Ensure Your Social Media Strategy Takes LinkedIn's Latest Changes Into Account

While many entrepreneurs focus their marketing and branding efforts on popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Google Plus and Twitter, they often neglect sites like LinkedIn. However, this social media channel can have tremendous branding power and offer business owners a new way to learn more about potential clients, enhance their brand exposure and connect with even more consumers.

There have recently been big changes within LinkedIn that make it even more critical for companies to actively promote their companies on the platform. One of these wasn't technically an update, but more of a major milestone for the company that demonstrates how effective marketing on LinkedIn can be. As of the beginning of the year, the site announced it surpassed 200 million members. For entrepreneurs, this means more opportunities to learn more about clients and the chance to reach a greater number of people than ever before. However, there have been other changes in recent months business owners need to be aware of, especially as they enhance their marketing and social media strategies to increase performance.

Users Find it Easier to Search
While LinkedIn users could always perform searches, they can now do so with even more ease. The social media platform has added several new features to make it simpler for users to conduct searches, whether they're looking for information on companies or people. Not only can prospects more easily find out additional information about businesses, organizations may also find this feature useful when they're looking to learn more about prospective clients to adjust pitches or proposals accordingly:

• The site has added auto-complete, which will prompt users with options for what they may be searching for, based on what they're typing into a search box and past queries.
• LinkedIn offers an advanced search that allows users to set parameters and conduct more specific inquiries, based on factors like location or company.
• Suggested searches will point users to similar queries, making it easier for them to find what they're looking for and discover the interests of others.

Organizations Can More Easily Share and Promote Products and Services
LinkedIn allows companies to share more information, making it easier for them to be found by potential clients seeking their services. This lets prospects to get a sense of what a business can provide, the company objectives and the corporate culture - all aspects that can be important to building a lasting relationship with a client.

• Businesses can add photos and videos to promote new products or show off their latest capabilities.
• The social media platform also took the opportunity to fix a bug that could have impacted company pageviews. Because LinkedIn eliminated this error, businesses could see a spike in company page traffic and subsequently notice an increase in inquiries.

Mentions Can Help Build Brand Connections
Entrepreneurs who actively build their businesses on Facebook and Twitter know the power a client mention can have, as it exposes a brand to a customer's acquaintance's and followers, encouraging others to investigate a company. Several weeks ago, LinkedIn unveiled a similar feature that allows users to update their statuses and mention their own company or a firm they've done business with.

• This helps firms determine if clients are talking about their services and products, and if so, allows them to see who's mentioning their company and what exactly they're posting.
• When an enterprise tracks what clients and potential consumers are saying about its products and services, a company can determine if its branding efforts are working and if they're helping a business reach its target market effectively.

By taking advantage of the latest LinkedIn updates, a business owner can effectively boost marketing efforts without too much extra effort. Remaining aware of social media changes can always assist an entrepreneur ensure their marketing strategy is optimized and reaching the correct market.