Are you using LinkedIn properly for business growth?

Are you on LinkedIn?

With almost 3 professionals signing up to join LinkedIn every second, we’d be surprised if the answer is no.

But is your business on LinkedIn?

A LinkedIn business profile can help you maximise your marketing success. According to LinkedIn itself, 96% of B2B professionals are using the platform to distribute content.

So, we’d be surprised if you answered no to that too.

Chances are, you’ve landed on this post because you want to truly optimise your business’ presence on LinkedIn, and make it work to generate business growth. But is your LinkedIn working properly for you? Is it generating value, conversions, leads and starting conversations within your business community?

More and more organisations are turning to LinkedIn to build connections, relationships and most importantly, a community of followers that can advocate for their brand. The following questions should help you build a picture of where you need to be in terms of business growth on LinkedIn…

Is your profile page optimised?

Is your profile up to date? You should first ensure your bio copy, logos, branding, and profile image are current and relevant. Just like a website page or blog post, you should pay attention to keywords and optimisation techniques on your LinkedIn profile. For example, ensure your profile picture contains an alt tag, and your headline and biography reference relevant keywords.

If you put yourself in the shoes of a prospective customer and try to envision what they might be searching for on LinkedIn, this will help you come up with the most targeted and optimised copy across your profile. You should also add details of awards and partnerships, and ask happy customers to leave reviews and recommendations. This not only adds a little SEO boost to your profile, but helps showcase your authenticity and reputation.

Are you sharing content that matters?

As we say here at Stratos, MAKE IT MATTER.

It’s one thing to be a consumer of content on LinkedIn, scrolling and reading other people’s content, but are you actively creating and sharing content? Many businesses get caught in the trap of sharing only company updates or information about their products. And while this is all great – ask yourself WHY.

Why are we sharing this content and does it matter to our audiences? Does it add value? Is it helpful? Does it solve a problem your customers have? This approach also works at encouraging your audiences to engage with the content and share it with their own networks. But if it doesn’t resonate or they find little value in it, they’ll be less likely to interact with it.

Are you engaging in return?

Becoming an active contributor on LinkedIn should play a big part in your LinkedIn business strategy. This includes actively engaging in real time with your network. After all, you can’t expect engagement from your community if you don’t give any yourself.

It helps to get your team members on board too, as this will boost your community even further. So, you should ensure everyone is not only sharing content, but also getting involved in conversations, debates, and re-sharing others’ content. Depending on the nature of your business, you may also want to consider joining groups or working with key influencers.

But remember to watch out for your competitors – analyse how your audience interacts with them, what they engage with, and the language they use. All of this will help you form your own strategy.

Are you experimenting with the algorithm?

The LinkedIn algorithm is notoriously formidable. But it doesn’t hurt to experiment in the early days. The more you post, the more you can learn about what the algorithm and your followers like. It does take consistency and commitment in the beginning to get the algorithm on your side, and not everything will make it to the top of the news feed straight away. But if you continue to analyse what works and what doesn’t, and remain consistent and committed to quality, you’ll likely see changes within a few weeks.

One thing we do know about LinkedIn’s algorithm is that it rewards posts without corporate links (up to 2.9% more reach). So remember, it’s not all about conversions… When writing posts, make engaging copy and insightful, trending topics the priority.

The algorithm also ranks posts that aren’t edited time and time again, so take the time to proofread and check for grammatical errors before you publish.

Are you sharing videos and graphics?

Graphics and videos should be a part of your LinkedIn strategy too, since they are great for accessibility, shareability, and can help you reach wider audiences. If you’re already investing in written content, a great way to generate some visual media is to repackage and repurpose high-performing posts into either infographics or videos.

Are you analysing the data?

Lastly, your long-term strategy needs to be backed up by ongoing analysis, which will enable you to make data-lead decisions. As we mentioned earlier, the LinkedIn algorithm can take some time to figure out, and when you do, things tend to change again! So a large part of enabling business growth through LinkedIn will come down to your own analysis and observations, which will allow you to tailor your content and play to your strengths.