Small is mighty: How to connect your small business to opportunities on LinkedIn

 

MANILA, Philippines – The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected businesses as most struggle with finding opportunities and supporting their employees. As we’re adjusting to life post-lockdown, a report from PWC notes that businesses are looking for ways to gain greater access to customers, talent, and free consultants to help them get back to business. 

One way businesses can do this is through LinkedIn. The platform has tools and resources for small businesses that can help them rebuild and grow their businesses. 

Build your corporate branding and get discovered online

Creating a LinkedIn Company page helps you showcase your corporate culture as well as your services. An active and updated page will make it easier for LinkedIn members to search for, learn about, and refer your business to their broader network.

Pages with complete profiles are observed have a 30 percent increase in weekly views. To ensure you have a complete profile, check the following: 

• Company logo – Add your organization’s logo and a cover image to bring your Page to life. 

• Overview – Lead with relevant terms and phrases that describe your organization’s mission and purpose. (LinkedIn members can search by keywords.)

• Organization Info. – Input your website URL and location, and select your industry and company size.

• Call to action button – Customize your button to align with your goals and track who’s clicked in the admin view or in visitor analytics.

Furthermore, companies who share regular posts weekly have seen a 2x increase in engagement with their content. 

You can post images and videos to accompany your caption. LinkedIn notes that posts with images typically result in a 2x higher comment rate, while videos get 5x more engagement on LinkedIn. 

If you have a company event or town hall, you can also use LinkedIn Live to broadcast. Live videos get 24x more engagement on LinkedIn compared to other visual materials. 

Here’s a quick action plan you can follow to help you start a hardworking company page. 

Show people that you’re “Open for Business”

The Open for Business feature allows small business owners and professionals to network and connect with members looking for the services they offer. It also allows service providers to reach potential clients. 

You can also use the feature to ask for a recommendation for a career coach, or request tax help from an accountant, etc. Your connections are the best way to find trusted referrals and potential clients.

To get started, enable and manage the Open for Business feature from your LinkedIn profile. 

1. Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.

2. Click View profile.

3. Click Add services from the Showcase services section in your introduction card.

4. Follow the prompts in the pop-up window that appears.

5. Click Add to profile.

Retool yourself and your employees by learning new skills

Professionals across the globe are learning to adapt to our world’s changing business landscape. In April 2020, learners watched 1.2 million hours of LinkedIn Learning content in a single week. 

Employees and managers are also seeking advice on navigating the challenges of remote working. 

To help, LinkedIn has offered over 440 free LinkedIn Learning courses to help small businesses navigate the challenges of today’s economy. Some of the courses small businesses can check are: 

• Managing your small business

• Protecting profitability by reducing financial risk

• Building resilience

You can check more courses here. 

Navigating the new normal is challenging for everyone but if you are guided with the right tools and supported by a professional community, you can be more confident in facing the challenges ahead. – Rappler.com