If you’re looking to do serious business via social media, LinkedIn is the platform for you. With the average household income per user hitting $109,000, you know you’re dealing with some devoted business men and women. At Orbit, we get a lot of clients asking if LinkedIn is included in our monthly Marketing Machine program. Before I give you the answer, let me explain a little bit more about what LinkedIn is and what it can do for businesses.
An overview of LinkedIn
Basically in a nutshell: LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. On an individual level, it’s a great way to connect with other professionals, post your resume online, discover professional opportunities (jobs), share the latest industry news and stay in touch with old colleagues. On a company level, LinkedIn is a great way to showcase your company and connect with professionals in your industry.
Should my business be on LinkedIn?
Yes. Your company is the expert in… something. Why not show off your expertise to other professionals? LinkedIn Company Pages are a great way to raise brand awareness, promote career opportunities, and educate potential customers on your products and/or services.
How is LinkedIn different from other social networks?
The difference is resumes and cat photos.
The mindset of those who log into LinkedIn is going to be much different than those who log into Facebook. Because LinkedIn is all about professionalism, people are probably logging in thinking about their career and looking for industry updates and trends. They could be updating their profile (resume), looking for a job opportunity, or sharing an article with a group they’ve joined (LinkedIn has those too). People who log into Facebook have other things on their mind, like silly cat photos.
How do I set up my Company Page?
To set up your LinkedIn Company Page you’ll need two things, a company email address and a personal LinkedIn account. Your personal account can be set up with any email address, but in order to create your Company Page you’ll need to prove that you work for the company. LinkedIn has many security barriers in place to make sure that only those who work for the company can have control over the page, which leads me to the next question…
Can Orbit manage my LinkedIn Company Page?
I’m always hesitant to tell people that we can manage their Company Page, because an outside agency can only do so much. If you sign up for our Marketing Machine, I will help you set up your Company Page and post content to the page. Unfortunately that is about all I can do. If you want to fully utilize LinkedIn as a business, a lot of the responsibility will fall on you, the business owner, or someone else within your company. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, a LinkedIn Company Page cannot “talk” to individuals… meaning when someone comments on a Company Page post, only individuals can respond. Because of this, it’s hard to increase engagements and followers without actually working for the business.
If you don’t have the time to set up and manage a LinkedIn Company Page, don’t panic. You can always take advantage of other social media networks and get the same results. If you have more questions about LinkedIn, social media or our Marketing Machine program, send an email to maddie@orbit-design.com.