Truth: tech savvy or not, being on a social network like LinkedIn is a huge benefit to learning more about your industry and framing your personal brand. You build connections, scroll through newsfeeds and learn about organizations around the world. You share, like and comment as yourself.
All is simple until you realize that your company’s page needs that same, personalized feel. The intimidating part? Your branded LinkedIn page is now on your shoulders with your already busy schedule.
So. Much. Pressure.
Breathe.
Simplicity leads to big measures. Whether you have one hour or 30 days available to get your social creativity rolling, any of these tips will steer your business’ LinkedIn page in the right direction.
- Share Industry News | Estimated Time: 1 Hour – 1 Day
LinkedIn is pure gold for B2B—it’s where people go to grow their professional image, network and learn about their industry. While it’s important to share your website content, find a healthy balance with sharing industry news. If you’re connected to the tech world, post a few articles each week from sources such as Wired or TechCrunch. For the automotive world, find interesting pieces from Road & Track or MotorTrend. Keep content fresh and exciting, and before you know it, you’re moving up the ranks as not only your company, but a pro influencer.
- Discover Your Voice | Estimated Time: 1 Day – 1 Week
It’s the glue for brand identity. Finding your “voice” is vital in prompting engagement. A good exercise to start the journey of discovering this persona begins with a whiteboard. Or an airplane napkin. In all seriousness, I once saw someone write a workout routine on a pizza box… so, no excuses. You’ve got this.Come up with your person: Is your brand more masculine? And if so, does he wear skinny jeans and a beanie or a button-down and slacks? Does he have tattoos or well-groomed hair? Is your guy from Detroit or Houston?
Let your mind wander. Scratch out ideas even if they don’t make sense—literally have a brainstorm the size of Yosemite Falls. The more personality traits about your guy or gal, the better. Once you figure out who your person is, the voice comes naturally. Become an actor of this newfound voice and craft every caption on your LinkedIn posts now as Joe Shmoe. Or Beyoncé’s alter ego. You can make your company’s voice anyone to suit your needs and goals.
- Boost Employee Involvement | Estimated Time: 1 Week – 1 Month
Employee involvement in your business’ LinkedIn realm can lead to an organic marketing jackpot.
The challenge: You can’t determine what your employees share on their personal social media.
The opportunity: An encouragement or incentive for your staff to engage can include anything from helping build their professional brand to giving them a purpose in the growth of your business or even granting a chance to win a day off. For every employee who likes, comments or shares a piece of your content, you now become exposed to a new Rolodex of lead generation. Just saying.
Highly customizable, these tips allow you to be proactive and not overwhelmed. Give yourself a few days to decide what’s both necessary and achievable with your agenda. Taking on these exercises will show an immediate impact on your engagement, website traffic and lead generation. Oh, and bonus tip—always, always, always include a link in your caption (preferably a shortened one from a tracking-generated tool like Bitly). That’s it for now, I promise. Go forth and conquer your LinkedIn page.
Kate Lynch is the Social Media Manager at Flash Global, which designs and implements end-to-end service supply chain strategies for rapidly expanding companies. She loves the outdoors, technology and an endless pot of coffee. Connect with her on LinkedIn.