As your vibe goes out, your tribe comes in, says Jay Busselle.

What the social media expert and approximately 30-year veteran of the print/promo products industry means by that is this: The more authentic you are as a company on your business LinkedIn page, and the more your profile and the content you share showcase your firm’s values and what makes you different and is helpful, then the more you’re going to attract like-minded people who want to work with you.

“You have to humanize your social now more than ever,” says Busselle.

Insights from Education Day at #ASIShow Chicago: Your business page on LinkedIn needs to showcase your authentic values and what makes you different, says ⁦social media ace ⁦@JayBusselle⁩. ⁦@EliezaB_ASI⁩ ⁦@asicentral⁩ pic.twitter.com/SL0JkKg7Td

— Chris Ruvo (@ChrisR_ASI) July 19, 2022

Those were some of the business-building insights Busselle, the managing partner of consultancy FLEXpoint Social Selling,  shared during an Education Day session at the ASI Show Chicago that focused on optimizing a LinkedIn Business page.  

Filled with humor, helpful anecdotes and an easy conversational rapport with attendees, the session delivered sound strategies for leveraging the social media platform to build business. Here were some other top takeaways.

Every Promo Distributor Needs a LinkedIn Business Page: Even if you’re a solopreneur, you should have both a personal page and a company page, Busselle advises. The business page, done correctly, helps with search engine optimization, creates credibility, raises visibility with potential buyers, and will help you meet people who are looking for the services you provide. “Everyone on LinkedIn is looking for connections,” notes Busselle. “It’s not too late to get started. The water is warm. Jump in.”

Nearly
30 million
the number of active daily users on LinkedIn.

(Jay Busselle)

Fill Out the Profile Information in Full: “Fully completed pages get 30% more views,” Busselle says.

Get the Profile Imagery Right: Some companies try to squish a large, complicated logo into the profile pic. It doesn’t look good, so don’t do that if your logo doesn’t fit naturally into the allotted space. Instead, come up with an icon or symbol – it could be an aspect of your logo – that’s on-brand and that looks sharp. Feature that in the profile image.

Relatedly, the cover/backdrop pic should be current and on-brand as well, communicating something of what sets your company apart. For instance, Busselle showcased the LinkedIn business page of Brand+Aid (asi/145193), a distributorship that emphasizes its creative design capabilities. The Salt Lake City-based company’s backdrop/cover image, with its high-end cool product arrangement, speaks to that differentiator.

Craft Your ‘Manifesto’: Similar to a mission statement but perhaps more expansive, the manifesto answers things like how you’re different, how you solve problems and who you provide solutions for. Knowing this will be essential to connecting with the audiences you want to reach in an authentic way on your business page.

Avoid Hard-Selling Tactics & Be Helpful: With a focus and tone that are consistent with your brand, create and share content that helps, informs and/or entertains the clients and prospects with whom you want to build connections. “You know things your clients don’t know that can help them,” says Busselle. “Share that. Be a knowledge source.” 

Enlist Help: If you have employees, authorize a few to be page administrators. “It’s a great tool for sharing the workload,” says Busselle who encouraged attendees to spend at least 15 minutes daily on their LinkedIn pages.

Speaking of employees: If you create a workplace culture they enjoy and are proud of, they’re going to share content from the business page through their personal pages. That’s a multiplier. “Employees,” says Busselle, “can become advocates for your brand.”