HOW TO SET UP YOUR LINKEDIN TO MEET YOUR BUSINESS GOALS
Plus 6 Expert Tips for Succeeding on LinkedIn
You’re probably thinking, does my business really need to exist on yet ANOTHER social channel? You already spend too much time posting to Instagram and Facebook, looking up how-to videos on Youtube to learn the newly-released features, and thinking of ideas for new content. How could you possibly fit in another platform to manage?
And one honest answer is no - you don’t have to be on LinkedIn. But the smart answer from 3 entrepreneurial women who have been in your shoes is, heck yes! Especially if you are in one of the top 10 industries on LinkedIn: Information Technology & Services, Hospital & Health Care, Construction, Retail, Education Management, Financial Services, Accounting, Computer Software, Higher Education and Automotive.
We’ve learned that if you incorporate LinkedIn into your other social media strategies equipped with clear intentions, forethought and a little bit of knowledge, the benefits far outweigh the time cost of setting it up.
Why is Linkedin Important Today?
In 2003, LinkedIn started as a professional networking platform that was mainly used for job searches. LinkedIn members could host their resumes online, browse job opportunities, connect with hiring managers, and grow their number of connections in their LinkedIn network. The purpose for many was to find a job and have their colleagues and mentors leave recommendations to bolster their credibility.
In 2021, LinkedIn has expanded from a simple networking platform for job postings to one of the top social channels, their new goal being to foster human connection and engagement. Some stats from LinkedIn in 2020 cited in Forbes:
LinkedIn is inching closer and closer to a billion users with more than 706M LinkedIn members currently.
There has been a 50% increase in content shared on LinkedIn year over year.
Over 6.3 million people attended virtual events on the platform, making it quite relevant to the new all-virtual world of work.
How does LinkedIn help my business Succeed?
LinkedIn is an integral part of many successful marketing strategies today because of how effective it is in expanding professional networks. It is rooted in career building so it has the professional tone that Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok lack.
It is the perfect platform for sharing long-form content, company updates, and connecting with other industry leaders. Engaging with the LinkedIn network in these ways will lead to new business relationships and partnerships, drive more traffic to your website and establish your trust, voice, relevance and credibility as a brand.
What do I need to know before setting up my LinkedIn?
We mentioned in the beginning that clear intentions, forethought, and a little bit of knowledge will make creating a LinkedIn worthwhile for your brand. So before setting up your LinkedIn, you want to:
Know how you want to position yourself to avoid confusion about what you are offering or want to offer.
Ensure you can utilize the LinkedIn tools properly.
Have a strategy for your LinkedIn content to have as much impact as possible.
One more important thing to know before starting LinkedIn is the difference between a LinkedIn Page and a LinkedIn Profile.
Pages are public and primarily used by businesses. Profiles are private and used by individuals. Each of them works with the LinkedIn algorithm, but you'll have different tools that you can leverage to grow your audience, so really, you want to have both if you own a business.
We suggest setting up your personal LinkedIn profile first, then setting up your company page, making sure to add yourself onto the page as an employee. This creates a flow of traffic between your Profile and your Page because when a visitor lands on your Profile, they'll see your Page, too, and vice versa.
Here are some more differences to keep in mind between profiles and pages:
LinkedIn Pages (for businesses) are able to be followed without sending a connection and waiting for approval. That means when a LinkedIn user shares your Page with their connections, those individuals will be able to follow your page and see your business' content right away which is great for brand awareness.
LinkedIn Profiles (for individuals) can be followed as well, but what makes them unique is the ability to have one-on-one, private conversations with connections who request to join your network. If you're a consultant, work in direct sales, or prefer to take an individualized approach to your business, you'll want to have a LinkedIn Profile to capitalize on this feature.
How do I set up LinkedIn for my business?
First: Research Keywords
By being intentional and specific with the words you use on your Profile and Page, you can attract the right connections and make a bigger impact on how your brand is received through search engine optimization (SEO).
Think of the key terms that you want your Page and Profile to be found for (consider your customer pain points and what solutions you are providing). Add these keywords to various sections of your Profile, such as your headline, your summary, or your work experience.
For example, if you sell plastic-free toothpaste, you might use keywords and phrases like “sustainable” or “living plastic-free” throughout your Profile and Page. This way, when a user searches one of those terms, you will be more likely to appear in the search results.
Second: Set Up Your Account
Creating a LinkedIn account, profile, and page is relatively simple. Instead of reiterating the how-to’s in this post, we suggest going straight to the source.
Step 1: Create a new account and profile. Check out this video series from LinkedIn Learning.
Step 2: Create your company page. Watch this 3-minute video.
Step 3: Read this article.
How JSQ Creative Agency Can Help
We are masters of brand style over here so if you are unsure of your brand identity (your logo, typography, color palette, imagery inspirations, tone, mission statement), let us know! We love creating style guides and messaging for passionate brand owners like yourself. Having a guide in hand before you start your LinkedIn page makes life way easier for you and ensures cohesion across your platforms, which builds your brand credibility.
What do I need to do to maintain my account?
Simply put, maintenance means you are consistently engaged on the LinkedIn platform. LinkedIn would say you need engagement every day, but realistically, if you can be consistent at least weekly with engagement, that will make an impact. Engagement includes posting updates or stories from your business, sharing articles or images, making new connections, sending messages to other members, or checking the recent views your profile has received.
Those are the basics, but we want to provide you with master tips from our own experience to make your engagement on the platform have more impact.
Top 6 Expert Tips for LinkedIn Content and Engagement
Tip #1 - Create posts of varying lengths. Long stories can hold your readers’ attention, provide valuable substance and start engaging conversations, however, you don’t want to be too heavy-handed with long form posts. People don’t always have time for that. It’s best to switch back and forth between long form and punchy, quick posts.
Tip #2 - Publishing posts consistently is more important than publishing posts frequently. We suggest posting weekly (at least) and sticking to a schedule that you can maintain. Your LinkedIn network will look forward to seeing your posts regularly and showing up for them will build trust. Commit to your schedule for 30 days and then assess what days and times are yielding the best engagement so you can optimize for the next 30 days.
If you are new to content planning and low on time, reach out to us! It is very time-consuming and sometimes frustrating to manage a content planner on top of all the other tasks an entrepreneur has to manage. We’d love to guide you through your first 30 days on LinkedIn so you can hit the ground running with your best foot forward and your boss suit on.
Tip #3 - Use hashtags in your posts. This is best utilized by doing a little research ahead of time and not overdoing it. Enter a broad hashtag into the search engine on LinkedIn first. From here, find three to five related hashtags that reach the audiences you want to speak to. These hashtags should vary in the number of people following them. You don’t always want the most popular hashtag - think small fish in a big pond. Include lesser-known hashtags that are hyper-targeted to your audience because that means you’ll reach the people most likely to engage.
Tip #4 - Share external articles on the platform. LinkedIn is unique in that its algorithm supports external links to blogs and websites (unlike Instagram). This is useful because it is an easy way to share engaging content with your audience. When possible, tag the author in your post or use their hashtag to shout them out. If they notice and reshare your posts, that’s even more traffic and opportunity to engage with a broader audience.
Tip #5 - Take advantage of the blog and website links on your LinkedIn Profile. This is a great place to plug all of your brand’s content. You can link blog posts, Youtube videos, podcasts, portfolio pieces, social profiles, and business information. Bulking this area up can lead to more clicks on your profile and allows you to draw traffic elsewhere, like your company website.
If you’ve read through this whole post and don’t have a blog started for your brand yet, we’re so glad you found us! Blogging is huge for SEO and is a great first touchpoint with a potential customer because blogs provide value. People appreciate that. Contact us about setting up your blog! We love finding what your audience wants to read about and creating an informative, engaging piece that they’ll enjoy.
Tip #6 - Create content that is multi-functional. If you are creating content for Instagram and Facebook already, repurpose that same idea for LinkedIn. Maybe you share a different image or quote from a blog post to change it up, but you’re using the same idea. That way you can squeeze the most out of your content.
Ok so you get it: LinkedIn is important. What’s Next?
If you want to pick our brain to prepare to start your blog yourself, or feel overwhelmed and want to have a conversation about what you just read, or ask further questions, book a marketing therapy session with us.
You have great ideas, you know what your skills are but maybe you need help organizing and narrowing your focus to take the best next steps. We can be your sounding board, your business partner for an hour, to really flush out ideas to reach clarity and confidence in your next steps. This is our invitation for you to dump your questions on us!
Whether you’re on the DIY route or want to hire us as part of the team - we want to support you in any capacity that we can because we love seeing small businesses succeed.
Congratulations on taking this next step in growing your brand to meet your business objectives. We are cheering you on from the blogosphere and here in person when you need us.
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