Anyone with an entrepreneurial passion can start a business because startup and marketing costs have plummeted. All this is because of the internet. The internet has shrunk the world of commerce, making it possible to buy or sell goods from anywhere in the world. All one needs to create an ecommerce business is a computer and the fastest internet connection they can get their hands on.
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Marketing an online business
While, of course, there are many aspects to running a startup — marketing is one of the most crucial.
Marketing itself can be subdivided into many areas, but one of the most important pieces to have in place when setting up your marketing model is to focus on social media.
However, social media, too, is complex, with many social media websites available for use, each with their own particular methodology. There is Facebook, Twitter, Google + and so on.
Still, narrowing things down even farther, we come to LinkedIn. Regardless of how you have set up your marketing campaigns and chosen your social media channels, you must include LinkedIn in your marketing mix.
Ironically, when startup owners are setting up their social media channels, LinkedIn often gets left out. This is not because LinkedIn lacks the clout of the other more popular social media websites, but because many marketers have underestimated its impact on the world of business connections and influence.
In actuality, LinkedIn is a powerhouse.
Here are three reasons why it should not be left out of your social media network:
1. Exposure.
Over 200-million people use it. Potentially, 200-million people could help you in your business venture, either as partners or buyers. Realistically, you need only a tiny percentage of these people to pay attention to your marketing messages for your startup to gain valuable, direct exposure.
2. Trust.
LinkedIn is growing at an exponential rate, with 35% of users logging in on a daily basis. When surveyed, 87% of users said that they joined LinkedIn because they believed that the information was more trustworthy than available content on any other social networking website. This is because there are numerous checks and balances in place to weed out dubious profiles. For instance, it is easy to report someone who is running a business scam.
3. Business focus.
People join LinkedIn because they are interested in business. Everyone who is on LinkedIn is there to create a business presence. They are not there to date; they are not there as political or social activists; and they are not there to talk about the spiritual nature of humanity. LinkedIn is for business. It has been built to promote business ventures and it is populated by people who are interested in business.
With other social media sites, the population is always mixed, with people interested in many things. Business people benefit the most by building relationships with other businesses — and with startups the earlier you start, the better. But LinkedIn is more than just a place for B2B conversations. It is also a venue for customers to learn more about your startup before deciding to buy your products or hire your services. So it is an opportunity for B2C, as well.
As someone with an ecommerce startup, either one that is completely virtual or which has a brick-and-mortar foundation, social media is a fundamental aspect of your marketing. One of the most important, yet often overlooked, channels in social media is LinkedIn. With over 200-million users, it is a venue where your startup can flourish because it offers three invaluable benefits: exposure, trust, and a business-focused audience. LinkedIn does indeed have the power to make or break your startup.
