How to Incorporate a LinkedIn Strategy-Handmade Furniture Store

LinkedIn is a professional social networking site that can be used to bolster new leads and turn them into customers.  I wanted to use a specific company to showcase specific ways in which you can reach your target audience and generate new leads for your business.  For a handmade furniture store, LinkedIn can be used to create brand awareness by developing a company profile, utilizing LinkedIn groups, and sharing.  This in turn increases traffic to the landing page and establishes the business and its employees as experts in the furniture industry.

Creating a company profile would be the first step to integrating a LinkedIn Strategy. because they create a branded experience driven by employees of the organization (Kipp Bodnar, 2012).  The foundation of the company profile is simple and includes a logo and company overview which should be packed with relevant keywords.  Employees of the handmade furniture store can create and share content that will link back to the company profile.  This type of content sharing and engagement establishes a community around the business.  Furthermore, by engaging with others in the furniture industry online, the business and employees establish themselves as experts in their field as well as expressing a point of view (Kipp Bodnar, 2012).  What's also great about company pages is that customers can recommend your services for others to see. 

In addition to creating a company page, LinkedIn Groups are also a great way to connect and interact with professionals within your industry.  A handmade furniture store has the opportunity to engage others by creating their own specialized group, and they also have the ability to connect with other professionals through a series of groups that are managed by others. One group that would be great for networking is the Furniture Manufacturers group that has over 13,000 members, or Association of Furniture Sales Professionals which has over 11,000 members.  Groups with a large following are nice because they will have a lot more content and interaction.   Not only that, but being a part of group discussions is a unique way to educate yourself within the industry.  You can learn a lot from your peers and by reading the discussions that they post and asking questions.  It is important to note that it is not about self promotion but rather sharing your expertise and resources (Kipp Bodnar, 2012).  This leads to building your connections on LinkedIn and drives traffic back to your landing pages where they can find more related and educational content (Kipp Bodnar, 2012).

Sharing on LinkedIn is another way to demonstrate expertise (Kipp Bodnar, 2012).   For a handmade Furniture store, answering questions about DIY projects would be a great place to showcase knowledge and develop trust.  Status updates and sharing professional articles and videos gives the same approach in establishing yourself as an expert and it is crucial to be organized when sharing content in order to be effective.  An editorial calendar should be used to outline updates for the entire month (Kipp Bodnar, 2012).  Coordinating tasks and sharing will help with the organization of your information as you builds leads for the business.  Twitter is an extension of this sharing, and can be used in conjunction with LinkedIn.  What is great about Twitter is its simplicity, 140 characters or less to say or show your thoughts.  What's more, is that you can follow anyone on Twitter without approval.  This helps avoid gatekeepers when generating leads.

All in all, LinkedIn can be an excellent platform for businesses who want to establish themselves as experts in their field.  LinkedIn is used for educational discovery and professional networking.  It has turned hard selling into soft selling and warm calls.  LinkedIn is closing the bridge between strangers and customers.  By creating a company profile, developing and engaging in LinkedIn groups, and by sharing content curated information, you will establish yourself and handmade furniture business as experts in the furniture industry. 

References

Kipp Bodnar, J. L. (2012). The B2B Social Media Book: Become a Marketing Superstar by Generating Leads with Blogging, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Email, and More. John Wiley & Sons.