Which social media channel do you think works best for your business? Is it Facebook because of the easy back and forth communication with customers? Maybe it’s Twitter where you can announce a product launch in the blink of an eye. If, however, LinkedIn is farther down on your list, you are likely making a big mistake.
Sure, LinkedIn is a more complex social media platform. Sure, it takes a little work to create a great profile. And, yes, LinkedIn may, at first, seem geared more toward Fortune 500 companies and top-level executives. But, LinkedIn has quickly become a powerful tool for professionals and companies. You’ll find personal profiles for recent college graduates to powerful CEOs and corporate profiles for small and mid-size businesses to global enterprises.
A Social Media Examiner report published in 2015 found that LinkedIn surpassed Facebook as the most important social media channel for B2B marketers. In addition, a poll conducted by Regalix found LinkedIn had decided advantages over other social media channels, including recruitment of top talent and lead generation.
LinkedIn is also invaluable when it comes to solidifying a business’s online reputation, increased brand visibility and accurate and higher search engine rankings. And, if that’s not enough, LinkedIn is a sharing powerhouse. Facebook filters its feed so your posts don’t automatically show up on followers’ feeds. LinkedIn has no such filter. It doesn’t matter if a follower ever connected with you, your updates will show up.
So, a LinkedIn business profile for your company is not an “if” proposition, it’s a “when.” And, if you already have a LinkedIn profile for your business, isn’t it time for an overhaul? The time to get started is now. Follow these five tips for building a more effective LinkedIn business page.
1. It Starts With You
To create a company page you have to already have a profile with your first and last name. Sign in to your personal profile page and click the “Work” icon in the top right corner. Choose the “Create a Company Page” option and follow the prompts to enter company information. You are required to verify that you have the authority to create a page for the company, verify your email address and supply your company’s website URL. Complete all of the fields, including company size, location, contact information and other applicable details.
A LinkedIn company page is highly search engine friendly, so lead your description with keyword-rich copy. Pay particular attention to the first 156 characters of the description — that’s the Google preview length and the one chance you’ll have to persuade users to click through. Use power words to describe your business, industry focus and expertise.
LinkedIn does not provide a company page preview option, so once you click “Create,” the page becomes live. If you’ve missed any requirements, you’ll be prompted to fix or add the required information before publication. LinkedIn recommends you share your login credentials with one or two others in the company in case you want to take that badly needed vacation someday or you become otherwise unable to administer the page at some point.
2. Tease and Please the Eye
Graphics and images appeal to the senses. One of the most important graphics to add to your LinkedIn business profile page is the company logo. Your logo is not only necessary for branding purposes, but it shows up on your employees’ profiles as well. Companies with logos on the LinkedIn profile get six times more traffic than companies without. It’s that important.
Add a pleasing cover image to attract interest. Choose a cover image that relates to your business, is colorful, engaging and harmonizes with the overall look. Add graphics to create a cohesive page. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to add graphics, infographics, videos and additional visuals as you post and share.
3. Write a Keyword-Rich Standout Headline and Summary
Draw viewers attention with snappy headlines. Headlines that attract attention include tips, numbers, bold statements, questions and calls to action. Optimize for search engines by Including a keyword or phrase in your headline.
The summary is where you can really work some magic. A well-written summary is where you can show off your unique brand, ways your company excels, what the business does for its target customer, why it’s a great place to work and essentially tells an engaging and true story. Humor is welcome in a summary, as long as it’s in good taste and not offensive. Sprinkle key words and phrases throughout the text.
4. Engage and Keep Them Coming Back
Content and the ability to easily share it is one of LinkedIn’s most powerful tools. Sure, you can and should share other users’ content. That’s part of the give and take. But the real power with content on the LinkedIn platform is original content you post on your page.
What type of content should you create? That depends on your industry, location and business. For example, if you sell flooring, creating how-to install your own or how to keep your new floors clean content is perfect for engaging customers you already have and attracting new customers.
The highest-quality content is not promotional and doesn’t use sales speak. It’s friendly, helpful and consists of valuable information for the reader. Your LinkedIn followers may be a diverse group that includes customers, investors and colleagues. A diverse group means you can publish content within a wide range of subject areas, some material targeting customers, other material targeting business colleagues and affiliates.
Infographics and video count as content and valuable content it is. Posts that contain images generally result in a 98 percent comment rate. Add links to your company YouTube videos and enjoy an approximately 75 percent higher share rate.
To take fullest advantage of LinkedIn, post updates, content and/or share content at least once per weekday. Viewers are more likely to return if new content is available. Typically, updates posted in the morning earn the highest engagement rate, but experiment with timing and see what works best for your business.
5. Leave Nothing Undone
Last but not least, complete the entire profile. Don’t leave sections blank. Post accurate information and update often. Change information when necessary. LinkedIn may be more work than other social media platforms, but its rewards can be far greater.
Kidal Delonix is a contributor to Mr. Hoffman's blog. The views and opinions are entirely his/her own and may not reflect Mr Hoffman's views.
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