LinkedIn is littered with undead company pages — present in name only, but adding no value to the digital conversation.
Even if yours isn’t in such dire straits, it probably could do with a refresher. Here’s how to get the most out of your LinkedIn profile without reinventing the wheel.
1. Connect With Your Employees (And Ask Them to List Your Company As Their Employer)
Before you do anything else, send out a company-wide email asking your employees to connect their personal profiles with your corporate page. Let’s face it: for prospects, employee count and corporate authority are inextricably linked. The more employees you appear to have, the more authority you appear to have, for better or worse.
2. Add a Snappy Tagline Above the Fold
Visitors to the LinkedIn profile for the Centre for Arts & Technology, a Canadian digital arts school, are greeted with a big, bold tag that’s impossible to ignore: “Make Passion Your Profession.”
That’s an effective, memorable motto. Even if you’re not quite as blown away by your own, wear it proudly on your digital sleeve — starting with the space immediately below your LinkedIn profile’s cover photo.
3. Reach Out to Thought Leaders in Your Field
What is a thought leader?
“A thought leader is someone who commands authority in a particular field owing to their knowledge and expertise….[t]heir views, ideas, and opinions are sought after by many and people trust their advice,” writes Shane Barker, founder and CEO of Content Solutions and Gifographics (and, arguably, a thought leader himself).
Whether you’re just launching your business or looking to refresh a venerable but rough-around-the-edges brand, the appeal of reaching out to thought leaders on LinkedIn should be obvious. Thought leadership by association, anyone?
4. Publish Three Short Updates Per Week
This should be an easy rhythm to achieve, even for companies without a dedicated social media manager. There’s no need to go overboard — your updates shouldn’t stretch much past 100 words, perhaps five or six sentences. If you have more to say, consider teasing the update in your LinkedIn feed and linking out to the full post off-site (probably on your corporate website).
5. Publish One Longer Update Per Week
Just don’t call it a blog post.
These long updates are your chance to cement your thought leadership cred — to opine (or instruct) on topics to which your brand is best positioned to speak. Be sure to promote them via other social channels; the goal here is to position your LinkedIn profile as the nexus for your high-level “thinkpiece” content. (Note: You’ll want to keep the more involved stuff, like whitepapers, case studies, and manuals, gated off on your website or microsite, if that’s the direction you want to go.)
6. Join Relevant LinkedIn Groups and Associations
Again: thought leadership by association. U.S.-based elevator repair firms, for instance, would do well to join the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ LinkedIn group — to take just one random example. Seek out your LinkedIn fellows accordingly, and then participate in any groups you join as needed.
A Fresher, Fitter LinkedIn Presence Is Within Reach
Steps one, two, and six above are basically one-off maneuvers, although you’ll want to check regularly for new LinkedIn groups to join and participate in any you do join. Steps three, four, and five above require regular attention, but they’re not likely to drain your company’s time or human resources — we’re talking a few man-hours per week, some of which you may be inclined to outsource.
In short: neither time, nor money, nor talent should hold you back from refreshing your corporate LinkedIn profile today. So, what are you waiting for?