LinkedIn differentiates itself from other social media platforms by being the one for ‘Networking Professionals,’ but its use for LinkedIn for business networking goes far beyond just finding a job. LinkedIn does have great features that help connect people with their next role but that’s not it’s only (or even main) purpose.
So, if you’re wondering, “Do people only use LinkedIn to find jobs?” The answer is no. They also use it for…
LinkedIn for Business Networking
Yes, networking is great when you’re on the hunt for your next career opportunity, but it’s also a vital part of finding your next client. With over 1 billion users, it might seem a little like trying to find a needle in a haystack but features on LinkedIn make it easier to dig through the digital hay.
The more you use LinkedIn, the more that platform will get to know you and refine its understanding of who should be in your network. It will suggest profiles, push posts into your feed and present opportunities for you to connect with your prospects.
In addition to this, there are tools like Sales Navigator that will refine your search efforts even more. LinkedIn provides the opportunity for you to network with people from all over the world, increasing your chances of connecting with your next client.
Becoming a thought leader
As you build your LinkedIn network, you are also building a captivated audience – people who want to hear and learn from what you have to say. Whether it’s through DMs, posts or newsletters, you can demonstrate your expertise and knowledge to become a thought leader in your industry.
Thought leadership is about more than sharing your influence. From an engagement point of view, thought leadership posts are more likely to be shared (reposted). This increases the reach of your profile to potential prospects without needing to make any more extra effort.
Being a thought leader on LinkedIn takes you from a salesperson just wanting to make money and transforms you into a credible expert people trust to work with.
Learn more about how becoming a thought leader builds your sales pipeline in this Growth Titans newsletter.
Relationship building
The reason that someone might choose to work with you could also be the same reason they choose not to. Word of mouth, client reviews, product/service comparisons. All of these things can either work in your favour or against you. It all depends on the relationship you are building with a prospect.
Even when you have stunning reviews, shining testimonials and years of experience, that is often only enough for people to be curious. It won’t help their decision to work with you unless you have a relationship with them. With LinkedIn, you can build these relationships authentically and with information you might not have had otherwise.
People’s LinkedIn profiles are a look into their minds and careers. If your prospects post regularly (or even semi-regularly) you’ll learn things about them that will help you build a rapport. Even if they don’t post, job updates or their activity on other people’s posts provide the same information. Information that you can use to build genuine relationships with them and make it more likely that they will want to work with you as a result.
Winning Clients Through LinkedIn Business Networking
All of these efforts on LinkedIn lead to one goal: winning clients. That is what LinkedIn is perfect for when you know how to do it. Want to learn? Join our Social Selling Accelerator to win clients on LinkedIn in 30-minutes per day. Without cold DMs, without paid ads and without chasing the algorithm.
