Zoe Summers
A few years ago, LinkedIn was a teeny tiny networking site for professionals. How times have changed! The professional network now has more than 380 million users from around the world. Professionals use it to look for job opportunities while businesses use it to market their products. But LinkedIn is not like other social media networks. You can’t create a profile and log in every few weeks expecting to find many connections. In order to grow your company or brand, you have to adhere to the dos and don’ts of LinkedIn marketing. This way, you can optimize the site to its full potential. Without further ado, here are the dos and don’ts.
The Dos
Do Keep Your Page Professional
A LinkedIn page is crucial as it makes your brand visible and builds a valuable community around your products and services. When people look for a brand on LinkedIn, the first thing they come across is the company page. Therefore, your page must be as professional as can be. It must contain useful information and show what you have to offer. Use a high-quality image of your brand in the banner space to show it off. Update the page regularly to keep it relevant and to give a good impression of your brand. Use images, logos, and videos to make a significant impact on every visitor. The Professional Portfolio feature allows you to visually improve your LinkedIn profile.
Do Optimize Your Page for Search Engines
Never forget that every social media account you have is a branch of your company. Therefore, your message must be consistent across all networks. Use your targeted keywords to optimize your company page. Integrate the keywords in the “About” section as it is indexed by Google and can help your page to rank well. When writing content, use short sentences, bold, italics, bullet points, lists, and visual elements. Search engines will find your page easily, and people will find you quickly on LinkedIn. As well, link your page to other platforms like your website and other social media accounts.
Do Pay Attention To What People Are Saying
If you forget everything else about LinkedIn marketing, never forget this tidbit. People talk, and LinkedIn can help you to know what they are saying. You can keep track of what’s being said about your brand, products, services, competition, or industry. Check trending topics regularly so you can make useful contributions and engage a lively audience. You can also share your thoughts on exciting topics or controversial news through articles or videos. Create content which answers the questions of your audience and also impacts them. They will start seeing you as an expert in your industry.
Do Vary Your Content Every Time
People are always searching for new content to absorb. While promoting your brand is good, it can bore people after a while. Mix your content and don’t share regular text posts all the time. Share news articles, add videos, and post links of pages with valuable information. Remember that people are bombarded with a lot of information from every corner and if your content is not interesting, they won’t bother reading it. The most engaging LinkedIn pages share timely and captivating stories in different formats, at the perfect times for maximum engagement. Offer your audience something different and become a source of relevant, interesting content. You will be seen as an industry leader and people will want to connect with you.
The Don’ts
Don’t Focus on Selling
Sure, you want people to buy your products and services, but if all you ever do is make sales pitches, no one will buy anything from you. When users land on your page, they want to connect with your brand, to get answers, to interact, or to contribute. Work on building a relationship with customers before you start selling. This doesn’t mean you refrain from showing off new products, recent projects, or stock deliveries. Do it! It’s your page, after all. But if it’s the only thing you do, you’ll turn off visitors in no time.
Don’t Forget to Join Industry-Specific Groups
Your LinkedIn marketing success depends on two things: your profile and your reputation. After strengthening your profile and connecting with the right people, join relevant groups. Become active in these groups and the group members will start seeing you as an authority. They will tell other people to contact you about industry matters. A word of caution: don’t try to sell in groups as you may get removed. Add value by imparting knowledge and it will soon pay off.
Don’t Dehumanize Your Brand
Your profile should not look like that of a corporate robot. The best thing you can do for your brand is create a profile that humanizes it. Personalize your company voice and speak like a human. Do not use hard tech lingo or overused clichés. But if you usually publish the same post on all your social networks, ensure that it is tailored for LinkedIn – polished and professional. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t use funny content. Use humorous statistics, graphics, or quotes from time to time but ensure the content relates to your brand, products, or industry.
Don’t Be Wordy
It is no secret that most internet users are impatient. They like to find information fast so they can move onto something else. If people land on your page and find long, complicated articles, they won’t linger for long. As a result, they won’t connect with you. Keep things simple. Learn easy marketing language and use it to make visitors connect with your brand. When adding content, use infographics, videos, and images which are comprehensive and captivating.
LinkedIn is the best platform for business networking. Whether you want to enhance your reach, recruit new talent, or explore opportunities, it can be your first and last stop. However, the site is constantly evolving and you must adapt if you want to build and manage a powerful network. These dos and don’ts of LinkedIn marketing will help you to build and sustain relationships. Be engaging, insightful, and thorough when promoting your company or brand. You will connect with the right people and take your brand to greater heights.
Photo Source: NegativeSpace
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