Wait, is LinkedIn like Cool or Something?

  

    It’s interesting to think about LinkedIn as a social platform used for advertising or even a social platform. For people in my generation, LinkedIn is for professional use only, to shout out friends who got jobs or to post about professional conferences we attended. To us, LinkedIn is far from the fun, creative likes of Instagram or Snapchat and more of an online resume used for our future. It’s the ultimate personal branding tool. But if you take a step back and look at it from a business point of view, it’s not that much different from other social networking platforms. 

    Like other platforms such as Instagram, X (formally known as Twitter) and Facebook, LinkedIn has content strategies that businesses should be aware of when they’re creating and publishing content. A survey showed that the top two reasons people follow a business on LinkedIn were to stay up-to-date on the latest news with the company and to stay informed about the industry. As a business owner, knowing that potential employees and customers are looking at those details specifically, you want to make sure your page posts meaningful content that highlights your work within those aspects. 

    There are obvious tips for businesses such as posting regularly and at optimal times, keeping posts short and posting on a variety of topics, but there are a few tips that will specifically help your LinkedIn page thrive with popularity. First of all, be creative with your posts. It’s easy to just type a few words and slap a graphic to go along with it. Among the thousands of other companies, this won’t stand out, it won’t grab people's attention. While a graphic with some text occasionally is good content, don’t be afraid to switch it up. Post thought-provoking questions, start a conversation, and show off what makes your business different. That’s how you’ll attract the right people for your business. Second, use the 4-1 rule. There should be a healthy balance between promotional and non-promotional content in your feed. The 4-1 rule states that for every piece of self-promotional content shared by a business, the brand should share four pieces of content from another business. This not only helps to break up people's feeds but also shows potential customers and employees that you support other businesses. This highlights a positive part of your brand and will help attract people. Finally, leverage LinkedIn articles and newsletters. While a longer post full of text isn’t normally seen on social media, by using LinkedIn articles and newsletters you as a business owner can keep people updated on things going on at the company like they’re already a part of it. You can keep audiences informed on not only company news but also staff highlights, diversity and inclusion within the company and interesting opportunities that are available. By leveraging LinkedIn articles and newsletters you allow audiences a sneak peek into what goes on in the company. 

    Hopefully, by using these tips you can use LinkedIn more effectively and begin to show off what makes your company stand out. Don’t forget: LinkedIn is the ultimate professional personal branding tool, even for businesses.