Professional social network LinkedIn is rapidly increasing in importance within the social marketing realm, particularly for B2B firms. New features have been released in the last several months, including Company Status Updates similar to those available through Facebook and Twitter, allowing for greater brand growth within the educated and professional LinkedIn audience.
We recently attended a webinar presented by LinkedIn and HubSpot about implementing Company Pages on the networking site.
Five Steps to LinkedIn Excellence
Here are our top five takeaways, followed by success stories from some of the top LinkedIn brands:
- Create and continually optimize your Company Page.
- Define a clear management strategy, add the appropriate administrators to manage Company Status Updates and determine the voice of your page.
- Promote your LinkedIn profile in a variety of ways: through other social media channels, in an email announcement, on business cards and in email signatures.
- Consistently develop and produce valuable content through status updates, linking to blog posts, and interacting with interesting information from other companies and individuals.
- Constantly monitor performance using LinkedIn reporting tools, and optimize your strategy based on past successes and learning points.
Specific Strategies for Success
These LinkedIn all stars have achieved impressive follower counts and a high level of community engagement thanks to the following simple strategies:
- IBM: Utilize customization features, post employment opportunities and showcase recommendations. LinkedIn is a popular location for job seekers, so making open positions easily accessible can increase visibility.
- HP: Build out the “Products & Services” tab, including recommendations.
- Dell: For merchants, link directly to e-commerce platforms.
- Civic Ventures: Utilize groups to engage directly with your community.
- New Home Star: Ensure that individual employees actively engage with LinkedIn users to personalize and promote your brand.
- The Income Tax School: Use Groups and Answers to demonstrate your expertise within your area.
Though these are basic steps and strategies, the implementation of each will build a strong foundation for the growth and continued success of your LinkedIn Company Page. Keep in mind that strategies, content and audiences vary per brand, so be sure to make your page as specific to your company’s goals, vision and values as possible. And remember, in a world of social media and mobile Internet, content is truly king – provide value to your audience and your efforts will be rewarded.
