You see the way Fortune 500 companies are getting publicity and visibility on social platforms, but what about you? There's a difference, right? I mean, your business is on Main Street, not on Wall Street.
It's just as important to build credibility and trust when working locally - maybe even more important if you want to stay in business.
Here are five tips on how you can use LinkedIn to boost exposure for your local business.
1. Establish Yourself As A Local Expert
Increasing familiarity with your business is so important when building a profitable foundation in a local business area. Showing local clients what you do, how you do it and your success rates right from the beginning will attract the local client base and establish trust in your abilities.
You might even want to get a LinkedIn company page up and running to focus solely on your businesses brand. Once you have it made, go ahead and promote yourself. LinkedIn has multiple options now that enable you to promote your page as advertisements to target segments. Get your business out there, get connecting with people and show them your successes. And don't be afraid to brag a little.
2. Attract Top Employees
Every business needs a strong employee base to enhance productivity. Once you've established yourself as a local expert, recruiting top tier members to support your business is essential for growth.
Make use of the job postings section, seek out suggestions from credible sources and get digging on which you believe can enhance your business.
3. Build A Network Of Local Business Owners
I love local-based networking groups. People love to do business with associates, which make it a key topic to consider when growing your local business and network of clients.
Join a few local networking groups and see what the conversations about; or even start your own. From there, you can engage with local business owners, give recommendations, post blogs and mention events you may have coming up. From here you can establish connections, as well as gain clients from your participation in these groups.
And once you've built this network, connect with your local clients. It's a great way to stay in touch, further your client base and support the people who support you.
4. Host Events And Promote In Local LinkedIn Groups
Getting face-to-face meetings with potential clients is the ultimate goal in building relationships with local business owners. By hosting events relative to your audience, you create the opportunity to get in front of these businesses that may need your help.
Promote these events in the location-based groups you have created, as well as post your events to other local groups that attract your target audience.
5. Don't Forget Personal Branding
When it's all said and done, your business is nothing without your personal brand. Be sure to stay true to what you've built and maintain these positive social networking relationships through your brand image. After all, you are what you post.
This post originally appeared on Karen Yankovich's blog