Social networks are giving small business owners the ability to extend their reach over the internet like never before. Professional social media site LinkedIn allows owners of small firms to recruit prospective employees, network with thought leaders in their industry and organize processes in their own enterprises for free or a small monthly fee, depending on the level of membership. A recent article for Fox Business outlined how small business owners can use LinkedIn to their advantage.
Share personal information and learn about job candidates
LinkedIn gives users the ability to post their resumes and professional skills on their pages for small business owners to search for and learn about prospective job candidates. By the same token, jobseekers can look at the pages created by small business owners to get a feel for their personalities and what it may be like to work for them. By being as transparent and receptive as possible, small business owners may be able to recruit some of the top talent on LinkedIn.
“LinkedIn has really embraced social media, so you’re not just fueling the executive resume, but also getting a sense of what’s in their heads,” Cecilia Pagkalinawan, owner of StyleTrek, told the news source. “Even though most of what you see on my profile is related to fashion and ecommerce, you can also see that I like to travel.”
Gather insights from LinkedIn users in their industries
Networking is easy on LinkedIn with the feature that allows users to create and join groups, enabling members to get involved in conversations that can help them with their own businesses. By posting relevant content and sharing smart insights in these groups, small business owners can gain more juice in their industries. Group members can also sit back and learn from some of the top thought leaders.
“I look for more narrow groups, instead of huge groups with hundreds of thousands of members,” Wendy Lewis, president of Wendy Lewis & Company, told the news source. “Otherwise you just get lost, and it dilutes the meaning. It’s better to stay focused on what your real goals are.”
Beware of bad links
Computer hackers are constantly using social networks as a way to spread their viruses. It as easy as compromising one’s page and seeking out a harmful link to all of their connections. In order to seek protection for these risks, small business owners should buy cyberliability insurance, which can protect them from liability claims to false or stolen information on the web.
