How your LinkedIn profile can boost your credibility

By Koketso Mamabolo

More leads equals more sales – it’s as simple as that. But how do you generate more leads, and how do you boost your credibility? Being active on LinkedIn and livening up your account can help you gain the credibility and leads you need to grow your business.

We’ve found that having an active and well-managed account can help you in your day-to-day business. Here are a few ways that an active and lively LinkedIn account can benefit your business, with an example from the team at Topco Media.

Make connections

An active profile allows people to find out more about you and your business. Whether they be potential partners, potential employees or the media, people will be able to stay updated on the latest developments in your career or business. You can tag people and companies when you post and include hashtags to widen the reach. Liking and commenting is also a fantastic way to interact with other like-minded people.

Gain a skill

Being more active on LinkedIn will also give you a better understanding of how to leverage the social media platform. Social media strategies have become a key element of marketing and by working more on your profile you will learn what works and what doesn’t. A well-crafted post can increase engagement and the content on your personal profile could also tie into what your business or employer is doing. 

Showcase your expertise and share knowledge

LinkedIn offers you a ready and willing audience. Whether you’re an entrepreneur who wants to share their experience, or an executive who wants to share their opinion, LinkedIn posts offer you a platform to reach a wide readership. 

But what sort of content can you post?

You can share a range of topics relating to your day-to-day activities and explore a topic you have expertise in. You can post daily and tag your business or colleagues and engage with the business community. Here is an example from some our content:

‘CONNECT WITH – AND LEARN FROM – YOUR COMMUNITY: HOW TO LEVERAGE ATTENDING A CONFERENCE’

Why would you put your name down for a conference? Around the world, the business community agrees that there are various reasons to attend a conference and at the very heart of this is the community that comes through gathering with others in your industry and, more specifically, the people whom you have the opportunity to network and do business with, and learn from.

But what exactly does networking and learning at conferences entail? And how can you leverage attending a conference to develop your business or personal brand. We take a look at how you can make the best of the opportunities presented at a conference.

Connect with people in your community

Conferences are an opportunity to engage with others in the industry, and gain valuable insight from those with the experience and knowledge. Conferences bring together four general groups:

1. Big business
2. Academics
3. Start-ups
4. Public sector

Topco Media CEO Ralf Fletcher refers to conferences as a conductor who brings musicians together to play a wonderful symphony. These four groups often work in silos and are not always presented with the opportunity to form partnerships and close deals.

Big business are the corporations which have established themselves as industry leaders in terms of scale and market influence. Academics are the scholars who research and study the world around them, often applying models of thinking developed in the social sciences to better understand the business world.

Start-ups are companies driven by fresh ideas that break from traditional modes of doing business. They have become synonymous with ‘disruption’, often led by entrepreneurs who bring a different perspective to their counterparts in big business. Lastly we have the public sector, who represent the interests of the broader public.

These four groups have one thing in common, at the heart of what they do is people. For big business and start-ups the people are the customers. For academics the people are the various role players, how they interact with each other and their environment. And for the public sector, the people are exactly that, the public. 

Being in the same room with all four groups is rare. Conferences make that possible. The various communities become one. Experience tells us that a conference is an ideal place to create partnerships across communities, which allows each group to connect with each other in order to scale up their brand.

We can help you boost your credibility. Find out how: