LinkedIn can be a powerful marketing weapon to maximize brand exposure, and generate sales leads. Building out your LinkedIn profiles and company pages should be your first steps. Here we’ll cover tips, tricks and examples for improving your LinkedIn profile and LinkedIn company page.
In today’s digital age, people define LinkedIn as a digital resume. This definition fails to communicate the power of LinkedIn for reaching diverse audiences, and building brand awareness, and driving sales leads. Improving LinkedIn profiles of key subject matter experts, spokespersons and customer-facing staff, as well as enhancing the your LinkedIn company pages are key to success!
This 2-part series blog post will provide you with tools for using LinkedIn as a marketing weapon. Below you’ll find 7 steps to complete and optimize your personal profile and company page within LinkedIn, along with tips on which applications will best leverage your company’s listing.
Steps to Improve Your Personal LinkedIn Profile
- Feature links to your company’s website, blog and social profiles
- Add applications such as WordPress, SlideShare, and Events (explained later in this post)
- Add skills and expertise for others to see what benefits they will receive in reaching out to you and your company
- Add certifications and awards to show off accomplishments and create expert appeal
An example of a key elements to complete on a profile page is shown below:
- Added company websites, blog, Twitter
- Added skills and expertise
- Added certifications or awards
Steps to Improve Your LinkedIn Company Page
- Display your company description (same as what you use across all social mediums)
- Add your company logo
- Build a following
- Develop your Products and Services page – Link to your product/service pages, company videos, registration pages, brochure downloads and more.
- Utilize the Product and Service spotlight along with audience segmentation so that different types of people (i.e. marketers, CEOs, accountants) can view a different spotlight with products tailored to their interests
- Ask for recommendations on your products and services
An example of the Modern Marketing Partners Company page is shown below:
- Company Description
- Services Offered Section
- LinkedIn Ads
- Product Spotlight
- Number of Followers, Services, Recommendations
- Main LinkedIn Navigation
Take Advantage of LinkedIn Applications
LinkedIn has numerous, powerful applications that allow you to maximize the effectiveness of your personal profile on LinkedIn while helping to promote your company page. Great applications include WordPress, SlideShare and Events. Of course, there are dozens of applications available, but these are the most business friendly and useful applications. Below is an example of applications visible on a profile page:
WordPress – Having a blog is crucial for getting the word out about your company. Blogs last forever, while a social post lasts only minutes these days! So, showcase your blog as much as possible! WordPress has an application that embeds your blog into your profile. This way someone can easily see what you are writing about when they visit your profile page, and then connect with your company.
SlideShare – You can upload any size Powerpoint presentation you want to your LinkedIn profile. PDF’s can also be uploaded as portrait or landscape. The SlideShare application makes it fun to show off presentations you’ve given, and serves as a way to highlight your expertise. Even more, you can display your company’s work through company presentations, PDF brochrues, or a capabilities sheet.
Events–Do you have live or virtual events at your company? If so, this is an excellent way to get the word out to others. You can advertise any kind of event that you or your company has created – make sure you and your colleagues attend the same one, since there are doubles of events sometimes.
Modern Marketing Partners will soon post another blog on how you can utilize LinkedIn effectively for your company. We’ll cover how important groups are in building your LinkedIn network.
Do you currently use LinkedIn to build your company’s presence? Share your experiences on using LinkedIn below and be sure to retweet, facebook like, and share this post with others interested in digital marketing!
Next up: LinkedIn as a Marketing Weapon: Groups and InMails…
