Skip to main content

LinkedIn boasts a wide range of features which are incredibly beneficial for businesses.

But with limitless options available, how do you navigate it to ensure your business’s success?

With the right know-how and tools, your LinkedIn Profile or Page could enhance your business, bring in new employees and help you stand out as a business leader.

Here are some features and tips to help you become a LinkedIn pro and ensure that you are standing out for the right reasons:

Linkedin as a business strategy

LinkedIn can be used to showcase achievements, gain new business enquires, attract new job candidates and share relevant business updates. However, a poorly maintained profile can act as a repellent which will prevent your success.

  • Consistent profile images are important. If you have a LinkedIn Page account, make sure that your logo is present and clear and is the same as all your other social media accounts. People trust brands and businesses they recognise!
  • Describe what you do – remember that the first 156 characters of your description is displayed on the Google Search. Show off what makes you unique and make sure you stand out.
  • Use the Showcase page to highlight different areas that you have to offer to businesses, suppliers and employees.
  • Harness your employee’s accounts by occasionally asking them to share business updates – this will get these posts in front of their followers.
  • Ensure you have buttons to all your social media, including LinkedIn, on your website and email signature block.
  • Be an active user! Search clients, comment and message connections, and keep an eye on competitors.

Linkedin Networking

Networking is the most obvious use of LinkedIn for professionals. Your professional network is more important than ever as businesses continue to increase the number of tasks and deals they put online. Networking can be done through posts, messaging or Industry Groups.

Industry Groups

LinkedIn Group is a great tool for networking. They are private discussion groups available which you join using your profile rather than the businesses page. However, you can still share page content from the business profile.

Therefore, joining a group, or creating one, can be a good way to build both your personal network connections and Page followers.

Recruitment – Find the best of the bunch

Job listings get a lot of traffic with 40 million people looking for a new job a week on LinkedIn. Posting a job ad is free and will appear on your Company Page. Add a Careers Page to your business profile to showcase why your company is good to work for including case studies and testimonials. You can also open a Recruiter Premium Account which has a Lite option for smaller businesses.

Writing a post

Plan and write great content which will engage your audience and use a scheduling tool like Hootsuite to ensure content is being posted consistently.

Don’t just regurgitate what is already out there. Form an opinion and then stand by it.

Finally, do not let old posts lay to rest, continue to share and promote them yourself or encourage employees to do so.

Hashtags

#goldmine #newaudiences #newindustries #newniches

Hashtags can be used to emphasise your LinkedIn post and also act as a goldmine which can be used to tap into new audiences, industries and niches. But make sure you are prioritising quality over quantity – three to five is the perfect amount.

A little research will point you in the direction of what is relevant and what is popular. You want a bit of both so you have a balance of leads to loads of people and leads to a very niche-specific audience that you desire.

Advertising – Don’t be shy with spending, pay to promote!

Set a budget for LinkedIn ads to boost the reach of the most notable posts. You can create, manage and analyse the post’s performances on Hootsuite. There are several LinkedIn ads formats, such as:

– Sponsored text ads, posts or messaging.

– Dynamic ads that can include user’s details.

– Sponsored job ad listings – paid single job ads receive 25% more applications than non-promoted job ads.

– Photo carousel ads

Sharing External articles

LinkedIn’s algorithm allows external links to blogs and websites. These can be your own blogs and sites or someone else’s, the important thing is to make sure it is relevant and valuable content to your audience.

If you are using someone else’s content, consider tagging them in your post or using their hashtag to provide them with credit. There is a chance they may comment on it or share it on their pages, which would increase post views!

Becoming a thought leader

As a professional of a field, CEO of your company, or aspiring entrepreneur it is vital that you become recognised and respected by other people within your profession, field or circle on LinkedIn.

A thought leader is a person whose views are taken to be authoritative and influential. Posting long-form content, which is written well and for the right reasons, can cement you as an innovative thought leader and help you be viewed as an expert in your field.

However, it is important to write a range of both short and long pieces as your network won’t always make the time to read monologues, but too many short pieces can threaten your position. Variation is key!

If you are aware of all these features, you can use them to main your brand reputation and increase visibility. If you are a complete LinkedIn beginner or need advice on getting your account to the next level, we offer LinkedIn training.

Alternatively, contact the team at Polymedia today to ask a question or find out how we can help. Email us at [email protected] or simply give us a call.