Do you want to target high-value prospects? Do you want to get big projects from higher-value clients into your shop and put your business on the map? If you do then you really need to stop ignoring LinkedIn! 

Don't neglect this platform if you're looking to specialize in high-value projects or if you want to target executives with money to spend. This is where they hang out, and it's where you'll be able to show them your services and convince them to work with you. 

LinkedIn is a very powerful social media business tool for automotive aftermarket restoration, performance, race, and restyling businesses because it allows you to connect with industry leaders and high-profile clients and you can even get them to endorse your skills. Our research found that 20% of auto shop businesses don't have a social media presence. We don’t have the numbers but based on what we’ve seen we’re guessing that it’s more like 50% or more for LinkedIn.

If you're one of these shops, then it's time to get on LinkedIn and get in front of more C-Suite executives to show them why you're the right choice for all their car project needs. 

As part of your Social Media plan it's essential to be active and engaged on LinkedIn so you can stay connected with your audience and encourage them to work with you. 

People spend an average of 3 hours a day on various social media platforms, one of them being LinkedIn.

By having a solid presence on LinkedIn, you can market your shop toward high-profile projects and get the work your shop deserves. Wouldn't you rather have a lower number of high-value projects in the shop than a larger number of low-value works with picky clients?

If you're ignoring your LinkedIn, then there’s a good chance you're going to lose out on the opportunity to get in front of high-value prospects for big wins.

If you're not hungry for professional growth within the industry, then forget about LinkedIn and stop reading now and go back to what you’ve been doing - who needs big profitable projects anyway?

But, if you want to be the top shop to go to and get noticed by higher-value prospects, then take a look at the seven reasons why ignoring your LinkedIn could be costing you money.

7 reasons why ignoring LinkedIn is a huge mistake

1.  Someone is always watching on LinkedIn

If you have a LinkedIn personal profile account set up, but you don't use it, don't think for a second that people aren't checking your profile out. More often than not, someone will always be looking at your profile, including potential, high-value clients looking for expert car restoration or performance services.

Suppose your profile is barren and absent of valuable content or information about your services. In that case, these potential big-shot clients are going to swiftly leave your page and find somebody else to take on their project.

Think of it this way. If your brick-and-mortar store doesn’t look the best then people driving by aren’t going to want to work with you. The same goes for your LinkedIn. If your LinkedIn profile is barren then nobody is going to want to do business with you.

By updating your profile on LinkedIn and actively posting, you'll be able to keep your brand fresh. Show your audience that you're a professional shop that knows what it's doing!

On LinkedIn, you're selling you, after all, so make sure everything looks excellent 100% of the time because people are always watching. 

2. Highlight your expertise and experience

LinkedIn is the go-to social media platform for business owners which is why having a LinkedIn business page is so important.

If you don’t have a business page for your company then you could be losing out on a lot of high-profile clients. There are a lot of big clients to score on LinkedIn and plenty of executives with money to spend on their next auto performance project.

But, they’re not going to be too interested in working with you if all you’ve got on LinkedIn is a personal page.

People are always looking for great companies to work with on LinkedIn and if you’ve got a personal profile set up that links to a perfectly optimized business profile then you’re assured to capture some high-quality leads.

Having a regularly updated LinkedIn business profile with contact details, high-quality content, and links to your employees will reassure your prospects that you’re the real deal.

3.  Connect with your audience and potential customers

Having an optimized LinkedIn business profile is a great way to show off your brand, exhibit your expertise, and highlight the awesome work you’ve been doing throughout the year. 

By posting regularly you’ll be able to reassure your prospects that the work you do is the real deal. If you don’t stay on top of your LinkedIn posts then you could be missing out on the opportunity to secure those high-profile clients.

When highlighting your expertise on LinkedIn and posting about the work you do remember to:

• Post regularly but don’t overdo it - excessive posting could get annoying to some of your prospects.
• Vary the type of posts you upload - if you’re just posting images of your projects consider uploading a short video or linking to an article you wrote to change things up a bit. Keep in mind that if you’re posting to Facebook you can past some of the same info on LinkedIn killing two birds with one stone as they would say.
• Share content - by sharing content from others in your industry, especially companies you work with, you’ll show your audience that you’re an active member of the community.
• Engage with interested prospects - don’t forget to reply to any questions or comments on your posts. This will show your audience that you’re a friendly company to interact with and encourage them to contact you for their next auto performance project.

4. Get access to important industry news

Your connections will constantly be sharing information on LinkedIn. It's the top place to get the latest industry news, stories, launch announcements, event dates, and so much more.

This is vital to staying on top of the leading processes, equipment, and parts available within the industry. With this knowledge at your fingertips, you'll be able to offer your high-profile clients the best of the best when it comes to auto restoration services.

If you're not on LinkedIn or you haven't bothered to connect with any industry leaders, you're going to lose out on all this great information and insight about things happening within your industry.

LinkedIn can also be used for researching organizations and people who work at them. This means you can target suppliers and potential clients you want to work with.

By joining groups, you'll be able to meet people with similar interests and expertise allowing you to expand your network. Groups also allow you to participate in industry-specific discussions, which is a great place to exhibit your knowledge.

Here are some sample posts from automotive aftermarket experts using LinkedIn to showcase their work and businesses via their profile or business pages:

5. Networking, endorsement and you’re next employee

LinkedIn was built for networking. It lets you get to know industry leaders and talk with like-minded people within the auto restoration and performance industry.

Posting content on your LinkedIn account isn't enough to keep you from missing out on clients. You have to engage and interact with people and connect with them on a more personal level.

By connecting with people in your industry, talking with them, and exchanging knowledge, you'll be able to build relationships that will position you as an expert in your niche.

These links will also recommend and endorse you for your skills and past work. This will encourage future high-profile clients to consider hiring you for their projects.

Making connections on LinkedIn is a very powerful tool. By building your credibility through endorsements and testimonials, you'll become the go-to shop for high-profile projects.

As we noted, LinkedIn is not just a jobs site anymore. But we want to note that businesses posting and people finding jobs here is still a big part of LinkedIn and you may find your next employee here so by having an awesome business page our next employee may just find you here.

6.  Improve your SEO

If your LinkedIn account is updated regularly, is full of valuable and relevant information, and positions your shop as an expert in the industry, Google is going to notice you.

LinkedIn matters to SEO because if somebody is aware of your services and wants to learn a little bit more about you, they're going to Google your company. They'll check out your website, your social media, and of course, your LinkedIn profile. Plus, if your company is showing up in various reputable places online, then Google is going to see that you’re an important company and boost you to the top of the search results.

High-profile clients will want to see what kind of person you are and if others have endorsed your skills and provided any testimonials.

As you know their cars are their babies, and they're not just going to hand them over to you without doing an appropriate background check and research!

So, make sure your LinkedIn account is updated so Google knows to push it to the top of the search results when any potential client is looking for your services.

7.  Build trust and brand authority

If you're not updating your LinkedIn profile and business pages, or you've left them to gather dust over the years, you're missing out on a fantastic opportunity to enhance your brand's authority and build trust with your potential clients.

You can build trust on LinkedIn by:

• Joining groups
• Getting endorsements
• Engaging with potential clients
• Answering questions
• Participating in talks
• Uploading valuable content
• Starting discussions in groups
• Posting articles

By offering insightful information to your audience on LinkedIn and in groups, you'll get more people interested in what you have to offer them.

Promoting your brand as an authority within the industry is easy if you're sharing great content on your profile.

If you have an article or guide you wrote and it contains valuable information, you'll be able to enhance your authority. Valuable content shows your audience that you're a knowledgeable company to work with.

Sharing videos on LinkedIn of behind-the-scenes footage of you working on projects will also build trust and credibility. It shows the human side of your company, and people love to engage with video content.

If you want help improving your LinkedIn account, then give Motorhead Digital a call to start enhancing your online presence today.

Get in contact with our team of experts today to stop losing out on money by leaving your LinkedIn to sit and gather dust. Let us handle everything for you and get your shop seen by all the people that matter.

Check out our last article in the series Why Ignoring Your Shop’s Online Presence Is Costing You Money