Best practice for LinkedIn
Think of LinkedIn as the professional version of Facebook. Skip the memes and cat videos, and head back to the initial purpose of social media: to communicate. If you’re self-employed, don’t be modest. Post everything that you have achieved, from publications to awards, job updates and milestones. Same with a company, but a reserved corporate tone will probably be more profitable. Use personality and humour but remember why you using LinkedIn, and why you have a Facebook. Separate the tone and language of both platforms.
LinkedIn.
We’ve made a best practice list for LinkedIn just for you!
Provide as much info about your company as possible:
If it isn’t inherently clear what you offer within your header (or at least your prominent pinned post), you’re going to lose people. LinkedIn makes it pretty easy for you to set up a LinkedIn page, with fields for just about anything. A good idea is to pin one of your significant brand posts to the top of your feed. This will give potential followers an intro into what you can provide. See Hotglue’s pinned post as an example here.
2. Educate followers:
What can you teach your followers? Can you inspire them in some way? LinkedIn is a great resource for learning new skills and techniques online. Post articles, videos and infographics that can show off your knowledge and what you can do— and perhaps get a new client or two in the process.
3. Post consistently:
While LinkedIn is a great platform, over-posting isn’t considered to be best practice. At the moment, here at Hotglue, we post once weekly. Often, there are pieces of content that are relevant for LinkedIn: awards, milestones, and new clients or deals. For freelancers, it may be more beneficial to increase the posting, but do what you feel comfortable with. If you are naturally introverted, you may feel that over-posting just isn’t you. There’s faking it until you make it, and then being transparent about who you are.
4. Use employees (in the nicest way possible!):
Promote your employees— not in a “hire them!” sort of way but in appreciation of their work. Did they achieve something great for the company? Have they had a recent work anniversary? Share and show their worth. It will bring a human and personal feel to your profile instead of being stone cold corporate. Make people wish they worked for you.
5. Share endorsements:
Facebook is all about likes and pokes (well…), and LinkedIn’s point of support is likes and reactions just like FB, but also endorsements. When people apply for jobs through LinkedIn, the skills listed on their profile are viewed in terms of an employability match. Show off! However, if you want endorsements, you need to give them out too. Head to a follower’s page (personal accounts only), scroll down to their skills and accomplishments, and click the plus button on skills you have experienced them using.
6. Follow like-minded companies (yes, competitors!):
Stay ahead of the game. Source inspiration from competitors or others in similar industries to the one you work in. You may also see things that an industry leader is doing what you should be. Following like-minded accounts also helps you keep updated on industry news and people shuffling.
7. Advertise jobs:
A simple one, but with all of the job advertising sites out there, LinkedIn can often be forgotten. With a pool of people on LinkedIn using the site to hunt down a job, make sure your postings are uploaded to your company page. You’ll be able to see more than the CV they upload, and set your profile as incognito during this period. Good to note that posting jobs on LinkedIn is a paid feature, though not part of the Premium account.
Of course, if you want to reap LinkedIn’s ultimate resources and benefits, try the Premium mode for a monthly fee. This may get you or your company much more reach and eyeballs!