Many businesses realize the potential of social media marketing management. Between popular social media platforms, like Twitter and Facebook, more than two-billion people flock to social media each day, according to Statistic Brain. Businesses who realize that social media tools are powerful platforms for finding customers often find success. For example, Search Engine Watch writes that 52% of businesses say they’ve found at least one new customer on Facebook.

While social media tools are undoubtedly useful for any business looking to succeed in the Internet Age, there is a common pitfall you should try to avoid. Quite simply, too many businesses go for the big two, Facebook and Twitter, while ignoring other popular social media sites. LinkedIn, a social media platform built for professional networking, has more monthly active users than Twitter, with the most recent estimates from Mashable putting the platform’s active user base at 259 million people.

Clearly, LinkedIn has something to offer consumers and businesses alike, but if you’re like most business owners, you have no idea how to shape a smart social media marketing campaign for business on the platform. With these simple tips, you can learn.

Three Tips for Using LinkedIn for Social Media Optimization

1. Post Content That Matters to Your Network

Just as generating website traffic is all about creating meaningful content, sharing content that actually matters to your network and the people they’re connected to is crucial to growing your presence on LinkedIn. As Inc.com suggests, 80% of social media users say they prefer industry-specific news when following their favorite companies. Whether you run a restaurant or produce computers, you need to share content that educates people about your industry.


2. Follow LinkedIn’s Guides to Crafting a Campaign

According to Social Media Examiner, the best way to expand your reach on LinkedIn is by following LinkedIn’s onsite campaign tutorials. By following these guides, you can learn how to create open dialog with your community; share engaging, thought provoking questions; and everything else you could need to know about crafting a smart, business-generating marketing campaign on the service.


3. Research Your Market

For CIO, a popular business technology and analytics website, LinkedIn represents a rare opportunity to conduct market research in professional circles. Do you have questions that you need answered for an upcoming whitepaper? Post an interesting question or status update and keep track of the answers. This is a great way to harvest statistics to improve your products, your marketing, and your company overall.

Like Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn ranks as one of the most powerful social media tools on the web. Put these tips to use to optimize your outreach via the service. You’ll be glad you did. Helpful research also found here.