How LinkedIn Can Help Your Startup

Do you have a startup but feel like it’s taking forever to grow? Read on to learn how you can use LinkedIn to speed up the growth process.

Promote Your Business

One of the most obvious ways LinkedIn can help your startup is through marketing. You can set up your personal profile and create a page for your company. After you create your page, you can start to post content related to what your startup does.

Then, you can build an audience on LinkedIn of people who may want to buy from you. When you’re ready to launch your product, you will have a group of people to sell to. This is particularly useful for tech and B2B startups. If your ideal clients are on LinkedIn, it can be great. But if your audience isn’t on the platform, it won’t be so helpful in that way.

Establish Your Expertise

LinkedIn is an excellent place to showcase yourself as an expert in your industry. You can share links from your website or from other reputable websites. And you can even write posts directly on LinkedIn that show you know what you’re talking about. Then, you’ll be able to build trust with your audience.

As you build that trust, you can continue to grow your audience. You’ll also be able to compete with other businesses that have been around for a while. If you can consistently post good content, people may start to trust you over your competition.

Research the Competition

As you establish yourself, you may be able to learn about your competitors. You can see if they have pages on LinkedIn and what they post. Then, you’ll be able to take a look at their audience and engagement.

Use that information to inform your LinkedIn strategy. That way, you can keep from wasting time or money on certain tasks. And you can make sure LinkedIn is the right platform for your startup.

Network With Others

Like other social networks, LinkedIn can be a fantastic place to meet others in your industry. You can get on the site and search for other owners of startups. Once you find someone you want to get to know, you can send them a connection request or a message.

Now, you need to be smart when networking. Focus on how you can help the other person. So do some research on the people you want to network with, such as Will Johnson of The Harris Poll. Take a look at his profile and see what you can do to make his life easier. Then, send him a message and show your value to help grow your network.

Find Employees

You may be able to run your startup by yourself or with a few co-founders. But at some point, you’ll want to hire employees to help with some of your tasks. LinkedIn lets employers post jobs on the platform, so you can connect with people who want to work for you.

Like any other job posting site, you’ll need to include a detailed description of the position. Be sure to list out the responsibilities and any requirements you have for the candidate. Then, you can wait for applications to come in. You may just find your next developer or social media manager from using LinkedIn.

Research Potential Investors

LinkedIn is also a great place to find people willing to invest in your startup. You can look for investors in your area or who have invested in other businesses in your industry. Then, you can pitch your startup to them in a message or ask to get on a video call with the investor. Make sure you can answer any questions they might have.

Then, you can show that your startup is worth their investment. Of course, be sure to vet potential investors to make sure they’re a good fit. That way, you won’t give up equity to someone who isn’t going to treat your company well.

Growing a startup can be difficult, but consider how LinkedIn may help. Then, you can make the most of your time as a business owner.