Social Media for Business- LinkedIn
It’s no secret that social media, while always evolving, is here to stay. Not only do platforms like Facebook and Instagram change their layouts and algorithms, new social media channels are coming into fruition and it’s important to understand and adhere to each platform’s intended purpose. While it’s not always practical or even necessary for every business to be on every social media platform, be sure to read the entire Social Media Platforms For Business series to understand the differences between social media platforms and how to implement best practices.
If you’re interested in improving your online presence, read on to learn about:
LinkedIn is the social media platform for connecting with old college mates, past and current coworkers, and famous entrepreneurs. It’s where we go at 5:01 after a harrowing day in the office, hoping a 1st connection knows of an opening at the culture centric, “Google-like” unicorn they’re always bragging about working for.
LinkedIn is also the platform for businesses to establish credibility, share staffing opportunities, and give their articles a second life. If you’re a B to B company, your business should definitely prioritize your LinkedIn presence.
LinkedIn Business Page Functionalities
Content
LinkedIn is similar to Facebook in layout and functionality. Like Facebook, users are able to publish several types of content, including photos, videos, and links. LinkedIn users and business pages are also able to publish articles.
LinkedIn articles are a great way to give your website blog posts a second life. LinkedIn even shares tips for repurposing your blog content to help it perform across your social media channels as well as rank on Google. Published LinkedIn posts can be sorted by images, videos, and articles, making it easier for visitors to go back and read through all of your article content.
Engagement
Just as it’s important to post valuable content consistently, it’s important to engage with your followers and other relevant accounts. Unlike Facebook, however, LinkedIn does not allow business pages to follow other business pages. Though the process is a bit convoluted, you can engage with individual posts. Here’s how:
Navigate to your LinkedIn business page and find the “#Hashtags” section.
Click on one of your preselected hashtags to see a feed of related posts. When you engage with posts in this feed (liking, commenting, sharing, etc.), you will be doing so as your business.
In addition to engaging with posts published by other people and businesses, be sure to respond to all comments on your own posts. Not only do you want commenters to feel seen, the more comments a post receives, the more LinkedIn will distribute it to other users.
Promote Posts and Run Ads
While I recommend first building up your LinkedIn business page with organic content, LinkedIn also allows business pages to run ads and promotions. You may decide to run ads to increase post exposure, promote a job opening, or invite users to Follow your page. Personal LinkedIn accounts cannot run ads.
View Analytics
Whether you’re running ads or focusing on organic reach, you can only view analytics, such as post performance and page views, for LinkedIn business pages. Analytics help users determine which posts are performing best. Knowing this allows you to reproduce your best performing content types and more efficiently reach your goals.
Have Multiple Page Administrators
Are there multiple people that you would like to maintain your LinkedIn content? Unless you want those people to have your personal LinkedIn credentials and post to your personal account, having a business page is the best way to invite collaborators. Invite other personal LinkedIn users to be analysts or admins of your business page and you’ll even know who posted what content.
Best Practices
What to Post
We already discussed what content mediums LinkedIn allows but what content should you publish? LinkedIn posts should adhere to your existing content pillars and should be crafted to attract those who may want to work with you or for you. In addition to sharing your core content, promote career opportunities and convey your company culture. Express how you’re different from other companies in your industry and get staff and partners to help.
Not only can your team and other thought leaders create content for you, they should be encouraged to share the content published to your LinkedIn business page. Once you publish a LinkedIn post, click the “Notify employees” button at the top of your post. Your employees will then receive a notification and be prompted to engage with the post.
When to Post
As of the publishing date of this post, it is best practice to publish LinkedIn content Monday through Friday. Though, if you can only consistently post three times a week, the best days are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The best times to post are just outside of business hours and at popular break times.
What Not to Do
Don’t sync your social media accounts. Even if you’re going to post the same content, update your posts to appeal to the specific audiences of each platform.
What Now?
If you don’t already, start posting consistently to your personal LinkedIn account and connect with other users. Integrate LinkedIn into your content plan and shoot to publish content at least three times a week (Tuesday through Thursday). Repurpose your blog content into LinkedIn articles and share those posts to your personal account.
If you’re ready to ramp up your LinkedIn presence and would like a custom content plan or would like someone else to manage your account for you, Ink & Olive can help. Contact Ink & Olive to learn more about how we can work together to improve your social media presence.