LinkedIn has been making a lot of unannounced changes. If you’re lucky enough to recognize the new features, there are some that can really help you out. For individuals, you can now add projects as little as blog postings to your profile. SEO experts, you know what this means: your employees can be generating quality links just by bragging about their own productivity. Not only will these links assist with SEO, these links can also encourage participation among industry leaders. You’ll be able to generate more content and maintain a dialogue with other users. Who knows, perhaps others will share your link in their own social media circles.
Companies benefit from using LinkedIn in many, many ways. Job postings on LinkedIn generate tons of links for the company, as business owners can choose to have prospective employees apply directly on the site, and LinkedIn users are likely to share job postings with friends or on social media. LinkedIn also creates a network for your company complete with employees, objectives, and projects. Clients and employees enjoy company LinkedIn pages for two reasons: first, it demonstrates competence in the industry by show of endorsements. Second, employees feel good about working for a company that is respected among other professionals.
Social media is quickly becoming the measuring stick for company success. It essentially peer reviews businesses for prospective clients. With high approval ratings by employees and clients, new people are more likely to choose your company. This is just a bonus, though. The real gem is linking on LinkedIn.
Offering discussion boards and groups, there are many opportunities to get your business’s name out there. In some cases, having a representative designated to posting on behalf of the company would be highly beneficial. Your company can also serve as an expert in the industry, answering questions for students and newcomers to your field. Acting as a mentor to these users is just another plus, and, of course, this will result in link building.
Companies can use LinkedIn to encourage users to post on their social media by inviting them or updating the community on progress. LinkedIn calls these posts “updates”, and LinkedIn updates are rich with company blogs, company portfolios, and – say it with me – links!
Adding LinkedIn to your social media agenda would be a great feature for any social media calendar. While convincing your clients to sign up for LinkedIn may seem daunting, after using the platform, most are eager to continue. LinkedIn is much different from other social media networks in that its emphasis is professional – and isn’t that something all lawyers, doctors, and other “stiff” practices can get behind?