Social media is everywhere. You use it, your kid uses it, your great-grandmother uses it, and we’re probably not too far off before your pet starts using it (and no, the Instagram account you created for your cat doesn’t count). It’s on your computer, it’s on your phone, and it’s taking over your watch. But behind all the likes, tweets, and memes, lies a rich medium for businesses of all shapes and sizes to reach their target audience.
Social media marketing is far from new. In a country of about 320 million people, almost ¾ of American adults use social media sites. And the more connected the world becomes, the more popular social media becomes. With numbers this high, you better believe companies have been using social media for as long as the social networks have allowed them.
But not all social networks are created equal. While Facebook, Twitter, and the growing number of other platforms have their purposes, if you want to be taken seriously from a business standpoint, you need to have a LinkedIn company page.
Why a LinkedIn company page?
You’re taking ownership of your brand
Your LinkedIn company page represents your brand. It’s your official social media location to present who you are and what you do, and showcase your products and services. It provides opportunity for the branding trifecta: text, imagery, and video - everything that’s needed to convey your company’s voice and culture.
On a network that adds 2 new members per second, you want to be easily found. Having a LinkedIn company page is becoming the norm, and not having one can put you at risk of appearing defunct. By keeping your page well maintained and organized, you’ll appear more professional and capable when compared to competitors who aren’t utilizing LinkedIn properly. Plus, it never hurts to have another site within your control get indexed by the search engines.
You’re uniting your team
By having a company page, you’re allowing your employees (who likely have LinkedIn accounts) to affiliate themselves with your company - an excellent way for prospects and customers to connect with your sales staff. And when incorporated into a greater social media strategy, you can utilize your employees to help promote your messaging and increase your page followers.
But LinkedIn isn’t only ideal for connecting existing staff, it’s great for discovering your future team members. LinkedIn is often thought of as the B2B social network, but B2C and nonprofit companies need to hire, too. Your LinkedIn company page can serve as a powerful recruitment tool by presenting the awesomeness that is your company culture, and for sharing job postings. Even if you aren’t actively looking, your company page can provide guidelines for job seekers to inquire about future postings. LinkedIn’s fastest growing demographic includes students and recent grads - over 39 million current or soon-to-be job seekers looking to demonstrate their value.
You’re speaking directly to your audience
LinkedIn has over 400 million registered members worldwide. I’ll let that number sink in for a minute. If LinkedIn were a country, it would be have the world’s third largest population behind only China and India. Over 122 million members are from the U.S - that’s 38% of the total U.S. population. Whether you’re looking to market or recruit nationally or internationally, LinkedIn likely has your target audience covered.
With a LinkedIn company page, you’re able to post updates and interact directly with your followers. You can promote click-throughs to your website, and increase form submissions and membership to LinkedIn groups you moderate - your updates are an excellent means for spreading the word and promoting engagement. You’ll also gain access to paid marketing functionality, such as sponsored updates in which you pay to promote your posts to an audience larger than just your followers.
No matter your industry, having and maintaining a LinkedIn company page should be a component of your marketing and recruitment strategy. In fact, creating and reviewing your LinkedIn page is so vital to brand success that it’s Tip 7 of a 20-tip marketing checklist we developed to help you create your 2017 marketing plan.
Interested in learning more about LinkedIn or the other tips? Download your free copy of our checklist.
