LinkedIn.com is a growing professional social media network that, if used properly can increase you market reach exponentially. Never before in history have business owners had so much information at their fingertips, with such close proximity and access to their markets. LinkedIn.com is ripe for using as a marketing channel, if a more buttoned up one.

1. Search for Prospects — Using LinkedIn.com’s search feature to gather lists potential business prospects is an excellent way to use LinkedIn’s database. You can see how these decision makers are connected to you. If you find any with first to third degree connections you can envision a way to become first degree connections.

Tactic: Once a month conduct a search, compile results, and choose top three decision makers to attempt to connect with by the end of the month.

2. Join Targeted Groups — Groups are an excellent way to market your business, products and / or services to interested parties. The trick with groups is not to become a spammer by only using the group to promote your stuff. Instead, become a resource to the group within your expertise. By demonstrating you expertise, people will come to you.

Tactic: Join three groups, 2 that you believe your target market uses, and 1 that colleagues use. Create a unique introduction for each group. Participate daily.

3. Create Your Own Group — You can create a group where your potential market will join, or you can create a group for people just like you. Well, you can do both. If your goal is to make sales, then create a group for your target audience with you as the leading expert. Share freely information with the group and again, they’ll come to you if they need to hire an expert or use your products and / or service.

Tactic: Take material from your blog, or eBooks that you’ve created and make a group using that as your material. Invite the people you want to join, and ask them to invite others. Consider marketing the group to get more members. Interact regularly with your group.

4. Create a Business Profile — After you’ve created a personal profile you can also create a business profile called a Company Page. This is a terrific way to tell your business’s story, expand your brand as a business, and to even find qualified contractors or employees through job postings. Simply go to your profile home page, click interests, then companies and click add a company to get started.

Tactic: Create the business page and then make it a habit to use the business page to share important updates about your business as well as work that you’ve accomplished.

5. Purchase Direct Ads — The best use of direct ads is with your company page. Once you’ve fleshed out your company page profile, included work examples, the back story, and anything else you think your target audience wants to know about your business, you can advertise your business by creating an advertisement. You can budget easily via impressions or clicks. You can create a variety of types of ads. With the right call to action these ads can be very successful.

Tactic: Use LinkedIn ads to promote your brand rather than a product. Use to build your connections before you start marketing a product or service.

Following these five marketing strategies for LinkedIn.com will help you expand your reach increasing brand awareness as well as improve sales.