Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok might be the trendiest social media platforms (for now). But LinkedIn has been around longer than all of them and is a more reliable medium for B2B marketers. We’ve got some advice for how you can leverage LinkedIn for networking, learning, and growing your business.
Why should companies, especially B2B companies, use LinkedIn?
- It’s the most prominent professional social networking site
- It’s a great way to network and learn information
- They earn money from more than just ads (so the ads are less in your face)
- It’s actually older than Facebook and Twitter (and more well respected)
- It’s free from a lot of politically charged nonsense
How can a business leader start using LinkedIn?
- Claim your company page to grow visibility
- Share updates with a professional audience
- Engage existing team
- Recruit new talent
What are some of the best practices when it comes to LinkedIn?
- Make sure your branding is consistent (profile photo, banner image, etc)
- Get your employees to link their profiles your page
- Visually compelling posts (especially videos) or long-form, mini-blog posts
- Figure out who your audience is (and who it should be)
- LinkedIn lets you see the experience, industry, job title, seniority, etc of your followers
- Follow your competitors and others you want to be like
- Comment on other people’s posts to build a community
- Connect with humans versus automation
There are a few downsides to LinkedIn
- Groups are very engaging (unlike Facebook) (did you mean “aren’t”?)
- Profiles always get more engagement (but less analytics)
