LinkedIn could be described as Facebook’s older, more serious brother. It’s a popular social media platform which has steadily grown over the years, with 2 new members added every second. However, while most people might have a LinkedIn account, it’s very probable that most don’t quite know how to use it.
It’s not just personal profiles that are losing out – there are also many companies with a LinkedIn Company Page, but only a few of them have managed to harness LinkedIn’s potential through proper use of their page. Sound familiar? This post’s for you.
1. Your Company Profile
Of course, the first thing you need is a Company Profile. Create it by going onto your own LinkedIn account, then going to the “Interests” tab > Companies > Create Company Page. From there you can begin setting up your page. Include any relevant information, a company logo, and a banner.
Be sure to update the page with any relevant information. Your page is a reflection of your company and its work ethic so make it the best it can be!
2. Connect
The next step is to start setting up connections. Connect with employees, clients, and other companies with the same interests. This keeps you informed about what’s going on around you and also allows people to see what your company is up to. Connections on LinkedIn are highly useful and could lead to potential clients.
3. Keep the ball rolling
Don’t take the business card approach when managing your LinkedIn account. Update the page frequently so as to have it constantly turning up in your connections’ feeds. This could benefit your relationships with followers because they become familiar with your brand, as well as the content you upload and produce.
4. The funnel effect
If you produce amazing content you could easily generate leads back to your website. Much like a funnel, use LinkedIn (along with other social media) to direct people to your website. A clear call to action would be perfect for this.
5. Job postings
One of the great features of LinkedIn is that it allows you to post vacancies. You have two levels of vacancy advertisement to choose from: first off, you can start with a listing in the ‘Jobs’ section on the network, which is similar to the ‘Classified’ section of a newspaper. Potential applicants can browse the page and choose to apply once they come across your posting. You can then take this to the next level and spend a little bit of budget to promote your listing. In this case, your post will pop up in the right hand column of LinkedIn’s homepage, and you can even select the job type to only target advertising towards relevant candidates. This is yet another reason to maintain an attractive and frequently updated page – the better your page, the better the candidates that will choose to work with you.
6. Different audience – different style
Clearly, LinkedIn isn’t like Facebook or Twitter. It’s more serious, catering for people who know exactly what they want out of their connections. Adapt your style for a LinkedIn audience so as to maximise the power of your content. However, just because it’s slightly more serious, it doesn’t mean it’s not a social platform. So while keeping it professional, don’t forget to have a bit of fun and keep a human element.
L’Oréal do this by asking their followers questions so as to engage and interact with them.
7. Group up
LinkedIn allows you to create groups, bringing together people with similar interest and opinions. Used well, this could easily boost your connections and relationships with others, acting as a goldmine of information. Plus, posting relevant and informative articles in groups will help you establish your position as a thought leader in the industry.
8. It’s about who you know
Sometimes, it’s the small relationships formed online that could make all the difference. By following people, looking at their connections and following those connections in turn, you could easily build up your network and get in touch with the right people.
9. Visuals stand out
It’s very obvious that LinkedIn is quite plain. That’s why having great visuals in your content is important. Visuals will attract a person’s attention and draw them in. Even something as simple as a recurring colour could make a difference.
Evernote do this with their sneaky addition of green in their images.
10. Trust
Above all, LinkedIn gives off a sense of trust and reliability. Recommendations, followers, and endorsements all serve to build a brand’s reputation, making it look more human. Add this to brilliant content and management and you’ve got yourself a winning recipe.
And that’s a wrap, you can now go ahead and create your company profile and start working on getting your brand noticed!
Leave a Reply