LinkedIn & Social Media
LinkedIn & Why it Matters to You
Written By: Hannah Clor, Marketing Communications Specialist | March 2019
How can you help your marketing department improve your company's online presence to increase leads and grow sales? Utilizing your online presence and sharing industry knowledge and experience will garner credibility among your connections. Listed below are a few steps to achieving a more professional and meaningful online presence.
Step One: A Top-Notch Profile
An incomplete profile tells viewers this isn't someone to connect with. Not only should you stay active, but having a complete profile attracts the visitors and connections you want. Think of your profile as your resume, it's OK to brag a little bit— you deserve it! Include information like where you volunteer, certificates and achievements you've earned, and skills you have developed. This makes it easier for others to find and connect with you, including: customers, co-workers, previous co-workers, and classmates. You can choose which information is on your public profile and which is only available to your connections, including your contact info.
Step Two: Follow the Right Pages
Keep your news feed relevant and interesting by connecting with friends and colleagues. But don't forget to follow companies, people, and pages that post industry-relevant articles, videos, and more. There are over 562 million LinkedIn users— imagine the amount of knowledge living within this platform! Liking, sharing, and commenting on industry-related posts builds your credibility too. Your connections can see what you're engaging with whether you're wishing a former co-worker happy anniversary, or commenting on the latest industry article. Creating engagement isn't always the easiest, but when you're engaging in other user's content, you appear more friendly and easier to engage with in return.
Step Three: Best Practices
Make sure your profile picture is a current, high quality image of yourself. Stay away from selfies. This would be a great opportunity to use a company-taken head shot or other professional image. Depending on your job, sometimes a non-traditional, professional picture is acceptable. An example might be a photo of you wearing a safety suit or hardhat standing in front of a plant if you're a technician.
Remember that it is OK to write in 1st person, and content is king! Make sure your employment history and current skills contain rich, meaningful content. This not only affects your "findability" but rounds out a professional profile.
Whenever you share an article or post, be sure to include some background and meaning as to why you believe it is important enough to share. Always give your posts a quick review to ensure proper grammar and spelling. Hashtags and tagging (@username/ @company) are great ways to involve trending ideas, companies, or your co-workers. Employing these methods are guaranteed to have your activities reach a broader audience.
Social media marketing builds your brand and increases visibility through building relationships and communicating with potential customers. It takes an average of 7+ touch points before a lead is converted, meaning a potential customer will see 7+ posts, ads, emails. etc. before buying something. You could be one of those touch points if you're engaging with your company's content!