LinkedIn started out in 2002 as a “business-oriented” social networking site where individuals and professionals set up their online profiles, connected with others, and networked for work and business. Today LinkedIn helps you build and maintain your network, find businesses and companies, join user/industry groups, gain industry insights, and even search for a job or hire employees.
Recent statistics indicate LinkedIn has 433+ million users, with approximately 25% of those actively using LinkedIn. That’s a lot of users. Is it any wonder, given LinkedIn’s high ranking in search engine results? In spite of these impressive statistics, however, many small business owners are hesitant to establish a LinkedIn company page, and continue to rely on their personal page for promoting their business.
Importance of Your Business LinkedIn Page
Do you really need a company page? Absolutely, especially when you consider the differences. Your personal LinkedIn page is the equivalent of an online résumé, and covers your professional background, your education, your experience. Whereas your company LinkedIn page is dedicated to solely describing your business—the type of product or service offerings available and location, and it lets you showcase your expertise with business and industry updates, blog postings, client testimonials, and more. And, when your profile is complete, and you’ve used the right amount of industry keywords in your profile, your SEO (search engine optimization) results are greatly improved.
While increasing web traffic, qualified leads, and sales is your ultimate objective, the benefits gained by having a company LinkedIn page can help you reach that objective.
What Content to Include
- Posting blogs, photos, and industry-related articles to drive user engagement on your company page
- Posting links to articles, blogs, videos, and other relevant content on your website
- Providing company news and updates
LinkedIn also lets you pay for a sponsorship and advertising. A paid sponsorship means your content is visible to more readers. A sponsored update can increase lead generation and deepen your relationship with an existing audience. With paid advertising, you can promote your business and also reach a wider audience.
Not all individuals on LinkedIn are business owners. But chances are, they use many of the products and services promoted on LinkedIn. When your company page is in front of a user, that user may just decide to “follow” your company—because they find your content and/or offerings useful and relevant—and every time you post an update, your followers will automatically receive it.
And, by posting a Company Follow button on your website, in your email signature, and elsewhere, you encourage others to follow your company on LinkedIn. If you are a small business owner, make use of all that LinkedIn has to offer by establishing a page for your business. Then follow the results as the leads come in.
