How To Utilize Linkedin As A Minority Startup Founder Looking To Gain Traction For Your Business
The climate of today means if you want to reach a widespread audience you need to utilize social media.
One key tool for founders and those looking for new tech opportunities is Linkedin – it’s the place to go for job offers, meeting potential investors, building your company and personal brand, and networking.
With more than 774 million members and its focus on business, LinkedIn offers a valuable opportunity for industry professionals to support their businesses marketing goals.
From my experience, it seems to be the best place for building connections with industry figures that can support you – whether that’s with advice, further job opportunities, sponsorships or event invites.
If you meet someone at a startup event and you don’t have your business cards but you’ve made face to face introduction you can easily ask if you can add them as a LinkedIn connection, why not end the conversation with “I’ll connect with you on LinkedIn”?
Here’s an explanation on how to use some of the platform’s features:
The Featured Section
This is a “newer” section of LinkedIn that is now separate and apart from your about/summary section. You used to add media links to your about/summary section, but LinkedIn has since made it a separate section within your profile. You can add media links, PDFs, articles you’ve shared on the platform, as well as past posts.
Licenses, Certifications, And Volunteer Work
The licenses and volunteer work sections are frequently overlooked but reportedly provide immense search value. Your licenses section should include the states where you are admitted to practice, advises the Above The Law Blog.
Privacy Filters
One filter I suggest turning off is the “people also viewed” filter. Otherwise, when people view your profile, on the right side of the screen, they will see LinkedIn profiles that other viewers have looked at (in some cases, this will be a competitor who is offering the same services as you/practices in the same geographic area, or potentially another job candidate).
About Section
With 2,000 characters available, this is where you can expand on what you wrote in your headline. Tell your story as it relates to the mission of your company. The About section is also your opportunity to strengthen your profile further by painting a picture of who you are as a professional and your unique perspective as a thought leader. Like the headline, keywords are also crucial here, so be sure to include any terms you want to appear in search results. Advice from business 2 community.
Examples of Content to Share:
Share blog articles, thought pieces, essays, and case studies you’ve authored.
Promote upcoming webinars and live presentations in which you’re participating.
Once the conference is over, you can repurpose the content by sharing video snippets, photos, and key takeaways.
Highlight media interviews and appearances.
Post relevant videos, photos, and long-form text posts.
Share related news, articles, and other user-generated content with your added perspective in the post.
LinkedIn is an excellent platform to establish, maintain and grow professional relationships.
