Understanding Social Media: LinkedIn

Posted by Gina
on 09/12/17

We’re back again with our social media analysis series (where we’ve talked about Facebook and Twitter so far). This time around, we’re looking at an under-appreciated social media site: LinkedIn. Perhaps what makes LinkedIn such a force to be reckoned with is its sheer reaching power. Members have the potential to connect with close to 43 million professionals in over 200 countries across the globe – that’s a lot of people.

How to Build a Brand Presence on LinkedIn

Much like the how-to on building a solid Facebook page for your business, LinkedIn requires the same attention to the fine details. Those will really help your account (whether it’s a personal page or a business page) stand out.

1. Finish All the Details

Once you’ve added the proper images to your profile and banner (think logos and professional employee photos—not selfies). It’s time to start looking at all the other little sections that LinkedIn asks you to fill in. As Kissmetrics states, “Because the personal brand is so central to the LinkedIn environment, you’re given a big and flexible canvas on which to paint a picture of yourself. Put some effort, thought and creativity into rocking your public profile top to bottom.”
Here are the sections that you can’t skip past:

• Professional Headline: Consider this your first impression for anyone who visits your page; this answer should be concise (as you’re only given 120 characters) and briefly describe yourself and your area of expertise.
• Contact Information: Try placing your blog or brand’s website instead of the standard links.
• URL: Surprisingly enough, you’re able to customize the behemoth of confusion that LinkedIn automatically assigns to each account; make it something relevant to your business/brand.
• Summary: Use this as an “about” section, but “compose your summary in a warm way, aiming to answer basic questions about your skills and inspire visitors to keep reading.”
• Experience: Think of this section as your digital resume.
• Skills: Did you know that “listing your skills gives members a 13xboost in profile views?” This also allows other members to endorse these skills, which helps build the credibility of your page and your business.

2. Showcase Yourself

LinkedIn gives accounts the option to upload media (such as documents, photos, links, presentations, and videos) to their profiles. For example, if you’re a writer, then you could attach published pieces to your profile or attach them to specific jobs you’ve held.

3. Utilize Business Aspects

According to LinkedIn, their company pages are SEO-friendly, so Google will preview close to 160 characters of your page’s text. Members can also search for companies by keywords; even if you don’t have a business page, make sure you add rich, descriptive keywords throughout your page to reach a wider audience. Business pages also have the option of creating a “Showcase Page,” where they can “spotlight a brand, business unit, or initiative,” explains LinkedIn. For larger companies, consider using targeting filters to define what audience you want to receive the updates you post.

4. Creating a Network

The easiest way to start building a network is buy adding “People You May Know,” a simple button click sends a request. You could also join groups and discussions related to your business.

5. Important Part of Your Marketing Strategy

Directly related to your network and ultimate reach is the content and engagement level you have for your page. Most companies gloss over LinkedIn as a marketing source, but 40% of members sign on daily. Delivering valuable content can come in the form of an update, link to an article, uploading a photo, or simply sharing your thoughts on a relevant topic. LinkedIn is like the professional, grown-up version of Facebook. Use it as a vital resource for growing your business.