In the last part of our four-part guide to social media for your business in 2019, we look at LinkedIn and all the tips, advice and insight on the social media site that can help advance your business in the digital world.
LinkedIn is unlike the social media sites we have analysed in the other three parts of our social media guide on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as it is more about professional networking, than GIFs, humourous videos and memes.
Why Should I Be on LinkedIn?
At the end of 2016, LinkedIn was bought by Microsoft with the idea that ‘the world’s leading professional cloud’ should be combined with ‘the world’s leading professional network’ and the deal was ironically shared as a LinkedIn post by Microsoft’s CEO. Although once regarded as a site to hunt for a job, LinkedIn has now become a platform to share company news, network with like-minded individuals, generate new business leads and nurture trust with your current clients and customers.
If you’re a B2B business, then LinkedIn should be high on your list of essential social media platforms. A business is not only about sales and profit but building relationships and creating connections in your industry and out of it, and LinkedIn is the perfect place to do that. In 2016, statistics showed that 450 million people used LinkedIn. However, as of 2018, the number of LinkedIn users rose to 562 million, making it the ideal place to showcase your brand and highlight what your business provides to its customers.
Furthermore, LinkedIn is a great spot if you want to find new talent for your company. You can not only seek out new employees, but potential candidates can find you. It’s a great place to showcase what your business does and share your company’s messages and goals.
The social media site helps you to keep track of your competitors and allows you to see what other businesses in your industry are up to, meaning you can stay up-to-date and on top in your field.
It also generates brand awareness as current employees can put their job title and your company in their profile, so if anyone is interested in your business and wants to click through, they can do so, to your LinkedIn company page.
What Should I Be Doing on LinkedIn?
Create a Company Page
If you haven’t already, it’s vital that you create a detailed company page for your target audience. Personal profiles are great if you’re the one looking for a career, but if you’re the one providing them, you need a page that describes what your company does and the history behind your business, so potential employees and customers can get an idea of what your brand is all about. LinkedIn even found that businesses with complete company pages received twice as many visitors than those who hadn’t finished every section.
Post Regularly
LinkedIn can be an easy social media site to let slide a little. However, if people are clicking through to your company page through your employees’ profile, then you need to look active. It’s the same if potential clients, customers or candidates search for your business too – the more professional and up-to-date your profile is, the more you’re likely to gain the trust of anyone looking at your page.
Share New Products and Services
Although LinkedIn may seem like a place to connect and share news about your company, the social media platform is also great to share any new products or services you are offering your customers or clients. Firstly, it’s not only another space to highlight what’s new and share the details of, but you’re also sharing to a different audience then you might be on Facebook or Twitter.
Keep it Informative and Interesting
According to research, LinkedIn users were found to spend an average of seventeen minutes on the social media platform a month – that’s a lot less than the amount of time individuals spend scrolling through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Therefore, you’re not only trying to attract a different kind of audience than the people on your other social media sites, but you are also trying to appeal to people in a shorter time frame. This means the content you post should be valuable and informative – sharing your own blog posts is a great way to show interesting content, while also directing potential customers and clients to your website. Research found that 42 million people used the LinkedIn app on their mobile a month, so it’s important to optimise the content for mobile use too. A bot will also monitor your content and if it’s low-quality or spammy, people are less likely to see it.
Share Video Content
As people are spending a lot less time on LinkedIn as they are on your other social media platforms, you should consider engaging content, as well as informative posts. Videos are one of the most engaging and interactive posts that you can share and work really well on LinkedIn too.
Turn Your Employees into Brand Ambassadors
Having your employees share company news on their own LinkedIn profiles and posting about how great the business is to work for, will benefit your business massively. It not only makes your company look more human and personal, but also legitimatises it and makes your brand seem more trustworthy.
Sponsored Content
LinkedIn offers the option of ‘Sponsored Content’, which means you can promote one of your posts, so it’ll reach a wider audience. LinkedIn also offers the opportunity to add Lead Gen Forms to the Sponsored Content ads. These come with an easy call-to-action button, that allows the form to be automatically filled out with a potential customer’s contact information, when an individual clicks it. Therefore, advertisers can collect leads at better conversion rates.
As social media specialists, we help businesses all around the world reach their digital marketing objectives. If your business needs help with advertising or social media marketing on LinkedIn or any social platform in our four-part guide to social media for your business in 2019, please get in touch today.
