LinkedIn has more than 600 million users in over 200 countries and territories worldwide. This is why it’s a veritable gold mine for any company or individual looking to grow their influence as an expert in their chosen niche. Yet relatively few accounting firms are making the most of this opportunity, even though it is comparably much more effective than other forms of marketing, it just takes more time, commitment and focus than traditional advertising.
Here are some best practices to help your firm and its team members leverage LinkedIn effectively.
- Define your LinkedIn goals and strategy. Being seen and heard as an influencer and expert source on LinkedIn requires that you are regularly putting out high-quality content to build your firms credibility, so make sure you know what your goals and strategy are in this regard.
- Consider what content you need to develop. In order to leverage your firm’s niche knowledge to gain the interest of prospective clients, do a little research about the key areas where these prospects might need some guidance using Google trends or simply visiting some groups on LinkedIn which your prospects frequent.
- Be focused in your approach. Just like any other strategy you use to attract your niche clients, you need to be laser focused in finding them and connecting with them on LinkedIn. Use the search function and if you decide to really utilize LinkedIn to its full capacity, consider also using the paid options to send direct InMails to key prospects outside of your network.
- Host an event on LinkedIn. Remember, fundamental to your niche strategy is showcasing your expertise in the particular vertical you are targeting. An event such as a LinkedIn Live or promoting your own event of the platform will help you in this area.
- Utilize video content on LinkedIn. LinkedIn reports that video gets on average 3 times more engagement than text posts and that native video is 5 times more likely to be shared and to create engagement among LinkedIn members than other content. A key tip: Make sure If you go that route, take the extra step to you optimize your video with subtitles because up to 80% of the video content on the platform is watched with the sound off.
- Share your opinion and the content of others. Being a thought leader requires that you have a viewpoint when you create and share content. Make sure your own posts are delivering value from the information they contain specific to your niche. When you share someone else’s post be sure to have a thoughtful reason for doing so and craft a sentence or two to that effect. Don’t just share with no context.
- Be interactive. Here’s a critical point about LinkedIn and any other social media platform. You need to devote time to being interactive and asking questions. Be sure to respond to comments on your posts—those could be your future customers! Comment on other people’s posts, participate in groups, and share their content as well.
Using LinkedIn as an integral part of your niche marketing strategy can help you win new clients and create a valuable thought leadership position. Another benefit of using LinkedIn…not many firms are using it to its full capacity, so you can really stand out when you use the approach over the long-term. Last words of advice: be consistent, be focused, and most of all be engaged! Your LinkedIn niche market target members await!