As the platform that's specifically dedicated to all things business, LinkedIn holds the power to connect you with thousands of professionals within the self storage industry, spread brand awareness, and even draw in new hires.
Use the tips below to push your efforts on LinkedIn in the right direction and increase the exposure of your business.
Don't Skimp on Details that Set You Apart Instead of coasting through the setup pages and calling it good, take a bit more time to distinguish your business page.
With Showcase Pages, you can list all of the extra features, promotions, and services your facility has to offer-especially the elements that differentiate you from the rest.
"By optimizing your profile and company page, you increase the likelihood of potential and current customers, as well as business partners, finding you," says Chuck Hester, LinkedIn Invited Publisher and Speaker.
"LinkedIn is a 313 million member social [customer relationship management platform]-the better you optimize your LinkedIn presence, the greater the chance of finding new business!" Hester also suggests that the number one priority for a small business on LinkedIn should be to optimize pages with search phrases that customers would most likely use in their online search.
Keep Your Balance of Content in Check Justify why your business is a credible resource before expecting other industry professionals to trust your expertise.
You can do this with content.
"You need to start by positioning your business first," explains Hester.
"LinkedIn, like all social media channels, is a community.
People want to build relationships, find resources, and exc­hange ideas.
The marketing will come once you've established your standing in the community.
" If you're having trouble determining how often you can appropriately promote your business, the 80-20 rule is a reliable technique.
In a nutshell, you'll post content that's valuable to your audience (without selling) 80% of the time and content that directly sells your business the other 20%.
Actively Participate in Conversation As convenient as it would be, your LinkedIn page doesn't take care of itself once it's set up.
Ultimately, you can attract as much (or as little) attention to your business as you wish.
Interacting with other professionals in your industry, or related industries, is a sound way to start.
This can be done by commenting on posts, sharing, and replying to other comments to join the flow of conversation.
"Your customers and potential customers are on social media in one form or another," says Hester.
"You need to communicate with them where they live: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter.
Yes, it's a marketing channel, but it can't be ignored anymore.
It's the way the world gets their information, finds their service providers, and interacts on a day-to-day basis.
" Bio: Chuck Hester is a LinkedIn power connector with more than 13,000 direct connections.
He is a sought-after expert on the subject of using LinkedIn for media relations, personal and professional branding, and how to use social media to build business contacts.
He's addressed conferences in Canada, Australia, and throughout the United States.
He's the author of Linking In to Pay it Forward: Changing the Value Proposition in Social Media.
His latest book, Social Media for the Rest of Us: A Boomer's Perspective, is due in late 2014/early 2015.