10 WAYS LINKEDIN HELPED MY BUSINESS GROW (& HOW LINKEDIN CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS)

In 2011, I held my very first social media class. The name of the class was “Get LinkedIn!”

Want to hear something funny? I wasn’t even on LinkedIn and was pretty much opposed to any kind of social media.

The idea to have a social media class came about because people had been asking me how to use social media — as I had been setting up social media accounts for others since 2009. Of course, once I had the idea, I had to set up a LinkedIn account though it went against every fiber of my being. Ugh!

Though I created my LinkedIn account with reservations, I can honestly say it was one of the best things that I have ever done.

Want to know why it was such a great idea? Keep reading to learn how LinkedIn has helped me grow my business, and how it can help your business grow.

1. I have worked with clients that are located in other countries.

Yes. You read that right, I have met and worked with social media clients from three different countries who I met on LinkedIn.

2. LinkedIn has allowed me to meet and partner with small business owners who are located in other states as well as in my local area (DC, Maryland, and Virginia).

3. Quite a few bloggers have reached out to ask if they could interview me, and of course, I said yes!

Not only have I been interviewed on a number of blogs, but you can also find some video interviews (vlogs) where I’ve been featured as well.

 

4. College students have connected with me and asked if they could work with me.

As you may know, college students are encouraged to network on LinkedIn and some of them are either looking for work or internships. These can be win-win situations.

5. Quite often, I get asked to speak at conferences and events by people who are on LinkedIn.

The most recent example would be because I connected with a lady I did a one-on-one LinkedIn class with (around 2014), she reached out to me and asked if I would like to present a Personal Branding session at DC Society for Human Resource Management’s (DC-SHRM) 2019 Annual Conference. We had a great time during the workshop! 🙂

6. LinkedIn members often ask how they can schedule one-on-one training with me.

I am active on LinkedIn daily, and LinkedIn shows my activity to others. This creates business opportunities. You’d be surprised to know many of the people who have contacted me for training I did not even know existed. What does that mean? It means, I’ve never interacted with them before they contacted me, but because I am leveraging the platform, they see me and become curious about what I am offering.

7. Event attendees have asked to get together at upcoming conferences.

Both local and not so local conferences today use mobile apps where attendees can network before the events. Usually, only a handful of people use the mobile app. Most attendees who want to connect will search out others who are attending the conference on LinkedIn. Why? LinkedIn is usually easier to use than the conference’s mobile app, and it’s a better way to stay connected after the conference has ended. By the way, this is a great way to meet LinkedIn members from other states and countries as I mentioned above.

8. As you may know, a lot of LinkedIn’s members are recruiters.

By being active daily, recruiters frequently send job opportunities to me. These opportunities are always relevant to what I do such as Director of Marketing positions for example. I love what I do, so I politely decline the offers, but I always stay open as I am looking for that million-dollar opportunity. (wink, wink)

9. LinkedIn has a Career Advice section.

There I am often asked questions from people who are looking to enter the marketing industry or start their own social media agencies. Why would I answer their questions? Because after having a conversation, many of those leads have turned into clients. They realize that a consultation or two could help them get their ideas together.

10. Podcasters are on LinkedIn, and because each podcaster’s topics are niche-specific they look for a variety of people in different industries to interview.

This helps them by getting their content in front of your audience and theirs. How does this help you? Many of them have large audiences that could potentially also be your audience. This will give you the opportunity to get before their audience as well and promote your products and services.

These are just a few ways that LinkedIn has been instrumental in helping me grow my business.

This list could go on and on, but I promised I would only give ten ways that LinkedIn has helped my business grow.

If you want to learn how to get started with LinkedIn, be sure to register for my upcoming workshop, “LinkedIn On Steroids: Learn How To Master LinkedIn for Business.”

Not in the area, but would like to participate in a LinkedIn workshop? Click here to schedule a LinkedIn class online (one-on-one, just you and me).

 

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Some of what was referenced above:

• LinkedIn is responsible for my being introduced to some organizations whose staff I have done social media training for and marketing partners, which you can find here.
• Podcast Interview: Profitable Public Speaking with Marc Guberti
• DC SHRM 2019 Annual Conference
• Kristen Curtiss Interview: Solution Provider Then & Now
• Story Exchange Interview (before I re-branded)