LinkedIn remains a popular social media network for professionals and B2B marketing in particular.
The platform offers the ability to create a free personal profile, as well as a Company Page to represent your larger brand,
LinkedIn currently has 722 million users, which doesn’t make it the largest platform when compared to Facebook and Instagram. However, on the flip side, LinkedIn is the most trusted social network in the U.S.
In addition, three people are hired through LinkedIn every minute.
So, whether your goals for your brand’s LinkedIn presence revolve around establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry, generating more sales leads or hiring more qualified candidates (or all three), it’s important to avoid the following six biggest mistakes that businesses make with their Company Pages on the professional social media platform.
LinkedIn Mistake #1: Not publishing content
Often viewed as an online resume by many, some brands don’t take full advantage of content publishing like they would for Facebook or another social media platform.
Relevant content is critical to building your online presence, sharing your expertise and building a relationship with your audience. The best content helps your brand become the thought leader in your industry.
Company Pages that post weekly experience twice as much engagement with their content. Ideally, you’re sharing a mix of custom and curated content.
See our seven tips to help level up your content marketing.
LinkedIn Mistake #2: Not engaging with others on LinkedIn
Just because LinkedIn is geared toward professionals, it’s still a social media platform. Social media is a two-way street.
Do more than broadcast at your following. Go beyond that by engaging with others on LinkedIn.
Comment on other posts, respond to comments on your posts and maintain responsiveness on LinkedIn. Commit to investing the time to building and nurturing your relationships because doing so not only helps your platform reach but improves the overall perception of your Company Page.
LinkedIn Mistake #3: Not optimizing your LinkedIn Company Page
Optimizing your Company Page on LinkedIn requires more than making sure that all fields are filled out, although that is a piece of it.
It’s really about taking a fresh look at your page as if you’re a potential customer or job candidate and determining whether you’re seizing every opportunity to tell your brand’s story to them.
Dive deeper into how to optimize your page and other LinkedIn marketing tips.
LinkedIn Mistake #4: Not having a company-wide LinkedIn policy
To be fair, every company should have some form of a social media policy that sets the expectations of at least public-facing employees and how they conduct themselves on social media that makes sense for both your company and your employees.
But when it comes to LinkedIn, it’s especially important to communicate expectations with your company’s employees because a majority of professionals will look each other up on LinkedIn before deciding to do business with each other.
An inadequate presence and/or any detrimental messages is like the equivalent of passing out homemade business cards. It impacts how prospects perceive you and your company.
LinkedIn Mistake #5: Prioritizing the sale above all else
Just like with any social media platform, users largely ignore any brand that focuses entirely on sales (and sales only).
Take a look at your content mix and how you’re engaging with your followers. Is it all about the sale? Can you take a step back and evaluate what content would best serve the needs and interests of your target audience?
Be sure that you’re offering value, not just promotions about a free trial or discount on a service or product. While there is a place for selling in general, you must dilute that among a content strategy that aims to educate, entertain and inform.
LinkedIn Mistake #6: Disregarding the value of LinkedIn groups
More and more, social media is about building online communities around common interests. LinkedIn groups can help you connect with prospective customers and others.
If you’re creating a group, think about focusing it on a topic that your target audience is interested in. Think similarly when looking for LinkedIn groups to join. That way, you’re able to leverage your expertise in a place where you’re hitting people at the right time and place.
Go further than LinkedIn by learning about these 11 digital marketing mistakes that could be costing you money.
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