The basis of sustainability for most local businesses is a handful of referral sources who rave about that business to everyone they encounter. I’ve seen this strategy’s effectiveness repeatedly play out with our clients.
A local electrical contracting business, for example, can generate all the business it needs through its connections with a few fellow contractors and/or other trades businesses that refer them to their customers.
Most modern marketing advice suggests that you focus on reaching hundreds (or even thousands) of people to build sustainability. We even recommend the 1,000 True Fans essay in our essential reading list here.
But years of experience working with local and service-based businesses has taught me that that number is actually much lower for them. They don’t need as much scale to achieve their goals.
Small and service-based businesses achieve sustainability not by developing an audience of thousands but by creating a small audience of raving fans who can be counted on when needed.
This relationship-based strategy works because referral marketing has the power to sustainably fuel your business growth.
One of today’s most underused marketing tools for developing brand-building relationships is LinkedIn. Much more than a basic social media platform, this professional networking resource can help small businesses expand their reach, generate leads, and grow their brand.
Keep reading to learn how to support your marketing efforts with a LinkedIn marketing strategy for small businesses. And be sure to grab our free checklist to start seeing results in just fifteen minutes a day.
How a LinkedIn Marketing Strategy Can Help Your Small Business Thrive
LinkedIn is much more than a simple professional social media tool or a job board.
Professionals all over the world use this platform to build relationships with the potential to grow and sustain their brands.
LinkedIn users are highly engaged and actively looking for business connections. With over one billion users worldwide—and almost a quarter of those in the U.S. and Canada—LinkedIn is a marketing tool no business should overlook.
- Almost half of LinkedIn users regularly interact with business pages.
- 80% of people on LinkedIn are decision-makers for their company.
- Marketers on LinkedIn see up to two times higher conversion rates.
- Advertising on LinkedIn makes a brand seem “higher quality” and “more respectable.”
- 40% of B2B marketers say LinkedIn generates high-quality leads when they incorporate demographic data.
LinkedIn can be a powerful networking tool when you understand how best to leverage it for your marketing strategy.
Unleash Your LinkedIn Success With our 15-Minute Daily Checklist.
Using LinkedIn in your marketing strategy is not a one-shot deal. Building relationships—online or in person—takes dedication and commitment over time.
Our downloadable LinkedIn Success Plan helps you develop habits that consistently nurture your LinkedIn connections. With just 15 minutes a day, you can build a simple routine for engaging with key people online.
Our 5 LinkedIn Marketing Tips for Your Small Business
People and businesses use LinkedIn in their marketing strategies for many reasons. Before you start developing your strategy, get clear on your main goal(s).
LinkedIn is primarily a relationship-building tool. But what form do you want those relationships to take?
Are you looking to build brand awareness, generate leads, or establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry?
Having a clear goal in mind can help you better focus the LinkedIn marketing strategy for your small business.
Setting the Stage: Get Started by Optimizing Your Business Page
Your LinkedIn Business Page lays the foundation for how you want customers, employees, business partners, and other stakeholders to view your brand.
With that said, be sure your About section primarily centers around the unique value you offer and the impact you are looking to make.
- What is important to you as a company?
- What do you believe about the world and how it should operate for the communities you serve?
- WHO do you serve, and what is your answer to their struggles as they relate to your industry?
As values-driven marketers, we focus on people first. When your LinkedIn business page reflects that idea, you set the stage for building relationships with people who share your values, beliefs, and communities.
Once you’ve updated your business page, review your personal one and those of other company leaders.
Do these pages reflect the values expressed on your business page? Be sure to update them as needed to support consistent brand messaging.
Tip #1: Referral-Based Marketing and Expanding Your Reach with LinkedIn
Referral-based marketing is about being known within the communities you serve so that others become advocates for your work. This powerful strategy helps direct a steady, reliable stream of business your way.
And, as mentioned above, LinkedIn has the potential to be a linchpin in your referral-marketing efforts.
By using our free LinkedIn Success Plan checklist, you can begin to expand your network with just a few simple daily activities:
- Post something helpful.
- Connect with someone new.
- Share a post.
- Endorse for skills.
- Leave a review.
For bonus points, increase your engagement by commenting on three posts.
Also, be sure to check out LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator and Outreach paid tool. You can use it to identify and engage with potential leads in your target market and connect with decision-makers for potential referral opportunities.
Tip #2: Crafting Your Identity and Boosting Brand Awareness With Useful Content
While your LinkedIn business page sets the stage for your brand identity, your weekly posts reinforce the values you expressed in your bio.
Relationships require us to give something of ourselves. Your LinkedIn posts are where you provide meaningful content for your stakeholders and further nurture those relationships.
Our LinkedIn Success Plan includes a weekly calendar to help you plan these posts.
There is a box and suggested topic for each day of the week, but do not feel pressured to generate that much content if it does not fit your strategy or schedule.
The general advice is to post at least 3 times a week during times when your target audience is most likely to be online.
Some suggested topics include…
- Motivational quotes
- Industry tips, news, or trends
- Promotions (limit these to a few per month)
- Blog post sharing
- Partner or employee spotlight
Also, be sure to include unique graphics or images as much as possible. Photos of people, quotes, and infographics tend to perform well on this platform.
Tip #3: Leveraging LinkedIn Organic Features
Organic traffic refers to visitors who encounter your posts and page through natural means instead of paid advertising.
These natural means include…
- Search (based on industry, people, companies, hashtags, etc.)
- Seeing your content commented on or shared by someone in their network
- Algorithmic feed population based on their past activity
Engaging with your audience and the wider LinkedIn community is one of the best ways to encourage more organic results.
The more users interact with your posts, the greater the chance that others will see and interact with them as well. That’s why it is so essential to respond to all comments and like, comment on, and share others’ posts to grow your connections on the platform.
Tip #4: Driving Results with Targeted LinkedIn Ads
Sometimes, using paid advertising on Linkedin to target your specific audience can be worth the cost. Some ways we have seen them used well include…
- A business in its early stages that needed to raise brand awareness
- A company that used them for a short period to boost business-to-business (B2B) leads
- Small companies that needed to find highly qualified employees
If you decide to use targeted ads, be clear on your goals to get the most out of your investment.
As of the date of this post, LinkedIn offers several options for ad objectives, including…
- Website visits
- Engagement
- Video views
- Lead generation
- Brand awareness
- Website conversions
- Job applicants
Remember, the general focus of LinkedIn ads should be generating leads, not sales, as it is a professional networking platform. However, well-nurtured leads can help you create a base of raving fans for sustainable business growth.
Tip #5: Harnessing LinkedIn Analytics to Fine-Tune Your Marketing Strategy
Once you’ve worked through the tips above, the LinkedIn Analytics tools have a chance to shine.
Use analytics to fine-tune your LinkedIn marketing strategy. You can gain a better understanding of your audience by looking at how they engage with your content, services, job offers, business page, and more.
Also, note the demographics of your followers and searchers and what types of posts perform better than others. (Get more tips for content optimization and amplification here.)
The data you collect can better inform your LinkedIn marketing strategy, making it more effective and sustainable.
You Only Need 15 Minutes a Day to Integrate LinkedIn Into Your Small Business Marketing Strategy
We are not fans of social media marketing around here because it is often unsustainable. But for small businesses looking to boost their referral marketing strategy, LinkedIn is a platform that should not be overlooked.
Once you’ve taken the time to set up your business page and identify your goals, use our free LinkedIn Success plan to create sustainable habits to support your network marketing.
With these guidelines and checklist, you have what you need to fuel your marketing strategy with LinkedIn.
