During COVID-19 lockdowns, LinkedIn has seen higher levels of engagement than ever before. In January 2020 they had 675 million members, and according to Microsofts’ Earning Release FY20 Q3, grew to 690 members by March 31, with a 26% increase in active sessions. “We’ve seen two years of digital transformation in two months,” said Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO.
No longer just for job hunting or fulfillment, LinkedIn has become an essential part of any smart social media strategy. It’s unique professional focus means your LinkedIn plan needs to look different from other platforms. Think of LinkedIn as the most sweatpants-friendly networking event you’ve ever attended…from your couch.
Here are 7 tips to up-level your business’ LinkedIn game:
1. Complete your profile.
If you do nothing else, do this one thing. Completed profiles receive an average of 30% more traffic, according to LinkedIn. Treat your LinkedIn page as if its a version of your website’s home page. Make sure you have a succinct headline that sums up what you do and your logo as the profile picture. Your cover photo should convey the experience of working with/ shopping from your company or organization. Don’t forget to include your actual business address, so that users in your area will be shown your page.
2. Know your audience.
What does your audience look like? Spend some time figuring out your preferred audience demographics. Use this information in conjunction with the “Content” tool on your business page. This tool allows you to receive audience-specific content suggestions from LinkedIn and gives you an easy way to stay up-to-date on industry news. It’s a great place to find repostable content.
3. Use the Organic Targeting tool.
Many social media platforms make you pay to target audiences. LinkedIn has an organic targeting feature for business pages with more than 300 followers. You can use the targeting feature to hone your audience by language, job function, seniority, location, company size, industry, etc. Targeting your employees ensures that your best advocates see your content and have the opportunity to repost. You can also target the decision makers of potential business clients or professionals who are likely to be interested in your product.
4. Relevancy over recency.
Your feed is not shown in the order items were shared. The LinkedIn feed prioritizes what it considers relevant, engaging content. It is organized by predicted interests and connections. Personal connections get priority over viral content. This gives your small businesses a chance to compete against bigger brands for user engagement.
5. Interaction is key.
The first few hours after your post goes “live” are key to its success. The more immediate engagement your post receives, the more users will see it. Encourage your employees to engage with the post. Ask them to share it with their networks or to add timely comments. Interaction also goes both ways. Spend time commenting on other peoples posts. That will help you network, as well as get your brand out there.
6. Use a max of 3 hashtags.
Unlike Instagram, LinkedIn is not a hashtag-heavy platform. Stick to three hashtags per post and make them industry specific.
7. Try boosting a post
LinkedIn was voted “the most trusted social media platform” three years in a row by Business Insider Intelligence’s Digital Trust Ranking. When users trust the platform, they are more likely to click on ads and sponsored posts. This means that your ad money goes further on LinkedIn.
At ROOT, there’s nothing we love more than to see small businesses thrive. Our seasoned team works with business owners every day to develop and implement powerful marketing, branding and PR strategies. If you would like help in these areas, including LinkedIn and other social media strategies, contact us here.
Josephine Wood, ROOTs Social Media Manager, specializes in digital marketing and social media strategy. When she’s not studying SM strategy, analytics and algorithms, she can usually be found cooking Indian food, hiking or pulling weeds in her garden.
