Owning a small business is challenging at the best of times, but during the current economic climate, with so many businesses struggling to stay afloat, it’s even more challenging than normal. Small businesses don’t often have that excess of cash flow to cushion the blow, and they need to find ways to not only compete with others in the industry, but get ahead of the competition. What this means is using every tool in the arsenal to succeed.
One tool you may not currently be using in your small business is LinkedIn. If you haven’t given it much thought in the past, now is the time to change your way of thinking and open your eyes to the many ways it can benefit your company.
Connect with Those in the Industry
One of the best ways in which LinkedIn can help your business to do better is that you can connect and build a whole network of contacts in the industry. This could include vendors, manufacturers, suppliers, and more. It’s really a very easy way to broaden your list of contacts in a relatively short amount of time. And, because LinkedIn exists in an online environment, location doesn’t factor into things. This means you can connect with people all around the globe, which isn’t always easy to do.
The way it works is once you make that connection with a person/company, you can then see who else you may know in common – thereby broadening your network further. Take for example Tom Smyth Belfast, who has a rather impressive group of connections and is very active on LinkedIn. Simply key in his name, ask to connect, and then you open a whole new door to potential contacts.
Create a Company Page – Get the Name Out There
Another benefit is that it can help with brand recognition and even marketing. You can create an entire company page on LinkedIn, giving an overview or more in-depth description of what the company does. Of course, you can also include key details like the website and contact information.
Embrace SEO Tools
Search engine optimization tools, or SEO tools are another important part of the puzzle when it comes to your small business being successful. You want your website to receive a high amount of traffic, which means you need a high ranking on the Google search pages. SEO tools are designed to help boost your ranking and get your company the visibility it needs.
So where does LinkedIn fit in? Well LinkedIn can actually enhance your SEO efforts. You have the ability to optimize your LinkedIn page for SEO, and it’s wise to take full advantage of this. It makes your company easier to find in a search.
These are just a few of the many reasons why small businesses should be embracing LinkedIn, more so than ever in these very challenging times. LinkedIn can help fill in the gap and open new doors of contacts and business that you never thought possible.