3 Ways for Mom Entrepreneurs to Use LinkedIn
If you’re looking for social networking connections that you can really connect with professionally, you should be at LinkedIn. As far as social networks and businesses go, LinkedIn is a great way to grow your business and your community. Here’s a closer look at how to use this oft-forgotten social network to boost your business, attract your target customer and develop a robust network.
Connecting with Customers
First things first, LinkedIn is terrific for finding your target customers. You can start quickly and easily by joining relevant groups, discussing topics that may interest them and basically, being the helpful person you are. Let’s say, you have a children’s clothing business and want to reach out to moms. Just do a quick search for “Moms” in “Groups” and you’ll be presented with a lengthy list of mom groups to network with. A quick note about groups. Some are ‘Open’ groups, which means anyone can click ‘Join’ and start talking; others require that you request to be a member.
Finding Service Providers
Do you need some website designing? Maybe you’re looking for someone to help out with administrative needs? Or get some copywriting done? Whatever your business need, you're sure to find the right resource at LinkedIn. I know because I’ve landed several great copywriting assignments this way. Just post a job in the relevant group and you’ll have plenty of relevant responses to choose from. Alternatively, do a search using the job title as keywords and go through the profiles that come up. Since you can read a potential service provider’s individual’s profile, complete with links to companies he’s worked with, testimonials, past employment history and more, you’ve already done a mini-background check even before sending him an email.
Building Brand Recognition
Best of all, LinkedIn allows you to build a strong online brand for your business through a Company Page. Use the instructions in the Help section to create your company page and then watch LinkedIn do a little magic too. Once your company profile is created, LinkedIn will pull in all the information about your company from across the site. So, you’ll automatically get links to the profiles of all your current employees, past employees, job listings and more right on your company page. Not only does that look good for business, it's also great for someone who wants to partner with you or work for you.
Are you on LinkedIn? How have you used it to grow your business?