When we think of promoting our business on social media, it’s only natural for our minds to jump to setting up Facebook advertising campaigns or getting creative with organic posting on Instagram or TikTok. It’s what most of the industry hubbub revolves around these days, but it can prove to be a costly mistake – especially when you neglect to set up and create a LinkedIn business page.
Just as TikTok has proven to be more effective with younger audiences, LinkedIn certainly has its own demographic – a more professional, refined angle to offering products and services, perhaps more to B2B relationships than B2C (although there is always the potential for both). In fact, LinkedIn has grown to become the world’s leading business network, with over 720 million users at the start of 2022, after nearly two decades in operation.
LinkedIn is clearly a prominent social media channel, but with a different set of standards and practices expected on the platform, you cannot simply transition your digital marketing strategies on Facebook and Instagram and expect them to hold the same success.
To help develop a customised strategy, our team at Clearwater have put together some key points on how to use LinkedIn for your business.
Step 1: Create a LinkedIn Business Page
Before you can even think about LinkedIn marketing or outreach strategies, you need to create a LinkedIn business account and page for your potential networks, partners, clients and customers to view. And, fortunately, the platform has made it incredibly simple to do so.
Create a Personal Account
Much like other social media channels, to set up a LinkedIn business page, you will need to first create a personal account to act as the administrator. You may already have an account that you used as an employee, but if not, and you plan to use the platform for your business, then it might be prudent to sign up with your work email address to keep all notifications centralised.
Create & Attach a Business Page
Now, on to how to create a LinkedIn business page. Simply log in and click on the ‘Work’ icon found up near the top right of your browser, where you will find a section saying, ‘Create a Company Page’. Here, you will be able to select the type of page you would like to set up, being:
- A small business
- A medium to large business
- A showcase page (separated sub-pages for departments of your business, linking back to the main page)
- An educational institution
Once chosen, you can progress to filling out all relevant details to your business, such as logos and taglines. With everything entered, select ‘Create Page’, and you will be ready to go.
Step 2. Optimise Your LinkedIn Business Page
Now you know how to create a LinkedIn business page, it is important you spend the appropriate amount of time optimising it for your network and audiences. This will help your business not only get noticed, but also build more engagement with your audience and develop a stronger following.
Here are a few foundational methods to optimise your LinkedIn business page:
Fill Out Additional Information Fields
LinkedIn allows you to define more information about your business, including a business description, website URL, and industry. While this information might seem extraneous, it is important that you complete it as best as possible, as it will help your company appear in search results. What’s more, LinkedIn has found that those who complete their profiles receive 30% more views.
Utilise Translations
Should your business be trying to target a global audience, you can utilise translations to avoid the necessity of creating (and managing) multiple pages dedicated to each region. The platform allows you to include up to 20 languages, covering your name, tagline and even the various description fields.
Include Keywords & Hashtags
If you have active organic search campaigns & social media marketing campaigns, you will already be familiar with the power of keywords and hashtags.
Your LinkedIn business page will be indexed by Google, meaning introducing organic keywords related to your industry and services in your description can help you be found on the most popular search engine in the world.
What’s more, your business page can ‘follow up’ on 3 hashtag topics that are directly related to your page. It will aid you in finding content circulating particular topics, making it far easier to comment, like and share to build your authority and brand in the industry.
Add Branded Cover Images
There is a space just begging for attention on your page in the form of a cover image, so don’t waste it with generic business templates. Instead, utilise the space to broadcast promotions, services, insights – anything that offers real value to your audience in a fast manner, holding their interest for longer, and perhaps even prompting them to convert.
Include Custom Buttons
You will quickly become familiar with the ‘Follow’ button on LinkedIn, allowing users and visitors the opportunity to stay connected with your page. There is, however, the ability to customise this button.
The ‘visit website’ option will be the default, but you can also change it to ‘Contact Us’, ‘Learn More’, ‘Register’ and ‘Sign Up’. Get creative and direct traffic to any events, webinars or promotions you may have on your calendar. You can even include a UTM to gain more clarity about where your traffic is originating.
Step 3. Build Your Page’s Following
With the set-up of your LinkedIn business page now complete, you can move on to getting the word out and building your following. Before you start marketing, there are some simple and efficient ways you can instantly get the word out.
Share Your LinkedIn Business Page Across Personal Social Media Accounts
Utilise your personal account on LinkedIn by going to the main page of your business and selecting the ‘Share Page’ option. This will allow you to introduce your entire network to your brand with any news, industry updates, and even enticements to follow. Go one step further and share the link on your Facebook, Instagram, and any other social media profiles you have an active network on.
Share a Link from Your Business Website
Those visiting your website may undoubtedly need some social proof as to your authority within the industry. Your LinkedIn business page can show that professional approach to your community engagement, so be sure to include the LinkedIn icon in the footer of your website – or any other location you will share the profiles to your social accounts.
Request Employees to Update Their Profiles
A company with a list of employees proudly linking their own personal LinkedIn accounts to a business page is far more reputable than those who do not. With an active page for your company, your employees can edit their job descriptions and positions, link their profiles, and start communicating and sharing company content with their own networks.
Send Invitations to Others to Follow Your LinkedIn Business Page
LinkedIn also allows you to send out invitations for your business page to your list of connections. It will limit how many invites you are able to send, however, to prevent characters who would wish to use this feature as a spamming tactic. Granted, many people (likely strangers in your network) will ignore this notification, but every effort helps, so be sure to make them count.
Step 4: Develop & Implement Your LinkedIn Marketing Strategy
Social media isn’t simply a medium for making the ‘hard sell’; you need to offer a consistent stream of value with authenticity and thought leadership, giving your audience proof over time that you are a viable, desirable option for your industry.
Unfortunately, this is easier said than done, making the initial set-up of your LinkedIn business page only the beginning. Now, you must develop a LinkedIn marketing strategy.
If you’re unsure where to start, begin by thinking about:
- What you are trying to achieve with your LinkedIn Page, perhaps differently from your other social media accounts.
- How you will use your LinkedIn business page for your business, such as recruitment, generation of leads, or building your authority with a variety of content.
- Will you utilise LinkedIn Ads, and if so, what budget are you willing to apply?
- The content your competitors are creating on LinkedIn.
From here, you can start to develop your content marketing strategy, including the type of materials you are looking to post, how often you will post, and how you will differentiate from your competitors.
How to Boost Your LinkedIn Business Page Marketing
- Leverage visuals in your posts, such as images, videos, and infographics. Statistics show that posts holding visuals receive 98% more comments than those with just text.
- Ensure you keep the copy within your post as short as possible. When sharing longer-form content, entice your audience with a brief snippet, and then send them elsewhere with a link. It helps to lead with a provocative question.
- Every post needs a direct call to action for engaged users.
- Tailor your content to your audience
- Experiment with LinkedIn polls to gain a greater understanding of your audience and their experience
- Always promptly respond to comments made on your activity
Step 5: Explore the Multiple Ways How to Use LinkedIn for Your Business
LinkedIn Advertising
There are many different types of LinkedIn ads that businesses can use to reach their target audience. Here is a brief overview of some of the most popular types of LinkedIn ads:
- Sponsored text ads: These are short, text-based ads that appear in the sidebar on LinkedIn. They are typically used to promote a company’s products or services.
- Sponsored posts: These are similar to Facebook ads and appear in the newsfeed on LinkedIn. They can be used to promote content, events, or special offers.
- Sponsored messaging: This type of ad allows businesses to send direct messages to LinkedIn members who have opted-in to receive messages from advertisers.
- Dynamic ads: These are personalised ads that are shown to LinkedIn members based on their interests and activities.
- Sponsored job ad listings: Businesses can use this type of ad to promote job openings on LinkedIn to a greater audience of targeted individuals.
- Photo carousel ads: These are ads that consist of a series of photos that can be scrolled through. They can be used to showcase products, services, or company culture.
Networking
LinkedIn was built to be a networking platform – so get networking! Building a professional network of partners in industry, leaders in others, potential clients or even just others who are interested in what you have to say (or vice versa) is vital to modern success. Conversations between users are on the rise, especially within LinkedIn groups, creating a variety of opportunities and value you may never have imagined for your operations.
Utilise Job Listings & Recruitment
Tens of millions of people every week are looking for new jobs on LinkedIn, meaning it is an effective recruitment platform. In addition to paid advertising, there are also free listings available, giving you access to a wide pool of potential employees.
Develop Thought Leadership
As mentioned above, LinkedIn is a platform built around brands sharing their thought leadership, and in doing so, building their reputation within their industry. When you post articles, videos, infographics, or any other piece of material, it needs to be tailored toward your target audience, and it needs to be done over a consistent period to build momentum.
Lock in a firm understanding of whom you are speaking to (their values, needs, wants and so on), and then decide upon a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly posting schedule.
In doing so, be sure not to simply repeat or reuse content heard elsewhere. Find something original to offer and share it in a light that is unique to your brand. Once it has been published and sent live, you can promote it ongoing.
Be Ready for the Long-Haul When You Use LinkedIn to Build Your Business
Real rewards in LinkedIn come from longevity. The more time and effort you spend developing your content strategy, building engagement with your audience, and the degree of thought leadership you are able to cultivate, the more success you will see from your LinkedIn business page. This isn’t a short-term campaign – it is an ongoing and critical element of your wider digital strategy.
