To Rebrand or Not: Navigating LinkedIn as a Drone Business Owner

When it comes to starting a drone business, many people entering the industry already have a background (and potentially a following) in a different sector or 'niche'. With this often comes a level of 'authority' and sometimes a substantial following on platforms like LinkedIn...

If you don't have a LinkedIn profile yet, now's the time to set up and populate a personal profile and a business page for your new drone endeavours so you can start to grow your network and influence...

But what if you already have a following from your previous industry or occupation? Should you start everything afresh with new profiles, or is it best to leverage your existing personal network and rebrand?

In this short article, we break down the most effective LinkedIn Strategy for Drone Business owners and Drone Pilots to increase your reach, build your following and get those leads rolling in!

Estimated Read Time: ~5 minutes

Table of Contents

• The Power of an Established Network
• The Need for a Separate Business Page
• Striking the Balance
• A Case for the Drone Industry
• 5 Top Tips for Creating Engaging Posts in the Drone Industry
• In Conclusion
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

The Power of an Established Network

If you've spent years building a robust LinkedIn network, it's a goldmine. Each connection represents a potential client, collaborator, or advocate for your brand. So, before you think of starting from scratch, consider this:

• Immediate Audience: Every post you make reaches an audience that already knows you. They've seen your journey, your growth, and are more likely to engage with or share your content.
• Trust Factor: People buy from people. Your established connections already know you and (hopefully 🙂) like and trust you too, making them more likely to turn to you when they need something you can deliver.
• Referral Potential: Even if your direct connections aren't interested in drones, they might know someone who is. Word of mouth, especially in the B2B space, is invaluable… Very few things are more powerful than a ‘word of mouth’ recommendation from someone in your extended network to a potential future client!

The Need for a Separate Business Page

While your personal profile is a powerful tool, creating a separate business page for your new venture is non-negotiable. Here's why:

• Professionalism: A business page lends credibility. It shows you're serious about your venture and provides a dedicated space for all things related to your business.
• Analytics: LinkedIn offers business-specific insights on company pages. You can track engagement, follower demographics, and more, which will help you better understand your business, your target market and the people who are interested in the things you offer.
• Advertising: Want to run ads on LinkedIn? You'll need a business page for that! The longer your page has been active and the more followers you have, the better chance the LinkedIn algorithm has of putting your adverts in front of the right eyeballs for your business.

Striking the Balance

So, how do you navigate this dual presence on LinkedIn?

• Personal Profile: Continue to post and engage as yourself. Share your journey of starting a business, the challenges you face, and the milestones you achieve. This personal touch can resonate deeply with your audience.
• Business Page: This is where you post as your brand. Share industry news, product updates, customer testimonials, and other business-centric content. You can also repurpose posts from your personal profile and use them as additional content for your business page, so you don’t have to feel overwhelmed with creating different content for your different pages. Using a tool like ChatGPT to help you do this can really help simplify this process and make it incredibly time efficient; we have a course that teaches people how to do this easily, which you can find here → ChatGPT Secrets.

A Case for the Drone Industry

In the drone sector, networking is paramount. Historically, inside our drone training AND our drone operations companies, more than 80% of leads and subsequent work we’ve conducted has come from our LinkedIn network. By maintaining an active personal profile and a business page, you double your chances of catching the eye of a potential client or collaborator.

5 Top Tips for Creating Engaging Posts in the Drone Industry

To help get you up and running on LinkedIn quickly and efficiently, here are 5 of the most popular, effective and engaging post types we’ve seen work for us on LinkedIn over the past few years within our drone businesses:

1. Showcase Real-world Applications: Drones are versatile. From filmography to agriculture, showcase the myriad of ways drones are revolutionizing industries.
2. Share Behind-the-scenes: People love to see how things work. Share behind-the-scenes footage of drone setups, flight preparations, or even challenges faced during a shoot.
3. Leverage User-generated Content: Encourage your followers or clients to share their drone experiences. Reposting their content not only builds community but also provides diverse perspectives.
4. Stay Updated with Tech Trends: The drone industry is ever-evolving. Share updates about the latest drone technologies, software enhancements, or regulatory changes.
5. Educate with Tutorials: Whether it's about drone maintenance, flight techniques, or editing drone footage, educational content positions you as an industry expert and helps your audience.

In Conclusion

Starting or scaling a drone business is exhilarating and filled with many decisions. Regarding LinkedIn, the strategy is clear: leverage your personal network and establish a professional front with a business page. In doing so, you cast a wider net, ensuring your brand message reaches as many ears as possible. And with the right content strategy, you'll keep them engaged and coming back for more.

If you’ve got any questions, please feel free to drop them in the comments section below, or why not drop me a message on LinkedIn?! :)

Until next time, fly safe & blue skies,

Matt Williams

The Drone Mentor

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Why is LinkedIn important for my drone business?

A: LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that allows you to connect with industry experts, potential clients, and collaborators. For drone businesses, it's a space to showcase expertise, share industry updates, and build credibility. Given the B2B nature of many drone services, LinkedIn can be a vital platform for lead generation and networking.

Q: How often should I post content on my personal and business LinkedIn profiles?

A: When you’re first starting out, you need to aim to post at least  2-3 times a week to maintain engagement with your network. For your business page, a consistent posting schedule of 1-2 times a week when you first start out is recommended. As your network grows and you start to create more and more content, you need to be posting 2-3 times a day… But don’t sweat this when you first start out. Set a schedule that you can manage and force yourself to stay consistent!
Remember, it's not just about quantity but the quality and relevance of the content you share that counts most!

Q: Can I convert my personal LinkedIn profile into a business page?

A: No, LinkedIn doesn't allow the direct conversion of a personal profile to a business page. However, you can create a new business page and promote it through your personal profile to leverage your existing network.

Q: What type of content performs best on LinkedIn for the drone industry?

A: Case studies, behind-the-scenes content, industry news, and educational posts typically perform well for the drone industry on LinkedIn. Visual content, like videos and infographics, also tends to get higher engagement. Tailor your content to showcase the value and versatility of drone technology, alongside what YOU can bring to the table! 🙂

Q: How can I measure the success of my LinkedIn marketing efforts?

A: LinkedIn provides analytics for business pages, offering insights into post performance, follower demographics, and engagement metrics. Regularly review these analytics to understand what's working and where there's room for improvement. For personal profiles, monitor the engagement (likes, comments, shares) on your posts and the growth of your network.