It has been dubbed the social network for professionals and, according to a LinkedIn survey of approx 2000 members, 87 percent of respondents said they trust it as “a source of information affecting decision making”. Here is a resume of what experienced online media consultant Nancy Verbrugghe listed as her top six reasons for using LinkedIn as a B2B marketer, as posted on the Social Marketing Forum blog.

1. Create awareness and improve reputation – by increasing your online presence using the different personal and group features in LinkedIn, to improve your visibility and credibility as an individual and, therefore, as your company’s brand.
2. Thought leadership and influencer marketing – provide high-quality content, improve your personal profile and participate in LinkedIn communities to become a trusted advisor in your field.
3. Selling and generating leads – on top of traditional techniques, listen, analyse, participate, share, network and respond to questions and the leads will come to you.
4. Social CRM – it allows you to see what your contacts are doing on LinkedIn in real-time, offering valuable additional information on their behavior and preferences.
5. Traffic building – LinkedIn has a social sharing button that enables you to share content in your status updates and in LinkedIn Groups.
6. Listening and gaining insights – perfect for listening, asking questions and gaining insights.

This article was originally featured in iStart technology in business magazine. For the magazine version of this article click the link below:

Six reasons to use LinkedIn for B2B

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