While social media may already be part of your inbound marketing strategy, you may not be emphasizing one of the most important social media platforms—LinkedIn. 
Your company may be more focused on residential sales rather than B2B, but that is no reason to ignore the enormous benefits that come from a strong LinkedIn campaign. Solar companies on LinkedIn can generate leads, learn from industry leaders, find qualified personnel and develop mutually beneficial partnerships.
You should consider these benefits when determining how much to invest in LinkedIn:
- Networking—The purpose of all social media is to expand your market reach. You may not feel that LinkedIn has the biggest audience with only 225 million members, but LinkedIn is designed to expand business networks. Not only can you join important groups on the site and meet new contacts, but as your network expands, you will have access to more companies and professionals who can make business or personal purchases.
- Buying Power—LinkedIn is the most popular social media site among business executives according to Forbes, and this group of professionals are usually the purchasing deciders for their companies. Solar companies on LinkedIn are more likely to find businesses with the resources to make large investments in solar products. For most solar companies, even a single major sale to a large corporation can make their financial year.
- Best Practices—In the hierarchy of social media, LinkedIn holds a place of prestige. While Facebook and Twitter may have more users, the members on LinkedIn hold themselves up as business professionals. This means the level of discourse is typically more focused on industry topics and techniques for achieving success. Thought leaders make it a habit to provide their insights on LinkedIn because the audience is more eager for that kind of advice. For solar companies on LinkedIn, that means access to pioneers of the industry, the latest marketing and technological advice, and analysis of the market.
- Building Partnerships—For a new industry undergoing massive changes on a yearly or, even, quarterly basis like solar, having strong relationships with other companies can be a lifesaver. Not only do relationships with businesses inside the industry help optimize your supply chains, add redundancy in case a partner falls apart, or improve the flow of credit to customers, but having relationships outside solar can help your marketing efforts. Partnering with companies in insurance, construction or venture capital can be critical to your organization’s success.
- Finding Talent—One of the most important benefits of LinkedIn is the ability to connect with the most talented professionals in the solar industry. While most of these professionals are already positioned within their companies, in an industry as volatile as solar it is wise to keep tabs on major leaders to see if their services become available. Solar companies who can attract and keep industry leaders are more likely to have immediate and long term success.
Solar companies on LinkedIn enjoy many benefits. If you are looking to get tips on other marketing tactics that could prove beneficial for your solar company, sign up to get Palmer tips. Click the link below:
