When you think about different PR tools and platforms, LinkedIn probably isn’t the first one that comes to mind. But over the past year, it’s quickly transformed into one of the best vehicles for promoting your brand and engaging your audience. Learn how to use it correctly.
5 tips for leveraging LinkedIn
LinkedIn isn’t “just another” social media platform. It’s different in the sense that people visit the platform with the expressed intent of interacting with other professionals and businesses. And whether you’re in a B2C or B2B industry, there seems to be a greater receptivity to high-level engagement. Plus, without all of the political noise and personal junk that exists on platforms like Facebook, there’s much more clarity.
Here are a few tips you can use to leverage LinkedIn as a powerful PR arm of your business:
1. Optimize your brand’s company page
The first step is to optimize your company page so that it’s a perfect reflection of the brand. This page will serve as the central point for your LinkedIn PR push and should be carefully crafted. Pay attention to details like:
- Logo
- Banner image
- Company overview
- Tagline
- Description
- Industry
- Company size
- Employees
- Location
- Website URL
- Calls-to-action
The Spotify LinkedIn page is a good example of a company that presents a thorough yet concise page that resonates with followers. (They’ve accumulated nearly 2 million followers, which gives them an incredibly deep reach.)
2. Push out high-value content
LinkedIn is at its best when used as a platform for creating and sharing original content. Unfortunately, this is where most companies miss the mark. As a result, they fail to harvest much value from the platform.
For an example of a company that makes effective use of Linkedin as a platform for sharing content, check out the BTOD.com company page. They post educational content (including videos and images) that add value, rather than just using the page for 100 percent promotional purposes.
3. Engage with followers
Social media platforms can’t be used as one-way streets—especially LinkedIn. Unfortunately, this is exactly how most companies treat the platform. As a result, they push out content and see barely any engagement.
If you want to get meaningful engagement on LinkedIn, you have to give far more than you get. There’s no magic formula, but you should probably be engaging with (liking, commenting, or sharing) at least 15 or 20 other posts for every post you push out.
At first, it’ll feel like you’re in an echo chamber. But after a while, people will start to notice. Not only does this give you increased exposure, but it also compels them to reciprocate.
4. Leverage social proof
LinkedIn is at its best when it’s used as a platform for social proof. If you can get others to endorse your company and/or leave positive reviews, it gives you a degree of authority and visibility that’s hard to create on your own. If you have close relationships with some of your customers, consider personally asking them for a review. Some will ignore you, but most will oblige.
5. Encourage employees to participate
Your ability to reach others and gain valuable exposure increases with each employee who is active on the platform. Have them connect to the company page as an employee to give you more credibility and exposure. But if you really want to win with LinkedIn, try forming your own company “pod.”
A LinkedIn pod is basically a group of people (your employees in this case) that you notify whenever you publish content or share a post on LinkedIn. As soon as you send out this notification (usually by SMS or via Slack), each member of the pod likes and comments on the post. And if they find it especially relevant, they can tag people and/or share it to their own feeds. This quick burst of engagement tells the LinkedIn algorithm that your post is valuable and allows it to naturally rise to the top of the news feed. In other words, it gives you preferential treatment.
Get more value out of LinkedIn
LinkedIn can be utilized in a number of capacities, but it’s at its most powerful when leveraged as a precision tool for enhancing public relations and getting in front of customers with the right message at the optimal time. Use it wisely and you’ll reap the rewards!
