Social Media 101: A Quick Guide to LinkedIn

When it comes to building professional relationships, you might be able to attract some eyes on platforms like Facebook or Twitter. However, the real industry networking is done on LinkedIn, a “professional social network” with over 600 million global users. Marketing on LinkedIn might look a little different for your business than it does on other social media platforms, but, when done correctly, it has the power to increase brand recognition and forge partnerships that can take your business to new heights.

What is it?

LinkedIn is a powerful social media tool that allows businesses and thought leaders to connect and share ideas, brainstorm on ways to improve their industries and discuss industry trends and information. By engaging on LinkedIn, you can help your business build brand awareness, increase leads, expand your professional network and establish yourself as a leader in the industry. You may find customers on the platform, but the majority of the marketing that businesses do on LinkedIn has to do with building beneficial industry relationships.

Businesses and individuals can share a mix of original and external content on their profiles, which gets put into a user’s news feed based on their interests, their connections and the pages they follow. Status updates, or posts, on LinkedIn can use text, photos, videos and external links to share professional information and ideas.

Potential employees and talent scouts are also able to connect on LinkedIn, helping to place the right people in the right positions. The platform originally started as a place for prospective employees to network with people at companies they were pursuing. Although the platform has expanded in its scope, it is still useful in attracting top talent that can help your business grow.

Features

The features on LinkedIn are similar to features of other social media platforms. However, they are designed to be more informative and to spark more meaningful conversations about industry-specific topics. Businesses using LinkedIn to market their brand should use these important features:

• Company Page: In addition to personal pages, where users can showcase their professional experience and skills, LinkedIn also allows businesses to create company pages, which detail information about the company, its products and services and its business specialties. This page acts as a hub for company-related news and updates and is where you can post articles and information to help establish your brand as an industry leader. Users can choose to follow your company page to receive these updates in their feeds.
• News Feed: The news feed is where users find articles and posts shared by the companies and individuals they follow. Users and businesses can browse through this information and like and comment on posts to start conversations.
• Groups: Groups are another useful way to build connections on LinkedIn. Search for or create a group that is focused on a specific interest or aspect of your industry and encourage other professionals in your network to join. Some associations or other professional organizations already have groups that include their members. In groups, you can have more in-depth discussions about things pertaining to your industry. Participating in established groups is a great way to spread the word about your business organically.
• Ads: Because of the wealth of professional information available on LinkedIn user profiles, LinkedIn’s advertising platform allows businesses to target very specific users based on their industries, interests and skills. You can create new ads that have a specific goal, or you can pay to promote your company’s existing content so it’s seen by more people. Creating LinkedIn ads is a great way to get your business’s name in front of some valuable partners who may not have heard of you before or to spread the word about an upcoming event or conference your business is partaking in.

Sending the right message

LinkedIn is much more professional than other social media channels. The tone of your posts and conversations should be friendly—you don’t want your business to sound like it’s run by robots—but you should maintain a more serious air related to business.

Companies should leverage the professional nature of LinkedIn to share news and updates regarding your services and products, innovations, industry statistics and other informative content. In your posts, use a variety of long- and short-form text, photos, videos and links. Rich media performs well on LinkedIn, but be smart about what you share. An eye-catching infographic is probably more appropriate than a funny video.

Offer thoughts and ask questions when sharing your content. This helps you learn what your industry partners are thinking and drive meaningful conversations. LinkedIn is also a great place to promote and discover industry events like seminars, workshops and conferences.

The LinkedIn algorithm pushes the highest-quality posts that get good engagement to the top of the feed, so you’ll want to ensure you’re publishing posts that are well thought out and that encourage interaction. Ask your employees to list and connect with your company’s page, which will further expand your reach to their connections.

Although LinkedIn isn’t the primary place to find and sell to customers, it is a crucial social platform that will allow your business to forge important partnerships, stay up to date on trends and innovations and spread the word about what your brand has to offer.