Are you still relying on old-fashioned selling skills and Web 1.0 technology to raise your company’s visibility and generate sales leads?
You could be leaving money on the table. The benefits of a LinkedIn company page (done right, of course) are well-documented. So too are the perks of tip-top employee pages. In an ever more social world, your business—and your professional reputation—can’t afford to sit out the LinkedIn game.
It’s OK if you’re not sure what to do first. Start with these five tips for crafting a better, more engaging LinkedIn page.
- Thoroughly Integrate Your Value Proposition
Your LinkedIn company profile page should be an extension of your corporate value proposition—the “elevator argument” for your services. You don’t have to tack your proposition to the end of every post or make it the entirety of your “About” page, but you should suffuse original posted content with subtle references to your key differentiators. No matter how you’re framing the argument for your business, it needs to have a foil—a marked contrast with the competition, named or not.
- Make Posted Content Helpful, Relevant and Inspiring
You don’t want your LinkedIn company page to be a one-note propaganda mouthpiece for your company. Your customers and prospects are smarter than that—they’ll see through it right quick.
What you do want is a LinkedIn page whose posted content, whether original or shared, informs and inspires visitors. Set your corniness detector to standby and post motivational memes, as this mortgage company does on its LinkedIn profile page. Repost well-researched content from peers and competitors, even if it directs readers to your site. Invite thought leaders to post articles or share their thoughts in your comments section. In short: Make your LinkedIn company profile page worth lingering over.
- Retain Employees as Corporate Ambassadors
Your employees are your best ambassadors. It’s always dicey to compel your employees to post on your company page or engage with every piece of content you share, but the good news is that you don’t have to. Soft motivation works much better. Remind employees that your company page is likely a bigger platform than their own LinkedIn pages or personal blogs—and, if that’s not the case, encourage them to cross-post anyway.
- Don’t Hog the Spotlight
No one wants to hang around on a LinkedIn company page stuffed with dreary propaganda, no matter how well-produced. Your company page won’t stand out, and probably won’t do much good at all, without a variety of perspectives and types of content. If you’re not comfortable sharing lots of third-party content, make sure your original posts are balanced—that they talk about organizations other than your own, hitting on complementary themes in unforced fashion. Always invite user engagement, whether by ending posts with an open-ended question or actively reaching out to influencers in your industry.
- Magnify News and Service Offerings
The internet is a big, loud place. Use your LinkedIn company page to carve out some shelter amid all the noise. Then, turn your quiet little internet enclave into a thriving corporate newsroom. Post news and announcements that resonate with current and prospective clients, from key hires and office openings to new services and awards or honors. In the right measure and setting, a little self-promotion never hurts (point No. 4 notwithstanding).
What are you doing to improve your company’s LinkedIn profile page?
