Are you using Linkedin to recruit top talent and engage with local businesses? BCU Advantage takes a look at the key steps to help regional businesses make the most of this business focused social network.

A wise man once said ‘active participation on Linkedin is like saying ‘look at me!’ without saying ‘look at me!’. Linkedin has over 500 million members, with over 61 million senior-level influencers and 40 million decision makers – is your business making the most of the opportunities to connect and engage with this audience?

BCU Advantage takes a look at key steps for helping regional businesses make the most of the world’s most active professional social network to attract new talent and develop new business opportunities.

What’s your goal?

Most importantly, before you start using Linkedin it’s important to understand your goal for using the platform- what are you looking to achieve? Are you hoping to build awareness of your company – its values and messaging, or are you looking to use Linkedin as a way of finding future talent that can work in your company? Assessing your goals will enable you to plan and prioritise the way you use Linkedin to best effect.

Build your network through connecting

Unlike personal social media platforms such as Facebook,Linkedin reward you for building your wider network, both for potential clients and employees and for keeping you in front of professionals you have existing relationships with. The larger your network, the easier it is for people to find you, connect and ultimately access your services or job opportunities.

Nurture your network

Connecting with the right people is fundamental to achieving your particular goal. Remember, when searching for new contacts and opportunities the results from a Linkedin search will depend on your existing connections. The greater your network, the more accurate the results will be. Understand who you’re looking to target, is it professionals within your industry or is it clients in a particular sector? Use this to fuel your strategy for connecting.

Joining groups can be an easy way to nurture your networks, focused around the industry or individuals you’re looking to target. By engaging with these groups you’re already beginning to discover individuals who are already active and engaged on Linkedin and fit your criteria.

Develop the right content

There is no use creating and sharing content for the sake of it, as mentioned previously – you need to understand what you’re looking to achieve and who your target audience is. If you’re main objective is to recruit young graduates into your business, look to develop and create content that shows off your positive work culture, and the friendly individuals that work there. Or, on the other hand if you’re looking to build collaborative relationships – share the innovative work, and new projects you’re working on.

Contact people directly

You can only go so far with creating and sharing content. But if you actively message someone, that can have a greater impact. However, don’t resort to spamming. Make sure you’ve fully understood what they want to achieve from Linkedin and have an idea about their background and experience. There is no point sharing a marketing executive job opportunity to someone who is aspiring to take up a director’s position in the near future.

Are you interested in engaging and attracting new talent and opportunities?