One of many effective marketing strategies for small business is to use LinkedIn for greater networking capability. The site allows professionals to make connections, advertise job openings, and look for other openings in their fields.
Perhaps the most underrated aspect of LinkedIn, though, is its utility in promoting events. If you’re hosting a conference, open house, guest lecture or any other kind of event where you’d like to invite outside guests to your workplace, LinkedIn can work wonders. Here are a few tips on using the site to make sure your next event is a successful one.
Optimize your profile
If you want to be taken seriously on LinkedIn, you need to have a real profile. Not just a name and photo, but an extensive page delineating your background and your professional goals. Having a detailed profile on the site will give you added credibility, according to Business2Community, which will help you build a critical mass of colleagues to attend your events.
Make your event searchable
Many savvy LinkedIn users are able to find events by entering search parameters such as date, location and industry. Make sure that your event page includes all the relevant criteria – that way, when people come looking for your listing, it’s easy to find.
Use LinkedIn groups
LinkedIn groups are a great way to build connections with other users who share your professional interests – by being an active member in these groups, not a mere lurker, you can form friendships with other members and drum up support for your events.
See who’s attended similar events
When browsing events on LinkedIn, you can easily click on related events and find a list of people who have attended those. That way, you have a good basis for knowing who would be interested in yours.
Try the mobile app
Using the LinkedIn mobile app makes it incredibly convenient to forge new connections with people – when you meet a new colleague, simply have them open the app and send a connection request. This will make it easier to keep track of the people you’ve met in your field, expediting the process of inviting them to your professional events.
Simply putting up flyers around town may have worked a generation ago, but nowadays, that just won’t cut it. If you want to bring in a crowd of eager guests to your next event, you’d best look to take advantage of the best online tools at your disposal.
