5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs A LinkedIn Page

 

If all the different Social Media channels were at a party together, LinkedIn would almost certainly be the guest standing by themselves in the corner while Facebook and Instagram did shots together and Twitter talked over everyone.

But the more reserved professional style of LinkedIn is a big part of its appeal as a marketing channel. Businesses of all sizes can use it to target lucrative and decisive audiences. LinkedIn is also changing and growing in new and interesting ways. So, if you haven’t got one already, and you are wondering what the point of LinkedIn is, here are 5 reasons why your business needs a LinkedIn profile. 

#1 Your Business Targets B2B

LinkedIn has been a crucial channel for marketing, sales, and business development departments for many years. In fact, LinkedIn accounts for 80% of B2B leads from social media. Other social media platforms place a far greater focus on getting users to interact within their existing social circle, whereas LinkedIn is geared towards creating connections between businesses and people who don’t know each other. This is built into the fabric of the platform. Features like who viewed your profile allow users to let potential clients know they have visited their pages. Then those who are open to connecting have the option of sending a connection request. Those who don’t want to connect can set their profile viewing habits as hidden. 

Features like this make LinkedIn a great platform for finding businesses that want to connect and not annoying those who don’t. A similar connection request to a CEO’s Facebook page would be much more likely to be rejected or come across as invasive. The same goes for pitching someone through a comment on their holiday snaps, this certainly won’t be met with a sympathetic response. If you want to do business networking online, you should get on LinkedIn. 

#2 LinkedIn Hosts Many Key Demographics

Another reason why Salespeople value LinkedIn is because of the types of quality leads and contacts it can deliver. If buying your products or services will require someone high up in a company giving approval, being in contact with someone more senior from the very beginning is going to save time and increase your chances of making a sale. LinkedIn is the #1 platform for CEOs. It also hosts 90 million senior-level influencers, 63 million decision-makers, 17 million opinion leaders, and 10 million C-level executives.

The platform also offers access to those with money. LinkedIn users have a higher income than your average person with 45% of LinkedIn users earning $75,000 or more a year. Those of you offering luxury products should also note that 33% of millionaires use LinkedIn. Another well-represented key demographic on LinkedIn is the university-educated. 51% of Americans with a college education are on LinkedIn. If your business is targeting any of these demographics then you should definitely get on there.

#3 It’s Great for Content Marketing

46% of social media traffic to B2B sites comes from LinkedIn. Content marketers know this, that's why 97% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn as a content distribution channel. LinkedIn users are interested in what other businesses are up to. Many of them use it as a key platform for finding out the latest developments in their industry.  20% of investors say that LinkedIn is the best place to learn more about something.

Small agencies and freelancers from marketing and creative industries can also benefit from the channel's potential for catching the attention of big clients. Freelancers and small businesses can share their content on their profile, or perhaps buy some ads to get their work in front of those key decision-makers. LinkedIn is also a useful tool for attracting collaborators for link and content exchanges that can boost your site's SEO. If you want your content to reach any of these demographics, or you want to set up some exchanges, Linkedin could be the channel for you. 

#4 LinkedIn Shows Your Business Has Big Plans

Any business owner with the ambition of becoming an international brand needs to set up a LinkedIn page for their business. LinkedIn is the social media platform of choice for Fortune 500 companies, 92% of them have profiles. If you are in the B2B sector, not having a well-presented LinkedIn page may make your business come across as ‘small-time’, which is fine if that’s your brand but those who want to go big would be advised to spend a little time creating a professional-looking profile. LinkedIn is one of those channels that customers and employers do check, so make sure you have a profile that gives potential clients and customers a good impression. Any freelancers looking to find a permanent position in a major company should also note that 77% of recruiters are on LinkedIn.

 #5 LinkedIn’s Healthy Growth 

When thinking about your next step in Social Media Marketing, your mind should be on the future as much as the present: LinkedIn is definitely a platform for the future. It is one of the fastest-growing social media channels. Two people join the platform every second, adding up to 172,800 a day and around 62 million new users every year. These impressive growth figures are made all the better by the channel’s unique audience and appeal. 

It’s hard to know which of the other Social Media platforms will be around in 5 years' time, but one thing is certain they are competing much more with each other than they are with LinkedIn. LinkedIn’s odd guy at the party persona may prove to pay off in the future. As Social Media users get older, the appeal of the social side of social media may wear off; but until the day we retire, we are always going to be interested in professional news, networking, and new opportunities and this means that B2Cs should also consider getting involved. If you do decide to start an account, don’t forget to follow rankingCoach for the latest Digital Marketing tips and news.