Unlike other social networks, it’s not always intuitive as to how to use LinkedIn effectively. If you have a LinkedIn profile and are scratching your head about what to do next, here are 5 ways entrepreneurs are using LinkedIn as a business tool.
1. Establish Your Credibility
People prefer to do business with those they know, like and trust. If they can’t do that, they would prefer to do business with someone who is known, liked and trusted by a friend or colleague.
LinkedIn can help you with that. By having recommendations and endorsements on your profile, prospects can see that real people think you’re good at what you do.
They can also see which of their connections also recommends you.
This transfer of trust can make the difference between having the opportunity to pitch to someone or them choosing someone else.
2. Better Purchasing
When making a purchase for your business you don’t want to waste your money.
And when you’re a solopreneur this can be challenging because you don’t have someone to discuss the pros and cons of a particular product with.
That’s where LinkedIn comes in.
A few years ago I was looking to purchase some software for my business. I’d done the research and narrowed the field down to two choices. I didn’t have any way to differentiate the two so I asked my LinkedIn network for any comments or advice.
Within 24 hours I had ten thoughtful comments about the two pieces of software. People had put considerable time and effort into answering me. Best of all, I had an 11th response that included a recommendation for a third piece of software that I hadn’t discovered in my research. It better fit my needs and best of all, it was considerably cheaper. By asking my network I saved thousands of dollars
3. Better Hiring
Hiring can be a Read More→
