5 Tips from the Experts to Bolster Your Company’s LinkedIn Presence

LinkedIn for Business Series, Part 2.

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. If you’re not already using it for your business then you may be a step behind the competition. But if you are using LinkedIn, it’s likely you’ve only scratched the surface of all the powerful features at your disposal.

Straight from the mouths of some of the world’s leading LinkedIn experts, these tips will help you make the most your company’s LinkedIn presence:

(1)    Create a Strategic, Comprehensive Company Page

Your company LinkedIn page should be professional yet at the same time showcase your company’s unique capabilities and quirks. This page should give visitors a clear view of how your company plans to grow and adapt while remaining true to its foundation and core competencies. But part of creating a fully baked company page means giving people a reason to come check it out. Take a page from Executive Career Coach and Author Amy Adler, who suggests using long-tail keywords in your company’s profile to increase its chance of ranking and to give visitors the best idea of what your brand represents. With millions of LinkedIn pages on the Web, strategy is paramount.

(2)    Follow Other Companies on LinkedIn

This is one capability that, while widely accessible, is rarely used according to LinkedIn Senior Manager of Corporate Communications Krista Canfield. Once you’re on the company’s LinkedIn page, simply click the yellow “Follow” button on the top right-hand side and you will be immediately immersed in all company happenings, including new hires and exciting announcements among other things. Follow prospects to better target your sales pitches and keep tabs on competitors to see exactly what they’re doing and when. You can even elect to receive real-time notifications of when your connections leave their companies.

(3)    Connect with Your Audience

LinkedIn and B2B expert Viveka von Rosen reminds us that in a world full of social media – in which obsession has formed around acquiring countless followers and connections – it should still first and foremost be about connecting with your audience. After all, LinkedIn is about finding that one person or group of people who need you – especially if they are not aware they need you. “No matter what your end game, social media should be about that one person you need to reach out to today to create more business,” von Rosen advises. Don’t get overwhelmed and stumble into the social media game of numbers.

(4)    Encourage Your Employees to Use LinkedIn Labs

LinkedIn Labs is a hidden gem, according to Canfield. This is a site that boasts a ton of innovative tools such as Resume Builder and LinkedIn Maps. Resume Builder is something to consider pushing out to your entire staff, as it will help bolster your brand’s collective appearance, awareness and reputability. LinkedIn Maps, a tool that visualizes and maps out your professional network according to types of connections, provides added visibility to help strengthen each individual relationship you hold on the platform.

(5)    Messaging is About Engaging, Not Selling

Remember that while LinkedIn can be used for selling products or acquiring new customers, messages to your first-level connections should be engaging and not stuffy or sales-y, von Rosen cautions. Make it a best practice to be communicative and thoughtful in your correspondences. For example, send a message just to see how things are going or reference a specific milestone or accomplishment that you picked up on. This is how long-term, successful relationships are established.

At the end of the day, remember that LinkedIn is more than just connections. It’s a treasure trove of hidden gems just waiting to be discovered.

Have any LinkedIn tips or best practices you’d like to share? We want to hear from you … let us know in the comments section below!

Powered by WPeMatico