A year ago, Javier Flores of Falls Church, Va.-based Madera Floors was skeptical of LinkedIn, thinking it was "more for 'white collar' people," he says. But a friend, Jen Dalton of social media company Brand Mirror, turned him on to its potential. Today he has more than 1,500 followers and frequently generates leads from the site. His LinkedIn success began when he hired Dalton to update his inactive profile by detailing his experience, listing his skills and adding a professional headshot. Then he connected with 200 local architects, distributors and designers and began posting four times a week, sharing informative photos from jobs and short "how-to" videos. Flores has more than 10,500 followers Instagram but says his LinkedIn posts are less personal. "I use LinkedIn to brand my business, and Instagram to brand myself," he says, adding that LinkedIn connects him with professionals who might not be on Instagram. "If you have a good profile and you're posting good content, you'll more than likely find success," he says.
