products or services. The more your write & post with the right content, the more searchable you become.
I hope this information will give you a new or better perspective on the benefits of LinkedIn.
Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn. Just click my profile picture below to go to my profile page. I look forward to connecting.
