customer-developmentObviously this is quite subjective and variable. So to limit it slightly:
I’m sure there are very many tricks and methods to enhance pages to best drive customers, but I’m not interested in them right now - that’d be scope creep on this question. So the question is, assuming a relatively well made LinkedIn site, will it actually drive customers?
Yes, it will drive customers for web development if utilized correctly.
They can be a very powerful thing if you learn all of those tricks of how to leverage them.
My first thought when reading your title “How valuable is a LinkedIn page for a business” was, well that depends on the type of business. For most web development companies, their target demographic (or at least part of it) can be found on LinkedIn which is full of professionals in whatever industry you can think of which also provides access to the companies they’re associated with.
I’ve known a couple of web development companies to leverage it as their main source of customer acquisition and do well with it. It provides a good platform for showing your expertise through your interactions with different people, companies, and groups on the network.
One side benefit, though your service isn’t restricted to one location, you have the option of connecting specifically with people, groups, and companies in your area if you wanted to do more work locally. I don’t know specifically about your region, I’m guessing this holds true.
That said, there are people that will recommend a LinkedIn profile for EVERYONE. I don’t know that LinkedIn is a great customer acquisition source for all businesses. I used to work for a company that built and sold flatbed trailers. LinkedIn isn’t where people go to look for flatbed trailers so their time was likely better spent elsewhere. They never had much desire to get into social media anyway, but if they had, LinkedIn would not have been high on the list… maybe slightly higher than Pinterest or Instagram :)
It’s all about finding the places where your target market gather and then learning ways to connect with them and provide them with value right where they already are (that’s so much easier than trying to convince them they need the value you’re providing somewhere else).
EDIT TO ADD: I re-read your question and I want to be sure to clarify that I doubt the page itself will drive a ton of traffic, but it can be used as a tool to get traffic by being actively involved in the communities that exist on the LinkedIn network.
There are a lot of groups on LinkedIn and you can promote your business by joining and adding useful information to many of the posts, and not just for web development. Small businesses need advice on advertising and you can add value by explaining how a website can promote their business.
These posts can help generate customer inquiries but it will take time. Sometimes the person you respond to will not be interested in your services, but a potential customer may see that post 6 months after it happened and the contact you. You can think of it as another way for people to find your company by doing a google search.
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