The Problem

You need to sell to local business owners, so you post your product (whether that’s Local SEO, Website Development, PPC or software) on LinkedIn. Maybe you sign up and pay for LinkedIn Sales Navigator, allowing you to connect and reach out directly to local business owners. But there's a problem…

Local businesses aren't on LinkedIn.

In this example, we searched for florists in Indianapolis. Out of the 18 results, only 8 had any employees active on LinkedIn. In our research, we found that Indianapolis actually has over 100 active florists.

Although it varies by business category, we consistently find that fewer than 10% of local, consumer-facing businesses (like retailers, restaurants, dentists, etc.) have an active LinkedIn presence.

Why?

Be where your customers are. There is a high chance if you're active on LinkedIn, it's because your customers spend time there. That's why the Resquared team is active on LinkedIn.

If you own a local business that serves consumers, you have to be where your customers are. This also applies to social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. That is why we find nearly 80% of local businesses have an active, managed Facebook page and over 30% have an Instagram page. 

This is why Facebook is the Holy Grail of reaching local businesses.

Additional Implications

Many companies that provide data and tools to help with lead generation base their entire dataset and technology off of LinkedIn. Here are some examples:

Lead data aggregators like ZoomInfo typically base their datasets heavily on LinkedIn data.

CRM Systems like Hubspot and Salesforce offer deep integrations with LinkedIn, but nothing optimized for reaching local businesses.

To summarize, when you have a job to do (selling to local businesses), make sure you select the right tool for the job and be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of platforms like LinkedIn. If you'd like personalized advice on this topic, feel free to schedule a meeting with one of our local business marketing experts.