The Most Influential Professional Networking Site:
LinkedIn is the largest professional networking site with a user base that will soon surpass 200 million. With business owners, entrepreneurs, executives, and other professionals tuned in, LinkedIn is a place where individuals and companies can self-identify and communicate exactly who they are and what they do. So, the question is not: Why should I be on LinkedIn? Instead, ask: Why shouldn't you be?
The most successful brands are already taking hints from Best Practice guides to optimize their presence on this giant networking site. IBM, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and others have used recent LinkedIn updates to their advantage by creating attractive cover images, posting frequent status updates, and making their Products/Services tab fun and easy to navigate.
Unlike other social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, the LinkedIn "stream" is not yet overcrowded with status updates. In other words, brands should take advantage of this now while they have the chance to appear in other companies' and individuals' streams. Well crafted updates can create dialogue and emphasize a call to action that is invaluable to network growth and targeted marketing.
Posting on-brand content that attracts potential talent, investors, or grows the follower base in general, is just one way to rock your brand's LinkedIn. Ultimately, your brand's page must be carefully thought out in order to accomplish two very important things: give LinkedIn users a reason to follow you and convert followers gained to leads. By converting a follower to a lead, you are encouraging them and in some cases, helping them, see the benefits of your products and services.
LinkedIn has a high visitor-to-lead conversion rate that is 3 times higher than that of Facebook and Twitter. The bottom line: people will visit your website more by clicking on links you provide within your LinkedIn page and this will generate more business for you. Below, we've listed 10 easy ways to optimize your brand's LinkedIn presence. Next week, we will give you another 10 great tips.
10 Ways to Rock your Brand's LinkedIn:
LinkedIn Ads:
The image above is an example of our tenth and last tip of this blog. Recently, HP effectively used an ad like this to boost its following by the hundreds of thousands. Brands can use ads that encourage LinkedIn users to view, recommend, and share products and services. Like Facebook ads, LinkedIn allows brands to use targeting advertising, so their message is reaching the desired audience or professionals and companies.
LinkedIn is the largest professional networking site with a user base that will soon surpass 200 million. With business owners, entrepreneurs, executives, and other professionals tuned in, LinkedIn is a place where individuals and companies can self-identify and communicate exactly who they are and what they do. So, the question is not: Why should I be on LinkedIn? Instead, ask: Why shouldn't you be?
The most successful brands are already taking hints from Best Practice guides to optimize their presence on this giant networking site. IBM, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and others have used recent LinkedIn updates to their advantage by creating attractive cover images, posting frequent status updates, and making their Products/Services tab fun and easy to navigate.
Unlike other social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, the LinkedIn "stream" is not yet overcrowded with status updates. In other words, brands should take advantage of this now while they have the chance to appear in other companies' and individuals' streams. Well crafted updates can create dialogue and emphasize a call to action that is invaluable to network growth and targeted marketing.
Posting on-brand content that attracts potential talent, investors, or grows the follower base in general, is just one way to rock your brand's LinkedIn. Ultimately, your brand's page must be carefully thought out in order to accomplish two very important things: give LinkedIn users a reason to follow you and convert followers gained to leads. By converting a follower to a lead, you are encouraging them and in some cases, helping them, see the benefits of your products and services.
LinkedIn has a high visitor-to-lead conversion rate that is 3 times higher than that of Facebook and Twitter. The bottom line: people will visit your website more by clicking on links you provide within your LinkedIn page and this will generate more business for you. Below, we've listed 10 easy ways to optimize your brand's LinkedIn presence. Next week, we will give you another 10 great tips.
10 Ways to Rock your Brand's LinkedIn:
- Claim your "vanity" URL and get rid of the unattractive string of numbers associated with your brand's page name when a LinkedIn user searches for you.
- Create a profile badge that will take users to your brand's LinkedIn page with just one click from your main website, blog, or other social media platforms.
- Search engine optimize your LinkedIn profile's content by choosing key words and associated landing pages that hold the most value for you. SEO terms can be incorporated into headlines, the summary section, or other areas.
- Post frequent brand updates and include calls to action and links driving LinkedIn users to the Products/Services page, your brand's main website, or other social media platforms.
- Include job postings for prospective employees.
- Participate in Linked in Groups and Answers to establish your brand as an authority and approachable expert in your related industry.
- Add applications to enrich your brand's profile, including: WordPress (directly syncs your WordPress blog posts with your LinkedIn profile), SlideShare (allows you to upload and share recent company presentations), and Portfolio Display (highlights creative work and shows users a different side to your brand).
- Add Employees to your brand's profile to highlight team members' skills and expertise, and show the community that you are proud and committed to your employees.
- Include links where possible (without over doing it) that leads visitors to desired landing pages.
- Consider running targeted LinkedIn ads to gain followers and promote your brand's products, services, and mission.
LinkedIn Ads:
The image above is an example of our tenth and last tip of this blog. Recently, HP effectively used an ad like this to boost its following by the hundreds of thousands. Brands can use ads that encourage LinkedIn users to view, recommend, and share products and services. Like Facebook ads, LinkedIn allows brands to use targeting advertising, so their message is reaching the desired audience or professionals and companies.