Do you struggle to generate quality leads consistently?
Are you finding it hard to stand out in the marketplace and get your message in front of key decision-makers?
Or perhaps you've tried several marketing strategies such as Google Adwords, Facebook ads or search engine optimization and haven't yet achieved the return on investment you were hoping for?
These are the common challenges across many small business owners I speak with.
When I first started using LinkedIn back in 2011, I had just sold my previous business and moved back to Sydney to pursue my passion for starting a business advisory firm.
Like you I was on the lookout for a better, faster and more cost-effective method to win more business and increase sales.
After implementing a few marketing initiatives on other channels I quickly realized that the traditional methods of marketing were either too expensive or not effective in today's social and digital world.
At the time I was very sceptical and maybe a little cynical about the return I could get for the time and money I would need to invest in social media.
With market globalization and so many social media tools out there, I found it easy to get caught up in the noise and hype of the next big thing.
I knew that if I we were going to generate any return through social I would need to choose the platform that offered the best potential for reaching our ideal audience.
As a small business, you simply can't be amazing on every platform; that takes a huge amount of bandwidth and resources.
Instead of having a sub-par representation in a lot of places, I knew that the key was to be awesome in one.
So how do you decide which platform to choose?
Below are three reasons why I've chosen LinkedIn as my preferred social media platform and why I recommend others to the same.
1. Media
In today's business world consumers buy more into people than they do in companies and products.
Sure having a good company reputation is important and you have to have a great product/service but all of this is irrelevant if they don't like the people behind the company.
You may have the best product or service in the world but if nobody knows who you are or where to find you then what good is that?
This is why personal branding and online reputation is so important. And one great way to build your reputation and expertise in the marketplace is "Media Exposure."
But getting noticed can be an expensive and time-consuming exercise. Hiring a traditional PR agency can cost you thousands, and whether or not their campaign will result in increased sales is another story.
For far too long the traditional methods of getting media coverage has either been too expensive, difficult or just too time consuming.
But thanks to LinkedIn you can now start connecting and building relationships with hundreds of journalists and editors from around the world.
According to a survey by Arketi media group, over 94.2 percent of journalists and editors are on LinkedIn and 62 percent rate it as their preferred professional networking tool!
2. Lead Generation
The second reason why I've chosen LinkedIn as our preferred social media site is because of its lead generation capabilities.
Regardless of what product you sell, where your company is located or what industry you're in, ultimately we are all in the business of Marketing.
And the sole purpose of why we market our business is to get our message in front of key decision makers.
When it comes to marketing your business, I believe that it's 10% what you say, 90% how you say it. Therefore, it's hard to stand out if you're marketing your business like every other competitor is in your industry.
With two new members joining every second in across 130 industries and 200 countries it's never been easier to search, find and connect with thousands of potential clients without burning a hole in your marketing budget.
Think about it, where else would you have access to over 400 million decision-makers for free?
LinkedIn is the ONLY online platform that provides access to their database of decision makers, and they do this through their advanced search functionality.
So why spend thousands of dollars using traditional marketing methods to promote you're businesses, when you can access a network of decision makers using LinkedIn.
Over the past few years, we've managed to use LinkedIn to fill events, secure 100's of new clients and increase our database through online seminars.
3. Partnerships
And finally, the third reason why I've chosen LinkedIn is its ability to help you connect and secure partnerships.
Fostering strategic partnerships is a powerful way to grow a business.
With the right partner, you can refer clients to each other, leverage the power of offering complimentary products or services, and help grow each others email list.
Let's face it, in today's business world the customer sales cycle is a lot longer than it used to be 5-10 years ago.
Nowadays you need a minimum of 7-10 touch points to build up rapport and trust before you can pitch your product or business.
Why waste precious resources developing this trust when you can partner with someone else who has already established this trust.
And by doing so rather then getting your message in front of one potential client, you can broadcast your message in front of hundreds if not thousands of targeted contacts who have already built trust with the business or person you are partnering with.
However finding the right joint venture and alliance partners can be challenging.
So where do you go to find joint venture partners, for instance, if you're a social media consultant focused on helping chiropractors improve their marketing?
LinkedIn of course!
With 49% of LinkedIn members being key decision-makers, you will never have to cold call or run telemarketing campaigns to reach out and connect with key potential partners!
In the past 12 months, we've managed to secure over 50 partnerships through LinkedIn helping us grow our database from 50 subscribers to over 13,800.
If you have any questions on the article or LinkedIn in general, leave a comment by posting it below! And if you've gained value from this article, share it with your network so they too can benefit.