Do I need a LinkedIn page?

“Need” is one of the most incorrectly used terms when it comes to social media. 

So many people and businesses feel morally obligated to have a social media presence - that it’s some unwritten rule; an absolute necessity. Many people subscribe to this logic without even really knowing what social media is, or how it works. 

The truth of the matter is this:

Do you need a LinkedIn page? No. 

Should you have a LinkedIn page? Absolutely. 

The reason this distinction is important is because if you approach LinkedIn, or any social media platform, on a need basis, it will almost certainly fail or fall short of your expectations.

Like any part of your branding and marketing strategy, LinkedIn should be an extension of your arsenal; a means for your consumers to find and interact with you. 

Company pages, employee profiles, and private groups are all fantastic ways to increase visibility and trust in your business. The platform also allows for quality connection between like-minded individuals, and it’s particularly effective for B2B businesses as opposed to B2C (which benefits more from the social user experience found on Instagram and Facebook).

So, having confirmed that yes, you should have a LinkedIn page, let’s talk about why…

BE SEEN, BE HEARD

Okay, stating the obvious here but the number one benefit of having a LinkedIn page is exposure. By having a company page, you are increasing your visibility and creating opportunities for your business to gain new followers and awareness online.

More importantly however, having a LinkedIn page allows you to have your say. 

Being an influential voice in your industry or sector is incredibly powerful. Sharing your thoughts, feedback and expertise to a community of people engaged within your specific field helps your business become a figure of authority; a teacher if you will. Knowledge is power, as they say. 

When it comes to using LinkedIn for lead generation, such as moving a user from the platform over to your website, the more vocal your business is, the more likely your targets will listen and convert.  

Despite the business feel of LinkedIn, at its barest of bones, it’s still just a social media platform. People want to share, debate and communicate. They want to network. Your company page makes your business accessible visually, and more importantly vocally, which taps into this ethos with great effect. 

Related article : Your checklist to better social media influence.

share company culture

Company culture is really important - it’s what retains current business and staff, and what attracts new business and staff.

Your LinkedIn company page can serve as a portal for your company culture; sharing with your audience what makes your place of work and your service great. 

Perhaps you have a key policy you want to shout about, or an approach to working internally or externally which breaks the mould. Maybe you're an active company who partake in lots of social events, or charitable activities. Whatever it is, let your audience and prospects know. This can be achieved through text posts, images, video, podcasts and more. Opting for something sequential, such as a weekly vlog, is a great way to update your audience on company culture and current affairs.

Promoting company culture is something we subscribe to strongly here at FINALLY - people work with us because they want to work with our people. You can find marketing agencies all over the place, but you can only find us by coming to FINALLY. It’s a powerful and important USP which many businesses often neglect from their sales strategy.

After all, we buy from who we like and who we trust, so use your LinkedIn page to grow those two things. 

CRUNCH THE NUMBERS

Slightly more boring, but still important, is analytics. 

Unlike personal profiles which are void of data and information about growth, post performance and more, your LinkedIn company page has access to loads of it. 

With LinkedIn analytics, you can measure the effectiveness of your updates, track how users interact with and respond to your content, and manage the progression of your page every day.  

Better still, you can dive deeper into your page and discover which geographical areas your fans are based in, what industries they work within, their job roles and seniority level, and even get the drop on your closest competition. 

DISCOVER AND EMPLOY 

Another huge benefit from having a LinkedIn company page is your ability to advertise and recruit for vacancies at your business. 

LinkedIn Jobs is an incredible resource for promotion and discovering suitable candidates for roles - allowing prospects to apply directly on the platform, and allowing you to browse their profiles and get a much deeper insight into their previous employment, skills and recommendations from fellow users.

Employment options are also enhanced by the company culture content you are now posting, as prospects will see this and want to work for your business. Remember, you are always selling your brand even when you aren’t. 

And even if you decide not to be all formal and post a job opportunity through LinkedIn Jobs, you can still do so through your page itself. Posting updates about vacancies is common practice - here at FINALLY, we’ve made several recruitment videos which is again another way to showcase your company’s culture as well as advertise the role in question.

Want to learn more about LinkedIn pages? Connect with me on LinkedIn, or give us a shout via phone or email.