Social networking platforms have emerged as a powerful avenue to reach your prospects, customers and other businesses. By leveraging the online tools, you can create a strong brand identity. It is indeed important to infuse your brand with a personal touch in virtual space to sustain its presence on the Web.

A popular networking platform, LinkedIn, not only serves as an effective social networking site, but also lets your company cross-promote mutually beneficial activities with other relevant LinkedIn groups or on such sites as Facebook and Twitter. It provides both a powerful profile & a complete communication tool for your business.

The key to promoting your LinkedIn Profile, as we have grasped in the last blog post, is avoiding usage of clichéd terms and phrases, featuring a good photo of yourself or of the person who represents the company, inserting a few useful apps to encourage the people to visit it. Here are a few basic things to keep in mind when you intend to use social platforms to connect to clients and other businesses.

Put up a comprehensive profile

• By circulating vital bits of information like your website address, brief description, areas of specialization, the staff strength and skills etc in the domain you are in, you can create awareness about your company.
• Apart from allowing you to build a comprehensive virtual identity, it also allows you to strike a chord with both existing and potential customers on a more personal level. They will have a more positive early impression of your company after viewing the online profile.

Decide who will represent the company

• Apart from putting up a factually correct backgrounder, laced with a few interesting anecdotes, you need to decide who will represent the company, or act as its face. The industry you are operating in will be a factor in finalizing your decision. For instance, if you are dealing in finance and investments, the CFO would probably be an apt choice.
• The person who is chosen to be the face of any company should be able to identify with the public image, effectively spread the brand message and meet the aspirations of the people. So, the choice needs to be made with care and proper thought.

Your online marketing plan must consist of a strategy that takes into account the reach and power of niche social professional networks. These provide ample scope to present your brand forcefully in front of business associates and customers so that they are convinced of your brand’s credibility, ethics and values.

If you gradually enhance your presence on sites like LinkedIn and run marketing campaigns that promote your LinkedIn profile information, you can well be assured of an improved brand image as well as an impressive growth in your company’s business and ultimately its bottom line.