marketing@greenhousedigitalpr.com
As marketing and sales professionals we invest a lot of time and resources to network, acquire leads and generate revenue, so identifying tools to strengthen and support these efforts is crucial. LinkedIn has become a powerful business-to-business (B2B) marketing and sales tool but not all of us know exactly how to use it to our advantage.
Let’s take a look at some tips from LinkedIn that are particularly relevant to the building products or materials industry.
1. Optimize your profile like it’s a landing page
Personal branding presents a major opportunity from a sales perspective. According to LinkedIn, the most effective employee sharers are those who’ve built their personal brand on LinkedIn. When visitors land on your profile through Google Search or on the platform itself, your profile represents you and your company.
Your LinkedIn profile page is the foundation for your personal branding. Here are some of the best ways to build your brand:
- Add a background image. A background image is a way to gain exposure for your brand. Ask your marketing department if they have a high-quality branded banner image you could use. It might include your company logo, products, or tagline.
- Make your headline more than just a job title. Contrary to popular belief, your Linkedin headline doesn’t have to be your job title. Use the headline field to describe your profession or role creatively, or even share what makes you tick. For example, if you sell a boiler maintenance product, you can say something like, “Preventing breakdown one boiler at a time.” I’m a marketer and content developer, and my headline reads I help building product manufacturers grow their brand | Senior Account Manager | Passionate Writer | Strategic Overthinker.
- Turn your about summary into your story. The about section on your profile offers the chance to tell a story. While you should summarize your skills, sharing why you feel those skills matter is key. It’s also a great opportunity to help people understand what you’re selling and again, why it should matter to them. Try to bring to life why those skills matter – and the difference they can make to the people you work with.
The bottom line is your profile should demonstrate who you are and what you offer to your ideal customer persona.
2. Provide educational and helpful content on your LinkedIn profile
LinkedIn is the ultimate platform for sharing media and marketing collateral with other professionals. Professionals are looking to find content that is relevant to their industry.
While it’s easy to just reshare posts from your company page, it’s more valuable to your audience if the information comes from you. That way, you position yourself as a thought leader. Don’t hesitate to reshare features, contributed articles, or guest blogs where you served as the subject matter expert.
Be sure to get credit for your thought-leadership with Publications.
According to LinkedIn, the Publications section is one of the most under-used elements in LinkedIn profiles – and that means that you can really stand out from the crowd when you use this feature to draw attention to existing thought-leadership content. The Publications section links your profile to these assets. Here’s an article that explains how to add Publications to your LinkedIn profile.
Have you helped to write an eBook or a White Paper? Or written a post on your company’s blog? You can also add articles authored by you directly on the LinkedIn feed using the Write article feature.
The marketing collateral you produce for your business can also add an extra dimension to your profile. Sharing case studies, white papers, and other brand content helps show what the company you work for is all about – and helps people understand what makes you tick. It demonstrates passion and commitment as well (LinkedIn, 2022).
3. Build your Network
Did you know you can build your LinkedIn network by importing a list of contacts you already know? All you need to do is:
- Click the My Network icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.
- Click Connections on the lift and then click More options on the right.
- Type your work email address in the field provided.
Another great way to start networking is to join applicable LinkedIn groups, allowing you to reach a targeted audience and industry professionals. Simply search keywords related to your industry to find LinkedIn groups to choose from.
If you’re a sales or marketing professional working in the building product industry and you’re looking to grow your brand, GreenHouse Digital + PR can help! Our team has the resources and experience to take your company’s marketing strategy to the next level and deliver your desired results.