Small business owners use LinkedIn Answers to optimize social media

Many small business leaders may believe they have their social media presence down pat – they use sites like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest and make sure to provide regular updates with fresh content. This can help open doors to new customers and keep the interest of already loyal patrons. However, there are often elements of the platforms that are underused or that owners don’t know about altogether.

An example of this is LinkedIn Answers. While this section of the social media site can provide all types of individuals with useful information about a variety of industries, it can also be a platform that establishes businesses as thought leaders. Small company administrators can market their brands for free in this section of the website and relay their messages to a bevy of new consumers.

All leaders have to do is sign into the corporate account and answer questions posed by individuals, revolving around a subject that the company deals in. This can also show people that administrators truly care about the well-being of their patrons. However, there are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind as they become familiar with LinkedIn Answers.

Look into the right categories
According to Entrepreneur Magazine, there are more than 20 categories that small business owners can start looking through. On top of that, there are innumerable subcategories that can be sifted through to get into a more specific area.

However, there are certain category-related faux pas that can happen if individuals aren’t careful.

Though the employee updating that day may know the answer to a question in a different subject, it is often best to avoid it unless it has something to do with the company.  For instance, the leader of a shoe company may be able to answer a question about the best restaurants in Toronto, but they should stick to responding to the queries posed about hot boot looks of the season.

Answering the questions
After small business leaders find a question they know the answer to, they have to craft a good answer. The responses will be read not only by the questioner, but because they’re on a public forum, they can be glanced at by virtually anyone on  LinkedIn. As such, marketers need to keep the jargon to a minimum – maybe someone else who’s not an industry insider wants to know the answer as well.

Using clear language to explain the issue can do a lot to establish the company as a thought leader. According to BigPond News, users can vote for the best answers to a query, and the largest experts appear on the LinkedIn Answers homepage, advertising the business to many individuals who may not have heard about the brand otherwise. This also concretely identified the firm as a thought leader in the industry to peers.

Small businesses can benefit from asking questions as well
Company owners can also establish themselves as thought leaders even by asking questions. Entrepreneur Magazine reported leaders of a business should always make sure to ask complex questions, because this can show other LinkedIn members that they know something about the industry.

In making a query, the news provider explained, businesses can open themselves up to comments from other sector leaders, thereby expanding corporate relationships. Entrepreneur also said this tactic can often help leaders gain more detailed knowledge about their industries and complete research.

 

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