There is an interesting article on “Why small businesses are getting LinkedIn wrong” by Alexandra Samuel in the Wall Street Journal Jan. 24, 2016.
In my experience, it is great for everyone in a small company to link on LinkedIn so that everyone shares their individual networks. That way sales can leverage everyone’s contacts for networking. You can use LinkedIn to search specific industries, target companies, job titles, and geographic areas. LinkedIn also has a product called Sales Navigator that lets your team use a separate product for prospecting. This has a search tool called Lead Builder that lets sales build lead lists and provides InMail capability to contact leads.
Alexandra’s tips for small business include:
- Don’t use LinkedIn for marketing (because you can get more bang for the buck on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram);
- Tap your network when you travel to fill your schedule with prospects or networking;
- Don’t link to contacts at competitor companies;
- Keep critical activity private — open a private browsing window when you don’t want people seeing that you have viewed their profile;
- Don’t focus on lead generation (your company page will not generate leads);
- Sell the business, not yourself — include a descriptive summary of their business, leveraging the brand of top clients’
- When hiring, just posting an opening isn’t good enough for small companies – search actively for qualified candidates;
- Use LinkedIn groups to ask questions and get advice on new tools, government contracting, etc. And give advice, too.