Why Employees Should Have a Strong LinkedIn Presence? Simple—Because LinkedIn Is a Business' Digital Face in the #Workingfromhome Era.

With increasing numbers of potential clients and new hires turning to mobile devices to interact with businesses and examine their footprints, having a spiffed-up website is no longer enough—social media pages, in particular employees’ pages from the C-suite to interns alike, are becoming the center of attention.

The connections create relationships. The sharing of stories and developments keeps your firm top of mind with prospective clients, partners, and hires. That’s the straightforward value proposition of social media—and, more importantly, your business’ path toward more authentic and personable interactions with all levels of stakeholders in the new era of #workingfromhome. 

Today, the brand gatekeepers for organizations of all stripes, from consumer-centric, mainstreet businesses to B-2-B consulting behemoths, are on the lookout for new ways to button up their reputation online and genuinely engage with clienteles through carefully crafted social media personas.

“Bringing a human element to a company’s brand has historically been centered around developing a formidable website presence, touting its chief executive and leadership’s doings via media rooms, while leaving the care of the human aspects of business to globetrotting employees who have cultivated face-to-face relationships,” explains Zeevo Group Chief Executive Office Joey Johnsen.

“However, nowadays, with employees stuck at home and oftentimes advised against travel and in-person meetings, the humanization of business is reaching well beyond these antics, spilling into the robust social media sphere, where employees of all levels don the hats of brand ambassadors and actively engage with clients, followers, champions, and prospects.”

Johnsen believes that one of the most effective ways to establish a company’s quality social media presence and boost brand visibility opportunities is through LinkedIn.

“LinkedIn is key to establishing a venerable social media voice for your business—your employees, leadership, and board members represent the most authentic face of your company,” challenges Johnsen.

“Not only is it necessary to build a consistent and well-thought-of voice for your business, it is also important to encourage employees to have strong LinkedIn profiles, which together best represent your company’s brand,” stresses Johnsen.   

There are several reasons and benefits for your employees to have strong LinkedIn profiles from Zeevo's perspective:

Positive Company Image and Reputation

Use the LinkedIn company page to demonstrate your team's collective expertise. Clients, prospective clients, and others can see the expertise of each employee. Feature content that promotes your employees' skills, experience, endorsements, and accomplishments.

Example:

Encourage employees to engage with posts. Engagement will put your company in front of your employees' networks and connections and people searching for businesses with your specialties.

Example:

Encourage your employees to post news updates on their profiles, share thoughts on industry developments, and demonstrate your company's growth.

Example:

It's essential that your chief executive and leadership team maintain strong LinkedIn profiles. They are frequently the most visible individuals associated with your business. Their combined presence with employees on LinkedIn is essential to making your brand more human and authentic.

Example:

High-Impact LinkedIn Profile

Most likely, your executives and employees already have good profiles, but there is always room for improvement. We’ve gathered several tips to help your team members make the necessary alterations to their profiles' content to be increasingly visible and keep your firm on top.

List Your Company as an Employer

One of the most overlooked things employees do on LinkedIn is to forget to list their firm as an employer, which links to your business' LinkedIn company page.

This is important because a person's job title and place of employment are the only aspects of profile pages network members can see before they click through for a more detailed view.

There are several ways to edit profiles to increase the visibility and reach of the employer, for example:

• Follow your employer’s Company Page so that it shows up in the Interests section
• Include a brief description of your employer under Experience or the Summary sections of your profile, use company-relevant keywords in the job description, and even add a link to your employer’s website
• Share and engage with thought leadership posted by colleagues, connect with your coworkers, and give each other endorsements for relevant skills

Each of the above ideas will make your company more visible, and the keywords and related information will help profiles appear in search engine and LinkedIn search results.

Choose the Right Photo

First and foremost, include a photo. Avoid leaving the photo area blank or unpopulated. Including a photo in your profile makes your profile more than 20 times more viewable. LinkedIn users with profile photos are more than 30 times more likely to receive a message via the LinkedIn platform. Your photo should create a positive image of yourself and your employer.

Choose the right expression and smile. Don't make it too casual. Avoid distractive backgrounds. Invest in a professional photo. LinkedIn is a professional network, after all. Tools like photofeeler.com are available to help you select your best pictures. Photofeeler assists in obtaining objective feedback in a respectful, moderated environment.

The area for a background banner image is important real estate. Add a background image to your profile. The image should align with your primary occupation and complement your photo, from graphic elements to color scheme and design.

Examples:

Make Headline Stand Out

Don't merely list your current title and position. Consider adding some flavor to your LinkedIn “headline.” Combine commonly used job titles with your passions, interests, and goals - you have as many as 120 characters for doing just that.

Example:

Effecting Finance & Operations Transformation with Urgency & Foresight | Board Member | Mentor & Thought Leader

Write a Great Summary

A well-written summary reflects who you are, what you do, and why others should care. As Stephen Covey recommended in the second habit of his legendary book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, "begin with the end in mind."

Start by introducing yourself as a professional. Include your primary experience and key qualifications. Important questions to address in your summary might include how long you’ve been in the industry, how you got to where you are now, and where you are headed. Ultimately your Summary should demonstrate your expertise and be engaging.

Tell readers of your profile what motivates you, why you are passionate about your position, and why others should care about you and your company's products and services.

Example:

A summary for a CEO

I have dedicated my career to enhancing enterprise and shareholder value through finance leadership, transformation, and compliance. Through exposure to global and large public companies, I have mastered the ability to consistently attract, retain, grow, and lead strong, cohesive, and multicultural teams that are vital to a company's success. As a mentor, I have helped others extend their thinking and drive superior performance to achieve organizational objectives.

I am committed to fostering trust, collaborating, and always paving the way to gain consensus. Leading from the front and by example is more than a principle that has guided my career; it's the spirit with which I have lived her entire life. Growing up in western Montana, I was raised with a taste for adventure and challenge, always thriving on what's next.

At present, I am Founding Principal of a world-class professional services firm, Zeevo Group ("Zeevo"), based in Seattle. Zeevo delivers comprehensive solutions designed to improve the effectiveness and success of our clients' processes, policies, tools, and technology. With expertise in operations, information technology, and strategy consulting, we address the vast and complex array of challenges facing our client businesses in aircraft and engine leasing, consumer products, and technology.

Key Attributes: Courageously independent; Professionally skeptical & intellectually curious; Deeply experienced; Approachable relationship builder; and Risk-centric strategist

Specialties: Financial Close Acceleration, Last Mile of Finance, Disclosure Management, Account Reconciliation Management, Intercompany, Management Judgments and Estimates, Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance, Royalty and Contract Compliance. Certifications: CPA, CISA, CGEIT, PMP. 

Vanity URL

Create a customized "vanity URL," avoid using the generic URL that LinkedIn assigns when you create an account on their platform.

Example:

List Your Accomplishments

Be specific and use strong action verbs to describe your achievements. Additionally, include awards and other forms of recognition, particularly those connected to your employer.

Highlight Your Work Experience, Not Laundry List of Tasks

Don't include long job descriptions and responsibility lists. Instead, focus on your unique duties and tell the visitors what makes you a great employee and your company's team member today.

Enhance Your Profile with Media

Add videos, publications, and images that illustrate your professional activities and your company's developments. However, add only relevant media and consider web links to your company's website, press releases issued on the wire, and channels.

Example:

Search Engine Visibility

LinkedIn is a terrific means of boosting your presence in search engines. When your employer’s name is searched, its LinkedIn page will come up in the first several results.

Lead Generation and Nurturing

80% of B-2-B leads generated on social media come from LinkedIn. Encourage your employees to send connection requests to people with whom they engage in daily activities. Additionally, ask them to encourage their followers to follow your company page. This will provide insights into your brand, illustrate aspects of your team, and show what it is like to be working with your business.

Prospects utilize LinkedIn as the primary way to determine whether they deem your team competent to handle their business. To instill confidence in your company and your brand, each employee should post, comment, react on LinkedIn. This engagement generates a positive public image for your team, firm, and brand.

Further Brand Reach

Your company page should never go 'dark.' Combining strong employee LinkedIn profiles and robust company activity on the platform by sharing content, knowledge, tips, and engaging with others, your company will move up to the top of users' news feeds.

LinkedIn research indicates that, on average, employee networks have ten times as many connections as company page followers. Turning employees into brand advocates on LinkedIn is pivotal and will significantly increase the posts' and page's reach.

Example:

By commenting on a client or industry colleagues' company's activity, you can increase your firm's visibility throughout their networks. They will also be more likely to read and engage with the post because people are more likely to trust information shared by someone they know.

Example:

What About Your Website?

Don't forget that LinkedIn is almost always a top direct referral to B-2-B and professional services websites. A considerable amount of traffic to your company’s website likely comes from LinkedIn clicks.

Utilize the sharing of knowledge, tips, and articles relevant to your industry, embedding links to your website's various areas where you speak about related services and products.

Example:

Share Leadership Authored Articles

As your leadership team becomes more active on LinkedIn, engaging your audiences by sharing your executives' posts or sharing blog articles. It will effectively expand your reach and drive even more traffic to your website.

Examples:

Attract Talent

Job seekers actively use LinkedIn to search for jobs. Share opportunities for employment at your company and promote opportunities at client organizations and/or industry colleagues' businesses.

Job seekers use LinkedIn to vet your firm and your team members. Prospective employees use LinkedIn to get a sense of your company’s culture. The most effective employer branding demonstrates what it's like to work for your firm and helps readers get to know your team.

Example:

Your company page is also a great way to promote internships and use your platform to encourage young professionals' development.

Example:

A Team Effort

Last but certainly not least, a lack of a coherent LinkedIn presence promoted across your organization is an easily missed opportunity. With few exceptions, your employees will likely be happy to participate. Encourage engagement, suggest posts, and periodically send reminders. Even those who are not social butterflies will follow your lead and positively react to your encouragement with minimal overhead.

Your management should lead this effort by setting an excellent example by strengthening their LinkedIn profiles and engaging with company content. Others will naturally follow!

#brandmanagement #visibility #socialpresence #leadership #knowledgesharing