Hello retail-minded friends! A lot of our recent blogs have been focused on retail, which makes sense, seeing as Retailbound is a retail consultancy, however, today, as marketing intern at Retailbound, I would like to bring our focus back to social media.
We have already discussed in our blog the growing importance and relevance of social media in the business world. Each type of social media, though grouped under one name, can serve a different purpose for different businesses. Facebook benefits a certain type of retailer, as does Twitter, as does LinkedIn.
Generally speaking, Twitter and Facebook are less professional mediums of social media. They are a great place to showcase customer service with your fans and followers. They are also a great way to analyze your consumers and market to see what is trendy. They can also act as a great way to give your company the personality which you want to give it and how you wish the public to perceive you. For example, Cap’t Crunch runs their Facebook page as if they were the Cap’t himself. This makes the page highly entertaining, yet still attentive to the comments and complaints of fans and customers.
The medium that we are going to talk about today though is considered highly professional. LinkedIn, similarly to other social media websites, has been experiencing increasing popularity as the internet presence also rises. It requires a delicate balance in order to benefit your business.
For those who are unfamiliar with LinkedIn, it is a professional network in which you can connect with old connections, new connections, and current connections. It is a way to stay connected with business professionals you have encountered and worked with over the years. Many people chose to post their resumes, recommendations, and greatest skills on their page. Many employers consult LinkedIn when they receive a resume as an additional source to assess their candidate off of.
Though the main purpose of LinkedIn is for individuals, there is a growing space on LinkedIn for businesses to make an impact. No matter what service or product you offer, if you have appropriate resources and time, a LinkedIn page can be a great way to boost your SEO and also connect with previously unreached audiences.
With a developed LinkedIn page, you have the opportunity to showcase your business exactly how you want to. You can elaborate upon your strengths, post testimonials, and connect with your fans. The more developed your page is, the more developed your business will seem. LinkedIn differs here because it gives your fans a chance to communicate with you first-hand instead of through an email. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, there is less need to post frequently, therefore, the management ends up being easier than one of those two modes of social media. There is less of a necessity to create and maintain a personality. Instead, you can speak in a professional manner with those who chose to connect with your business on LinkedIn.
If you think you have a larger amount of time to dedicate towards LinkedIn as a business, then another great option would be to start a group. When you start a group on LinkedIn, you invite people to become a part of it, or people can opt to join in if they find themselves interested or relevant. It is a great place for you to post materials from your business, whether those be white papers, blog topics, or conference invites. However, if you do run a page, if other people post, it is important for you to interact with those posts and be welcoming of input, critique, and praise.
Most importantly, LinkedIn is another way to increase exposure for your company. As long as you can commit to keeping up with the page, not as frequently as say Facebook or Twitter but at least once a week, it can truly increase your reputation and reach.
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