When it comes to online social networks for business, it’s hard to beat LinkedIn.

One of the main differences between LinkedIn compared with other online social media networks is that LinkedIn is a business network rather than just an entertaining social network like Facebook, Myspace, etc.

LinkedIn allows you to connect with other business minded individuals and companies that you would like to work with, or already work with.

LinkedIn is the online hub where connections, friendships and partnerships are created, business leads are generated and business deals can happen!
If your business is not on LinkedIn you could be missing out on valuable business.

I’d like to share my top 5 ways to market your business with LinkedIn:

1. Creating New Leads

Imagine if your current offline business networks could generate you 100 fresh leads every single day! You’d probably be pretty happy with that, right?
LinkedIn can easily achieve this for you if you understand the basic know-how.

Creating a Group in LinkedIn attracts likeminded businesses and individuals to connect to your Group, but your Group must be interesting enough for people to want to join.
Your LinkedIn Group should relate to what you do, whether it is advice on helping people with understanding Tax (if you are an accountant), or just a general group you want to create to connect similar business partners in your local area. The Group you create is like setting up any group or club in the real world, where people with similar interests can mingle, chat and provide feedback.

You can use your LinkedIn Group to start conversations on current issues that affect your industry, and people will chip in their 2 cents worth and possibly help you find solutions. The main idea of the LinkedIn Group though is it provides a way to create a bond and trust between business owners and possibly even secure your reputation as an expert in your particular feed. This can lead to your connections followers wanting to connect with you as well, and soon you have a nice group of business connections that are willing to do business with you because you share a similar connection.

Another way to create leads is not only setting up your own group but also joining other LinkedIn groups, particularly in your local area. If you do a simple search you will find there are many groups of interest right in your business backyard. Join up, and join in the discussions. If people like your feedback they’ll want to connect with you and your group, and then their connections, etc. Building new business leads through LinkedIn is very simple!

How to Maximise Your Group:

In your Group profile make sure to include the keywords and description, as this will increase your rankings on LinkedIn’s searches, plus also in the search engines. Yes, LinedIn is also picked up well in Google!

Make sure your website or blog address is listed in your Group and personal profiles. This will drive traffic to your website, giving you more credibility (if you have a good website!)

If you have a Blog or a good Content Management System website, you can add your RSS feed to the group, so each time you add content or a blog post your group will see the headlines, prompting them to view the full article on your site. Another good web traffic generator. MAke sure you post regularly though.

Grow your group by connecting others in your group with a simple introduction. Building partnerships between members will see your group flourish quickly, and help your connections build their own leads at the same time.

Combine all these simple techniques above and you will generate leads real fast!

2. Creating Events

A great way to attract new connections is to create events. LinkedIn allows you to create and market an event, Whether it be an online presentation, a webinar or a real traditional seminar.
LinkedIn allows you to send an invitation to people, and RSVP to your event directly from your Event announcement, allowing them to share the event with others, and in turn attracting a much larger audience than you may have originally anticipated.

When someone RSVP’s your event it will show up on their home profile, which spreads the message for you automatically! Great cheap marketing!

3. Sending Personal greetings to new leads.

Once you find new leads, make sure you welcome them. Connecting with new people helps build trust and shows you are approachable. Get them on a personal level as possible, build the trust and this will lead to potential sales and business together down the track.
Prompt them with a few basic questions to find out more about themselves, their needs and how they could benefit with your services. Connecting is the key to any good business, offline or online.

4. Create an Advanced Search in Your Target Market

If you get smart and use the LinkedIn tools provided it is very easy to generate leads with Linkedin.
LinkedIn provides an Advanced Search function to allow you to connect with the exact people you want to connect with.
Don’t just try and connect with everyone or you will spend a lot of time chasing dead leads. The Advanced Search tool connects you fast to real leads that can work for you.

Simply search by keywords, industry, company, title and other criteria. It’s easy!

5. Build Your Credibility.

If you want to gather momentum on LinkedIn you need to get active! You can do this by simply asking and answering questions.
Set up the Answers Application on the bottom right hand side of your homepage for subjects you can relate to. People post questions all the time in your industry, and you can cement yourself as an expert by providing the right advice on posted questions. This can very quickly lead to work from the people you responded to, and their connections.

Before answering questions, research the person who asked the question, so you can provide a response that really works for them. Some questions have many answers, find the right one for that person and you strike a relationship.
be as helpful as possible so they don’t require any more advice. If you don’t have a genuine answer, don’t respond with half-guess or it can damage your reputation.

Always leave the answer with an open invitation for them to connect with you further. Even invite them to contact you in person, showing you are genuinely interested to help them.

Get Connecting on LinkedIn and watch your networks grow!

Author: Chris Bourke from Devision Design and WebSEOCoach.com
Chris Bourke is a web designer and online marketer from the Sunshine Coast in Australia, with a passion for online social media marketing.

Follow Chris on Linkedin: http://au.linkedin.com/in/devision