Linkedin Content

Leveraging Connections: The Real Value Behind LinkedIn

LinkedIn stands out as a powerful tool for professional networking, company branding, and driving business engagement. For companies, having a strong presence on LinkedIn is essential. However, the true value of LinkedIn lies not just in maintaining an active company page but in leveraging executive profiles and employees as brand ambassadors to foster deeper connections and engagement.

The Power of LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network, boasting over 900 million members in more than 200 countries. This expansive reach provides an unparalleled opportunity for businesses to connect with potential clients, partners, and talent. According to LinkedIn’s own statistics, 80% of B2B leads generated on social media come from LinkedIn, highlighting its importance as a business tool.

Leveraging Executive Profiles

Executive profiles are a goldmine for enhancing a company’s presence on LinkedIn. Executives, by virtue of their positions, have substantial networks and are often regarded as thought leaders in their industries. When executives actively engage on LinkedIn, sharing insights, industry trends, and company news, it amplifies the company’s visibility and credibility.

  1. Building Thought Leadership: Executives who regularly post and share content that demonstrate thought leadership can elevate the company’s reputation.  According to Edelman’s LinkedIn Thought Leadership Impact Study, 55% of decision-makers use thought leadership content as a means to vet organisations they may work with.
  2. Increasing Reach and Visibility: Content shared by executives often receives higher engagement compared to posts from company pages. LinkedIn’s algorithm favours content from individuals over brands, leading to more organic reach. Executives can use their profiles to share company updates, successes, and personal insights, significantly enhancing the company’s visibility.
  3. Humanising the Brand: Executives sharing personal stories, company culture, and behind-the-scene sneak peaks into their business helps show the face behind their business. This personal touch can make the company more relatable and trustworthy whilst also help connect their business on a more personal level with the audience.

Employees as Brand Ambassadors

Employees are an invaluable asset in promoting a company’s brand on LinkedIn. When employees share content, engage in discussions, and showcase their work experiences, they become authentic advocates for the company.

  1. Extending the Brand’s Reach: Employees collectively have a much larger network than the company page alone. When employees share company content, it reaches a broader audience. According to LinkedIn, content shared by employees receives twice as much engagement as content shared by the company.
  2. Building Trust and Authenticity: People trust content shared by individuals more than brands. A Nielsen study found that 92% of people trust recommendations from individuals over brands. Employee advocacy can thus significantly boost trust in the company’s message.
  3. Driving Engagement and Interaction: Employees actively engaging with content by commenting, liking, and sharing can drive further interaction and discussion. This engagement can increase the company’s visibility and help create a dynamic and interactive community around the brand.

Best Practices for Leveraging LinkedIn

To effectively leverage LinkedIn for engagement, companies should implement strategic practices:

  1. Motivate executives and employees to create and share content regularly. This could include: industry insights, personal stories, company news, and thought leadership pieces.
  2. Offer training sessions to help employees optimise their LinkedIn profiles, understand best practices for content sharing, and stay updated on LinkedIn’s features.
  3. Provide individuals with tools, assets and suggestive content themes to encourage content alignment and engagement
  4. Acknowledge and reward employees who actively promote the company on LinkedIn. This could be through internal recognition programmes or incentives.
  5. Regularly review LinkedIn analytics to understand what content performs best and how engagement can be improved. This data-driven approach can help refine strategies for better results.

LinkedIn is more than just a platform for maintaining a company page; it’s a powerful network that, when leveraged correctly, can drive significant engagement and business growth. By utilising individual profiles and encouraging the team behind a business to act as brand ambassadors, companies can amplify their reach, build trust, and foster meaningful connections.

In an era where connections are crucial, leveraging the human element on LinkedIn can make all the difference in creating a vibrant and engaging brand presence.

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