By HANNAH POLK

For the Regina & District Chamber of Commerce

As the most popular social media for business professionals and with over 900 million users worldwide, LinkedIn is a great tool to grow your business. The website provides businesses and individuals with a platform to connect with other professionals, build brand awareness, and drive engagement.

With so many opportunities available on LinkedIn, it can be difficult to know where to begin or how to use it efficiently. Here are five reasons you should be utilizing LinkedIn as part of your business strategy.

Build your brand

LinkedIn provides businesses with an opportunity to build their brand and showcase their products or services in a quick and simple way.

By creating a company page, businesses can share their mission statement, values, and post about their achievements.

Businesses can also post updates about their products, services, and company news.

Think of LinkedIn as a digital newsletter that is free to send and free to receive!

Reach your audience

Tom Edwards, a business writer, suggests utilizing hashtags in your brand’s posts to reach a specific audience.

LinkedIn’s algorithm promotes content that is relevant and engaging, which means businesses that consistently post quality content will be more visible to potential clients and partners.

The bottom line: the more you post, the more likely your content will get circulated and shown to new people.

Recruit top talent

LinkedIn is an excellent platform to recruit top talent because so many professionals use it to search for their next job or promote themselves to recruiters.

Businesses can post when they are hiring, list a job posting, search for candidates, and build relationships with potential hires.

They can also showcase their company culture and values, which can help attract candidates who align with their values.

Drive Traffic to Your Website

Posting links to your blog posts, landing pages, and other web pages, can increase website traffic and create free advertising for your website.

“Give the LinkedIn user a tailored experience once they land on your site for an even higher conversion rate,” writes Edwards in his article.

By creating a landing page to welcome visitors from social media or directing them to the pages you want them to see first, customers are likely to spend more time on your website.

Expand your network

LinkedIn provides a platform to connect with potential clients, partners, and employees.

A helpful feature the website offers is called LinkedIn Groups, which allow businesses to join industry-specific groups, connect with peers, and engage in discussions.

Similar to Facebook pages, these groups can be a great way to stay up-to-date on news and innovations in your industry from business owners and consumers around the world.

If you’re not already on LinkedIn, now is the time to log on!