Five Ways to Use LinkedIn Social Media to Market Online Store Brands & Product

The mention of LinkedIn still makes most people reflexively think, “Oh, that professional networking,¬† job search site, right?” It is true that folks are depending on LinkedIn to effectively connect with other¬† professionals who might be helpful with a job search, but LinkedIn is also a great platform to meet B2B decision makers who may be in need of services and product too.

Although there are dozens of ways to make the most of your LinkedIn social marketing, here are five ways we have found most useful in using LinkedIn:

1) Tell the whole truth: For others to begin to trust you online, it’s important to complete your profile with 100% total accuracy. Don’t hesitate to send out Linkedin invites to your professional associates and take the time to ask for references. Just as it is important for employee seekers to see some bona fieds, it is equally as important for B2B decision makers to feel as if they’re doing business with someone who has a solid network of connections, great references, and valid credentials.

2) Cast savory bits: Once you’ve built an incredible and fully-loaded profile, get into the habit of regularly updating your status with mouth-watering copy. It might not be as important in the beginning when you only have five, ten, or twenty connections, but as your network grows, there are sure to be a lot of hungry eyes scanning your lines, especially since they populate automatically on all of your connections’ LinkedIn home pages. If you feel you’re already updating via Twitter with the same information you would want to drop into your LinkedIn status updates, it might be worthwhile to take the time to sync your Twitter with your LinkedIn.

3) Huddle: It’s a snap to beckon dozens of professional group profiles via a quick keyword search. Since LinkedIn users are allowed to be a member of up to 50 groups, apply to join plenty of of the most relevant, populated, and active ones. Once you’ve been accepted, befriend group members whose profile match your client candidate desires. Don’t be squeamish about initiating discussion either.

4) Clink glasses: OK, so you’re updating your status and initiating some new discussion, but it’s also important to interact with your connections and fellow group members. Comment on your connections’ updates and group members’ discussions. Strive to be an integral part of your LinkedIn community.

5) Start your own drumbeat : If you’re already producing regular educational blogs or have a lot of product/industry information you’d like to share, create your own LinkedIn group and invite your contacts to join. If you keep it active and interesting, membership will grow like a beanstalk.

How, might you ask, will these five tenets help me market my online store brand and product? Successful marketing is all about creating relationships. Via LinkedIn or any other virtual social networking platform, take the time to qualify the professionals and groups you spend your time with. Once qualified and befriended, most connections invite the chance to network with another professional who can confidently offer a trusted B2B solution.

Every In-mail you send, update you make, or discussion you post, links directly to your profile, which points back to your branded store through the hot links you’ve included and the profile copy you’ve presented. This is especially the case if you’ve started your own LinkedIn group, which can, by the way, be conveniently clad in any logo of your choice and outfitted with a RSS feed of your online store blogs. Also, the more active you are on LinkedIn, the more people will want to invite you into their social circle. Social media love is viral as long as you keep it real.

The keys to making LinkedIn work is being consistent with your updates and networking strategies, actively nourishing and growing your network, and carrying out LinkedIn social marketing in conjunction with a multi-pronged social media plan.

For more information on social media marketing, refer back to the  New Social Media Map Model Built to Maximize Ecommerce Store Sales Conversion blog and sign up to receive our complimentary ecommerce newsletter updates.

To get help launching or managing your company’s social media campaigns, contact Fastpivot.com social media experts today.