As the largest professional network in the world today, LinkedIn has become a beacon of opportunity for businesses across the globe. With 740 million members in more than 200 countries, harnessing the reach of LinkedIn can have a transformational impact on organisations and individuals across all sectors.
The platform, traditionally used to highlight the skills and achievements of individual employees, has seen people grow personal connections, demonstrate industry expertise and gain the attention of recruiters.
In recent years, however, LinkedIn has continued to evolve its own offering, becoming an effective resource for organisations of all sizes. The LinkedIn Company Page is now being used as a marketing and analytical tool to establish brand identity, purpose, services, personnel and culture.
Acting as an extension of a domain website, the Company Page is a legitimate channel to generate new leads – but only if it is being leveraged in the right way. This largely comes down to the type of content being shared. As no-one-size-fits-all when it comes to creating a LinkedIn marketing strategy, I have compiled some key considerations when it comes to sharing content.
CONTENT SHARING
To grow and engage with an online network effectively, it is important to understand that LinkedIn has its own SEO search algorithm. This means that the ranking of a Company Page will be extended if it is relevant, of a high quality and includes key, searchable words and terms. Aligning these factors will optimise a Company Page and make it more visible.
This approach also transitions to the type of content being shared on the feed of a Company Page. Posting meaningful content that is of value to the intended target audience, such as articles, blogs and comment pieces, will not only give the Company Page more prominence over competitors but encourage further users to follow.
To strengthen the connection between the Company Page and followers, including an insightful question or call to action can hold value. Make it about them, ask for their own views and strike up discussions.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
The wide-ranging benefits of sharing content will be fully realised if the frequency of your posts and their value to the reader is consistent.
There are numerous practices and strategies that can be deployed to support this, such as the tried and tested 3-2-1 model. This strategy requires that three pieces of industry-related content, two pieces of ‘proud’ content and one piece of self-promotion or service-related content is posted every week.
As the shared content continues to attract increased levels of engagement, the credibility of the Company Page will grow stronger, as will its effectiveness to be used as a marketing tool that could also encourage sales.
It is also worth remembering that the humble hashtag still plays a vital role as well. Using workplace appropriate keywords with the # prefix will help content be read by a wider audience that may be interested in the Company Page.
Three hashtags can also be added to the main Company Page to make it more searchable. Again, to attract and engage with the right target audience, use words that are relevant to a specific industry and relate directly to the business.
Finally, use employees as a resource. By ensuring employees are listed under the ‘People’ section of a Company Page, visitors will get to see the faces behind the business and have a better understanding of its size and culture. The more transparent a business can be, the more trusted it will become within the marketplace.
Once employees add the Company Page as a place of work, they can help boost the reach and visibility of posts through their own interactions. By actively engaging with Company Page posts, via likes, comments and shares, an employees’ own connections will become part of the audience as well.
FORMING A POSITIVE PUBLIC PERCEPTION
The long-term ambition for any Company Page is to attract a diverse following of influential businesspeople and organisations, and act as a vehicle to help drive forward wider commercial ambitions.
As followers continue to increase, so will the levels of engagement with different posts. But the success of this platform is reliant on a business’ willingness to invest the necessary time and resources that is needed to keep it up to date and relevant.
Remember, social media is accessible anywhere, at any time! The public’s perception of any business is likely to be formed through these channels, so it is vital that the Company Page reflects exactly what and who a business is.
If you would like further support in developing a company page on LinkedIn that will add value and deliver results please contact Open Comms on 01924 862477 or please visit www.opencomms.co.uk.
