Jane Karen

LinkedIn Marketing Strategies For Accountants Generate Unbelievable Leads Everyday by Using LinkedIn Probably you understand the value of LinkedIn and that’s why you are trying your best to use it for your profession. Whether it will work well or not will depend on what you will be doing and how those features will apply to you as an accountant. Chances are that there are some tricks and features that you may know little or nothing about that could work extremely well for you. Some people set their initial profiles by using free LinkedIn accounts but at some point they see the need of having additional LinkedIn features that are worth paying for. You can never go wrong with the premium tool. Any accountant that applies the tips below is guaranteed of accelerated connections and assured of attaining unbelievable business leads per day thanks to LinkedIn. 1. Set up a complete profile. It doesn’t matter if you are a newbie or you have been hanging around for ages. Go through each profile setup step by step making sure that you use the right accounting terms as they appear on your company’s marketing materials. The more detailed and descriptive your summary and profile is, the easier it will be for someone looking for your specialty to locate you. Identify the right keywords; this could be done by finding out what your client’s search words might be. Make sure you incorporate in your profile the same terms as they appear in your company’s marketing materials. A complete profile makes you appear consistent in your actions. A complete LinkedIn profile has: A clean professional picture. A compelling summary. An updated current and past work experiences. Gives and receives recommendations. Hobbies and interests are up-to-date. Adhering or not adhering to these ethics will make or break your LinkedIn experience. 2. Learn how to use ‘Advanced People Search’. This tool works like magic when searching for new business leads. Using this tool saves time while searching for new business leads. ‘Advanced People Search’ is accessed by clicking the word Advance on the upper right corner next to the search box. Enter either a keyword, job title or a phrase to find almost anyone. You can narrow down the search by including a state, city, company or school. If you still can’t locate what you are searching for, you can use extensive searches for specific categories based on years of experience, company size and seniority level. 3. Learn how to use the ‘Follow’ tool. It helps you: Carry out competitive intelligence on your accounting clients, targets, referral sources etc. Follow targeted clients, referrals or companies that you would like to know more about. Track new hires and watch general trends in the industry. Follow any member of your group. If you want to follow organizations, click on companies that have been indicated on your clients profile then click ‘follow company icon’.     4. Learn how to Use ‘LinkedIn Jobs’ tool. One of the main objectives of LinkedIn is to help people get employed. Jobs section lets you, Look for a job. Post a vacant position at your organization. Forward job opportunities to your associates. Tract people with new job positions. Send congratulatory messages to those with new job positions. However, listing an open position attracts a monthly fee. The fee may vary depending on your location. Applicants sourced through LinkedIn are reputed to be far more professional than those sourced through other job websites. If you forward a job opening to your friend, you will always get a notification on your home page the moment they get a new position and update their profile.   5. Join a Local Accounting Society or LinkedIn Group. Becoming a member of a local accounting association helps you keep in touch with other accountants within your locality. It maintains your presence in the association. A great way to connect with others who have similar interest. Once you become a member, start commenting or take position on a certain topic. Discussions are a great way to build an audience for the different things you are doing in your business. Ask questions and respond to questions accordingly. If there is an upcoming event in your organization, initiate a discussion about what you are intending to do. Posting in multiple groups sends out your message to thousands of people within the shortest time possible. Do not forget to put your signature with contact information in your post. Your signature will be an immediate way of letting people contact you. It means they won’t have to wait to connect with you only through LinkedIn. LinkedIn provides weekly updates that alert you about hot topics that other accountants post in your groups. 6. Start an accounting blog - It is easy to link up your accounting blog with your LinkedIn account. Link your blog up using ‘Edit Section’ option. Apparently, this is the most effective tool when it comes to traffic building. Talk about your latest blog post in your status updates. In addition, spending time on LinkedIn will help you stay on top of your marketing campaign even when you are busy. I suggest you spend 10-20 minutes three times a week either, Updating your status. Browsing updates on your home page. This includes commenting on other people’s updates or even congratulating a connection. Passing through ‘People You May Know’ section adding new connections. If you come across people that you know, invite them to join your network. Once your invitation is accepted, it will appear on ‘All Updates’ a tool that appears on your Home page. Your new connection will be included in the weekly updates broadcast. In conclusion, LinkedIn is an excellent place to work; it has a great deal of potential. Remember to post professional content or updates that carry the image of your company. Anything you share on LinkedIn is deeply valued by people in your network. Your connections appreciate your every blog or status update. In the long run your business will start gaining momentum and make great progress.