In today’s technology driven world, it is inevitable that the face of your company is becoming more and more accessible to the public due to social media. Your online presence on social media platforms is becoming just as important as your company’s website. Social media is a great way to show off your company in unique ways and to keep it fresh in people’s minds, especially when using the professional platform, LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a business development tool to reach out to people in order to increase your connections. Utilizing LinkedIn to brand your company and draw in a specific professional audience has ultimately become a great media practice.
Here are 5 helpful tips to develop a LinkedIn strategy that works best for you and your company:
SEO Benefits
LinkedIn, as part of your overall social media strategy, can help tremendously when trying to increase your search engine optimization (SEO). LinkedIn gives many options to personalize your page, including the option to provide a clear summary describing your company’s background and services. When putting a summary of your company in the “About” section located at the top of the page, be sure to use proper key words. It also helps if you have links on your website to drive traffic to your LinkedIn page, which brings me to the next key tip.
Drive Traffic to Your LinkedIn Page
Give people easy access to your page by creating plugins on your website. These direct links will drive potential leads to your LinkedIn page to connect. Don’t be afraid to add more than one plugin in multiple places, add them to your blog and other social media profiles as well.
People Care Who You’re Connected To
It is important to have an informative LinkedIn page that gives insights into your company and your skills. Every aspect of your LinkedIn profile needs to be in sync with your overall message. It’s the little details that will help you connect with others. When making those connections, remember that your contacts are just as important as the content on your page. Granted, we all have connections with friends who may not be in the same industry, but be aware of who those people are and their professional reputations. Connecting with friends isn’t a bad thing, but remember LinkedIn is about networking and you need to utilize it professionally. It’s easy to just click the “connect” button with someone in your industry and then not do anything about it. It is important to establish an actual connection, networking isn’t just clicking a button but creating a relationship.
Banner Image Matters
The banner image at the top of your page is another way to express your company’s brand and mission. Your banner image should stand out and fully project who your company is. The “About” section is located right under your profile picture and banner image. Be sure to keep that information up-to-date and to keep your SEO high by using relevant keywords.
Product or Services Recommendations
At the bottom of your LinkedIn page is recommendations that can be posted by previous or current clients. This is a great way to add credibility to your company. LinkedIn has made it very easy to make and receive recommendations and this section is visible to anyone who looks at your profile. People are constantly looking for the opinions of others so seeing recommendations serves as a helpful tool when gaining new clients. Along with this section is the skills and endorsements section, which allows you to list you and your company’s skills. Once the skills are listed, people can endorse them. This is another way to create more connections and gain clients.
Five Key Takeaways:
- Keep in mind SEO benefits that having a LinkedIn page could offer
- Drive traffic to your LinkedIn page by creating links on your website, blog and other online platforms
- Keep your connections clean and consistent with your company’s overall purpose. Establish true relationships among those connections
- Images will always grab people’s attention – create a banner image that stands out while keeping your brand image in mind
- Accumulate recommendations, skills, and endorsements to enhance your credibility
About S.J.Hemley Marketing
S.J.Hemley Marketing is a marketing and sales consulting firm focused on driving tangible results for professional services firms. Brand matters, but not without ROI. With over 20 years of sales and marketing experience within staffing and recruiting, we have helped to drive successful branding, sales training, lead generation activities as well as defining marketing strategy for top organizations.