LinkedIn can be a great way to find and connect with local businesses in your area. With over 722 million users worldwide, LinkedIn is the largest professional networking platform and many local businesses and professionals use it to establish their online presence. Here are some tips on how to find and connect with local businesses on LinkedIn.
Search for Local Businesses
The easiest way to find local businesses on LinkedIn is to use the search bar. Simply type in keywords related to the type of business you are looking for along with the city or region. For example, if you are looking for web design agencies in San Francisco, you could search for “web design San Francisco.”
LinkedIn’s search function will return profiles of local businesses, groups related to that industry, job listings, and more. Pay attention to the profiles that have the location listed in their header or description. Those are likely local businesses near you.
Use LinkedIn’s Advanced Search Filters
For more targeted local business searches, use LinkedIn’s advanced search filters under the “All Filters” option.
Some useful filters include:
- Location – Filter by city, state, or country
- Company Industry – Select an industry like “Computer Software” or “Marketing & Advertising”
- Company Size – Choose “1-10 employees” for small local businesses
Applying multiple filters helps narrow down the search results to only the most relevant local businesses. You can save these filtered searches to rerun them easily in the future.
Look Up Local Business Pages
Many local businesses have Company Pages on LinkedIn to showcase their products, services, employment opportunities, and more. Find these pages by searching for the specific business name.
For example, search for “XYZ Photography San Francisco” to find the Company Page for a local photography business in San Francisco. Larger local businesses are very likely to have a Company Page.
Join Local LinkedIn Groups
LinkedIn Groups based around specific geographic locations or industries are a great way to connect with other local professionals and businesses.
Search for groups like:
- “San Francisco Small Business Owners”
- “Marketing Professionals in Houston”
- “Los Angeles Designers”
Join groups that align with your location and interests to start interacting with the right people and businesses. Engage in group discussions and check the listed members to find relevant profiles to connect with.
Follow Local Companies
Following a company’s LinkedIn page is a simple way to stay up-to-date with their new products, services, job postings, events and more. You can follow local businesses you find through search and groups.
Go to their Company Page and click “Follow” to have their updates appear in your LinkedIn feed. This allows you to monitor local businesses you are interested in without directly connecting with them.
Check “People Also Viewed”
When viewing a local business’s LinkedIn page, scroll down to the “People Also Viewed” section. This shows other profiles that people interested in that business also looked at, which are likely similar or competing local businesses.
The “People Also Viewed” section is a great way to discover additional local businesses that you can connect with.
Browse LinkedIn Jobs
The job listings on LinkedIn often include local opportunities from small businesses hiring in your city. Narrow your job search results by adding filters like location and company size.
For example, search for jobs in “Miami, FL” at companies with 1-10 employees. Reaching out to these small businesses can help build local professional relationships even if you aren’t interested in the job itself.
Connect With Local Professionals
Networking with other professionals in your geographic area can lead to introductions and connections with local businesses. Use LinkedIn’s advanced search to find people based on location and industry.
Then check out their profiles to see what local companies they work for or are connected to. Reach out to promising contacts to start building your local network.
Join Local Alumni Groups
If you have a university or college in your city, join its alumni group on LinkedIn. Alumni often work at or run local businesses. Connecting with fellow alumni is an easy way to establish local relationships.
You can then use your school affiliation to help find job opportunities, business deals, or other ways to engage with their companies. The shared alumni bond can help in strengthening those connections.
Follow Influential Local Figures
LinkedIn is used by many community leaders, politicians, journalists, and other influential figures. Follow the profiles of notable people in your city or industry to stay on top of local news and events.
These key figures often have wide networks spanning across various local businesses and organizations. Keeping up with their activity can lead to more opportunities to connect with companies in your area.
Check Out Featured Sections
Some location-based LinkedIn Company Pages have sections highlighting local businesses. For example, the LinkedIn Seattle page showcases different local companies under a “Featured” section.
See if your city has a featured section that you can scroll through to discover interesting local businesses to connect with.
Engage With Company Posts
Keep an eye out for posts from local businesses in your LinkedIn feed. These may come from companies you follow or groups you have joined. When you see relevant posts:
- Like and react to the posts
- Leave comments and ask questions
- Share the posts to help spread the word
Proactively engaging with local business posts helps raise awareness of your profile and builds relationships. It can even spark conversations that lead to professional opportunities.
Advertise to Local Audiences
LinkedIn’s advertising platform allows you to target ads to specific geographic locations. You can create ads promoting your own products, services, or profile that are only shown to LinkedIn users within a certain city, region or country.
This is great way for local businesses to increase visibility and drive engagement from the local professionals that matter most to you. Use LinkedIn’s powerful targeting tools to zero in on your ideal local customers.
Conclusion
Finding and connecting with local businesses is easy with LinkedIn’s extensive search features, groups, company pages, and targeting options. The key is using location-based filters and keywords to pinpoint the right profiles and opportunities in your city or region.
Developing relationships with local professionals, alumni, community figures, and companies is also an effective networking strategy. Engaging with relevant posts, jobs, and ads keeps your LinkedIn profile on the radar of local businesses.
With some focused effort, any LinkedIn user can optimize their experience to build a strong local network and connect with the top businesses in their backyard.
Here is some example data in a table:
| Search Method | How It Helps Find Local Businesses |
|---|---|
| Keywords + location | Returns profiles and pages of businesses near you |
| Advanced location filters | Narrows down results to specific city or region |
| Industry terms + city | Finds local businesses in a certain sector |
| Local business name | Locates official company page |
| Local LinkedIn Groups | Connects you with other local professionals and businesses |
| Local alumni groups | Builds connections through shared school affiliation |
| Engaging with posts | Interacting with local companies raises your profile |
| Targeted local ads | Promotes your brand to professionals in your area |
This table summarizes some of the top techniques covered in the article for using LinkedIn to find and connect with local businesses near you.
LinkedIn opens up many avenues for engaging with the vibrant community of professionals, alumni, leaders, and of course, businesses in your geographic region. With some strategy and effort, LinkedIn can become an invaluable tool for building up your local professional network.
The capabilities for searching, targeting, advertising, and more on LinkedIn empower any user to connect with the right people and companies in their city. Tap into the local opportunities on LinkedIn to create meaningful relationships, grow your career, and build visibility for your own business at the grassroots level.
Connecting locally has so many advantages for broadening your horizons, achieving career goals, generating new opportunities, and expanding your business reach. Unlock the potential of your own backyard on LinkedIn today.
Here are some additional tips for maximizing your use of LinkedIn to connect with local professionals and businesses:
Make Your Profile Local-Friendly
Tailor your profile to highlight your expertise and involvement in your city. For example, list local organizations you support, your home city in the intro, or previous local jobs. This gives a local focus that helps attract connections.
Personalize Invitations to Connect
When reaching out to local figures, customize the invitation with a warm, thoughtful note referencing your shared location or interests. Don’t use LinkedIn’s generic messaging.
Follow Local Thought Leaders and Influencers
Keep tabs on important conversations and developments locally by following politicians, journalists, activists, and community leaders.
Thank Local Connections for Accepting
If someone from your city accepts your invitation to connect, thank them and suggest meeting up or working together locally at some point.
Share and Comment on Local News
Active engagement with local news stories and posts shows you have your finger on the pulse of what’s happening in your area.
Use Hashtags Specific to Your Region
Using neighborhood, city, or business district hashtags (like #EastVillage or #SeattleSmallBiz) helps you stand out and gets more local eyeballs.
Follow Company Pages of Places You Frequent
It never hurts to support neighborhood businesses whose services you regularly use by following them on LinkedIn.
Craft Visually Appealing Company Page
A clean, eye-catching Company Page with local office info makes your business discoverable and approachable for area professionals.
List Local Sponsorships or Partnerships
Display involvement with local charities, sports teams, or community organizations on your profile to highlight your roots.
Join Local Chapters of National Organizations
Most major professional groups like the Chamber of Commerce have local city chapters you can join.
Optimizing your LinkedIn presence to engage locally takes some effort, but pays dividends through expanded career and business opportunities. Show pride in your community and embrace your role within it to become a recognized name locally.
