LinkedIn holds many advantages as a professional networking platform. Its focus is on connecting people for work-related purposes. As a result, it’s a great way to grow brand awareness and communicate your mission and focus of your products or services. LinkedIn tends to be taken more seriously since they come to the space with their career hats on rather than looking for the latest memes for a quick laugh. Although, that has its place too!

Follow these essential steps to gain the notice of your target audience and put LinkedIn to work for your brand.

Step 1: The “Magic Ten”

How often are you active on LinkedIn? Post, like, and share at least ten times a day, and you could easily make this quota. There are concrete benefits to remaining active. Instead of focusing solely on adding new connections to your network, consider how you can build your audience. First, selectively seek prospects to connect with. Plus, Linkedin is the perfect place to turn down invitations that won’t benefit you without hurting anyone’s feelings.

Step 2: Keep your Profile Updated

Does your LinkedIn profile have your latest experience, or are you still sporting your last job or the one before that as your current occupation? Think of your profile as a store window in a busy metro area. It’s important to catch the eye of those walking by before they reach the next store. You can do this by adding keywords that help searchers and AI bots find your profile. LinkedIn has sophisticated search functions. So, including your location and other important information can help you connect to your target audience.

Step 3: Network and Engage

There’s no point in building a network if you aren’t going to utilize it. Therefore, it is important to engage with your audience by giving them the content they want. You can write about your products, services, or issues impacting your users. There are many benefits to networking and engaging with your audience. It can bring new opportunities to build long-term professional relationships and improve your communication skills. It can also help you better understand your target audience. In turn, this will help you provide better content and marketing strategies to connect the right people to your products and services.

Step 4: Use Your Voice

Have you tried out LinkedIn’s voice messaging feature? It lets you leave one-minute voice messages on the platform’s mobile app. Try it for yourself to see its impact on the quality of your engagement. You can convey so much more with your voice than you can with a simple text message

Step 5: Join Groups

LinkedIn groups are a not-so-hidden treasure trove for those mining for optimal connections. Many people overlook this valuable resource. However, you can still find your tribe among many LinkedIn groups. Plus, it’s a perfect way to promote your business while enriching your knowledge of your target audience.

Step 6: Use 3 Hashtags

So why should you use three hashtags on your LinkedIn post? Use two hashtags that match your post topic. Then, choose an oddball hashtag to see if you can gain any traction on it.

When you’re looking for the latest hashtags, use the platform’s sophisticated search function to see who else is using the hashtags you come up with. For maximum impact, place hashtags at the end of your post. Remember, go big and broad with hashtags and use one to attract a subset of your target audience.

Takeaways

LinkedIn has transformed the business landscape, and it’s essential to learn how to use it to your advantage. Chances are that your competitors are already out there making connections and engaging with the same clients you want in your digital community. Following these steps can help you succeed in networking with your target audience.