There are three broad types of customers: loyal customers, fair weather customers, and first timers. All of your customers get cultivated from many different sources. Today, many organizations are using social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to reel in new customers. As a second step they are using these social media sites to create a relationship between customers, to convert their new clients into loyal customers. So what about LinkedIn?
There are over 2 million companies on LinkedIn with more than 200 million individual users. Do you have a LinkedIn account? Think back to why you created it. Were you job searching? Maybe just graduated college? Maybe switching jobs? Or, even just doing some research on other companies? Either way, you signed up for LinkedIn as a more professional way to house your online resume. It has been proven that LinkedIn is so much more than just a place to put your resume. According to Forbes, 70% of users give the site a 4 of 5 star rating!
Using LinkedIn can have a substantial impact on your marketing campaigns and should be a significant part of your customer retention strategies. Maccabee, a strategic public relations and online marketing agency, created an infographic that shows just how powerful LinkedIn can be for you and your customers.
LinkedIn allows you to connect with millions of people, many of which are fortune 500 CEO’s. With LinkedIn groups you can connect with whoever, no matter where they are! It is important to connect with the best audience for your software or company. Staying connected with the right audience is important when becoming a part of groups, but also when setting up your ads. When you set up your LinkedIn direct ads, specify your desired audience: gender, age, etc. This will make sure you are getting the most out of each ad dollar spent.
And you can get connected on more than just LinkedIn. Your company LinkedIn pages are google friendly! People can find your LinkedIn page when searching in Google. To maximize your search results add popular key terms to the “Specialties” section. Some popular communication key words are: internal communication, HR, digital communication, and employee communication.
Another simple thing you can do today to increase your customer retention strategies with LinkedIn is to, encourage your employees to link your company’s website on their LinkedIn page. This will generate traffic outside of your normal network. Increasing traffic and clicks is part of step one to a successful LinkedIn campaign.
Are you a premium member? If not you may want to make the switch. Knowing who has viewed your profile gives you the upper hand to create leads and work to gain future loyal customers. 70% of LinkedIn paid users say this is the number one feature (Ragan), and we agree. What better sales method is there than one that lets the leads come to you? Once someone has viewed your LinkedIn page, shot them a message. Thank them for taking the time to look at your page and offer them a free trial of whatever it is your company has to offer.
LinkedIn is the melting pot of information. Sit down and find the communities that best fit your audience. Start reading and getting involved. Commenting and interacting with these communities can open the door to millions of customers! You want to learn from your competitors' mistakes right? Who would say no! Under the “Experience” section you will find customer comments — this is a gold mine for customer feedbacks and things to avoid.
You can also, learn about the media, which is covering your industry. Like I said, everyone is on LinkedIn. Check out the media coverage of your industry and connect with them. Building a connection helps you and the reporter. When they see how great your company is on LinkedIn they are sure to write about it!
Make sure your LinkedIn company description matches your company goals. You want it to be short but informative, professional but interesting, serious but engaging. Make sure that your company updates go hand and hand with your mission. Your company updates should reflect these goals and values.
Wondering what to put in the “Overview” section? This is where your catchy phrase comes in handy! These 3 - 8 words will catch your reader's attention and pull them into your page, and of course make sure it corresponds with your goals.
LinkedIn is so much more than a resume breeding ground. Make sure to link to your LinkedIn page on other social media sites as well. Your LinkedIn page should show that you are an industry leader, constantly at the top of your game. It is important to share new and inviting information. Soon your LinkedIn page will be the success behind your customer retention strategies.
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