In the 15+ years since I founded SocialNicole, a social media and digital brand marketing agency, I have witnessed LinkedIn grow from being a professional social networking website to a significant B2B marketing platform. With over 740 million members focused on professional growth, LinkedIn is an ideal space for B2B businesses to connect with industry professionals and potential clients. In this post, I am sharing my most valuable insights, gleaned from years of experience, on how to build a LinkedIn business page.
1. Strive To Be a Thought Leader On Your LinkedIn Business Page
From the start, I knew that to grow my business’s LinkedIn presence, that page had to be worth following. I don’t expect other professionals or brands to follow me if my posts have nothing useful or valuable to say. That’s why I craft posts that educate, inform, and provide greater substance, and you can do the same for whatever field you’re in. You can establish your brand as a thought leader by adding thoughts on essential or trending topics, providing industry insights, delivering longer-form content, and consistently posting. Consistently sharing valuable content positions your business as an expert and attracts a dedicated following that looks to you for the answers.
2. Pay Attention to Trending Topics
As a digital marketer, part of my job is staying updated with everything trending and changing in my industry. If I know a news story or development that involves digital marketing, I want to put it out there and share it on my business page. In this way, I position my agency as a news source by informing my audience about the latest news relevant to my industry and explaining its implications. Fortunately, you can follow specific, industry-related hashtags within LinkedIn, which allows you to stay updated with related news in the left-hand sidebar. By keeping up with and participating in discussions around trending topics, you can attract attention and establish your brand as a valuable news source in your industry.
3. Publish Long-Form Content
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: a diversity of content is key, and one way to achieve that is by experimenting with the length of your posts. Sometimes, a quick and snappy post is perfect for entertaining, but a great way to demonstrate your industry expertise and thought leadership is by writing detailed, longer content on LinkedIn. Long-form posts like articles, ideally ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 words, provide insights and value to your audience, positioning your page as an authority in your field. These articles showcase your expertise, provide value, and establish credibility, getting your followers to stick around longer and spend time reading your whole post. This will also provide you with a significant boost to the algorithm. One way I utilize long-form content on LinkedIn is by repurposing company blog posts as LinkedIn articles to share my expertise on that platform.
4. Actively Seek Out Connections For Your LinkedIn Business Page
A large part of how I’ve built my brand and business is by making the first move, reaching out to others, and initiating connections, and LinkedIn is the perfect platform for that kind of networking. By following other relevant pages or industry professionals in your field, you’re providing an excellent opportunity for connection. Another great way to drive traffic to your LinkedIn Page is by placing a “Follow” button on your company’s website and adding a link to your email signature. This makes it easy for your website visitors and email recipients to connect with you by eliminating the extra step of seeking out your page.
Another tactic I utilize is my personal LinkedIn account. Whenever I connect with someone personally, I can refer them to my business so they can also follow me there. Utilize the invite tool on LinkedIn to invite your existing connections to follow your business page. After all, these connections are already familiar with your brand, making them more likely to engage with your content and become valuable followers.
5. Test Out Different Content (And Do It Consistently)
I know better than anyone that consistent posting is a commitment, and it takes time and energy to see the results you want. However, consistent posting is key to maintaining an active and engaging LinkedIn Page. Pages that post at least weekly see twice as much lift in engagement, so develop a content calendar and stick to a consistent posting schedule to stay top of mind for your followers.
I also make it my job to continually test and understand what types of content perform best on which channels. From experience, video content almost consistently outperforms anything static. Video content tends to stand out more on feeds and generate higher engagement, giving you a better chance of capturing your audience’s attention. Additionally, content that keeps users on the platform performs better, so avoid including links that take people off LinkedIn.
6. Engage With Others
Here’s the secret to high engagement–it’s not enough to just put the content out there; you also have to care about what comes after pressing the “publish” button. One service I provide for my clients is daily social media management, where my team ensures that all comments, shares, and interactions on a client’s LinkedIn page are responded to. These interactions show your audience that you’re listening and paying attention, building trust and growth. Always try to engage with your audience by responding thoughtfully and promptly to comments on your posts. Meaningful discourse and interactions show your commitment to building relationships and contribute to boosting your visibility within the algorithm.
7. Use Relevant Hashtags
Hashtags may seem an afterthought, but I take them incredibly seriously when drafting LinkedIn posts. Using relevant hashtags in your LinkedIn posts can spread your content to a broader audience outside your followers, help categorize your content, and make it discoverable to users interested in specific topics. Around 3-5 hashtags are the sweet spot on LinkedIn, so try not to go crazy with the hashtag use.
8. Use Mentions and Tags Whenever Possible
Acknowledging others whenever possible is a cornerstone for any social media channel, and this is especially true for LinkedIn. This means remembering to mention others who have made an impact in your business or life and tagging them so they can see your message. I’ve made some pretty incredible connections by tagging and crediting people. This practice allows people to follow you and increases the chances of users engaging with your content and potentially sharing it with their networks.
9. Get Employees Involved
One of my favorite ways to leverage LinkedIn? I get my employees involved. I actively encourage my employees to follow my business’s LinkedIn accounts and engage with my posts–after all, my employees are some of my best advocates for my brand. By leveraging the power of your employees, you can significantly boost your visibility and engagement. Start by encouraging them to tag your page in updates they share with their networks and asking them to engage with and share your page’s posts (as much as they’re comfortable doing).
A favorite trick of mine is to use the notify employees feature on LinkedIn to let employees know via LinkedIn when your company page publishes a post. Simply choose the “notify employees” option under your post’s settings, which will notify everyone who lists your page as an employer. Their engagement and shares can make a huge difference in increasing the visibility and reach of your posts.
Finally, whenever a new employee joins my team or receives a promotion, I remind them to update their LinkedIn profile so that my agency is listed and tagged on their page. You can ensure your employees are correctly linked to your LinkedIn Page by accurately citing it in their Work Experience section. Every time an employee makes a new connection, the new connection will be prompted to follow your page, expanding your reach organically.
10. Utilize Paid Social
If someone hasn’t already told you this about social media marketing, let me be the one to tell you: You get what you pay for. As big of an advocate as I am for organic content, there are always limits to organic growth tactics, so consider running dynamic ad campaigns using the follower ad format to accelerate your LinkedIn Page growth. Advertising on LinkedIn can effectively increase your follower count and expand your brand’s visibility.
11. Analyze and Optimize
One of the most important ways I improve LinkedIn performance for my page and my clients is by looking at the data. I use LinkedIn analytics to gain insights into a page’s performance and determine which posts perform best with my audience. This way, I can understand which types of content resonate with the audience and adjust the content strategy accordingly. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different formats and topics to find what works best for your target audience.
Growing your business’s LinkedIn Page requires a combination of strategic tactics and consistent effort–and it doesn’t happen all at once. But by implementing my tips, you can establish a strong brand presence on LinkedIn that will boost your visibility and position you as a leader in your industry. With a focused approach and a commitment to delivering valuable content, your LinkedIn Page will be a space your followers seek out repeatedly as a trusted source and guide to industry insights.
Looking for more help growing your brand’s presence on LinkedIn? Contact me today. I understand the power of LinkedIn as a professional networking platform and know how to leverage its features to position your brand uniquely. By utilizing our proven techniques, from thoughtfully crafted content and captivating visuals to strategic hashtag use, we can help you gain a competitive edge, boost brand visibility, and attract a loyal following of engaged professionals. We will also monitor analytics, providing valuable insights to refine your strategy and drive continuous improvement. To learn more about our services, visit our website here.
