LinkedIn is a standard for any business, but how can you make your brand’s profile stand out from the crowd? Molly Raycraft summarises what techniques you can learn from 2017’s top 10 best LinkedIn company pages
For many,
LinkedIn is the most popular and effective
social media platform in B2B marketing. But when there’s a mass of companies fighting to have the most prominent profile, how can you make your brand stand out?
The social media network recently announced this year’s top 10 company pages, as nominated by LinkedIn users. Here at B2B Marketing, we’ve outlined five crucial techniques you can adopt from them.
1. Use original images, and avoid stock photos
Nothing says unoriginality than a sea of random stock photos. Any image on your page should play the role of a headline that excites and summarises your story.
Schneider Electric
(number two on this year’s ranking)
does exactly this. While energy management may not seem the most riveting topic to the casual follower, the company has managed to astutely incorporate real excitement into its visuals. Its classic green logo appears across all its branding and it’s this level of consistency that attracts those yearning for professionalism.
While having a consistent theme is great, don’t forget to make sure your photo always matches your message.
2. Don’t be a stranger, make regular posts
Posting every once in a while is like branding yourself as the type of son or daughter who only visits your parents at Christmas. If you want businesses to feel familiar with your brand’s presence, then demonstrate a passionate willingness to be involved.
According to the Content Marketing Institute, LinkedIn generates more B2B leads than any other social media network – so why wouldn’t you want to make some noise and get noticed? HP
(eighth)
is no slouch here, consistently posting a number of quality updates per week (usually comprising video or employee branding images). It’s a no-brainer, the more often you post, the greater your audience reach, which helps drive registration and attendance at HP’s numerous corporate events.
Regular content is an opportunity for followers to digest and interact with your brand. But hold your horses before you go on a posting splurge. Remember to post content that is both relevant and interesting, as clogging up someone’s feed with a load of dud posts will just lead to a mass exodus of followers.
Even better news, it’s not always necessary to create all your own content. Potential partners are always curious as to what your business’ vision is. Woolworths Group
(10th)
shares third-party content that matches its own ethos. A great way to establish authority, this also demonstrates your business doesn’t have to constantly possess a monopoly of good content ideas.
3. Show that your employees aren’t robots
We’ve all heard regurgitated corporate jargon and been left bewildered as to whether we were actually listening to a robot. Allowing your employees to contribute to your LinkedIn content can humanise your brand.
Nike
(third)
, incorporated content on employees’ experiences into their post. This encourages quality candidates to apply for positions, which can be leveraged on the jobs tab of your company page.
Teleperformance India
(sixth)
similarly took this approach. It celebrated the achievements of the company and its staff which, as mentioned previously, is a massive incentive for people considering joining the company. Everyone loves a success story and this positive work ethic will resonate with both potential staff and customers.
4. Sharing is caring; give tips to your followers
Tricks of the trade aren’t state secrets. Revealing some of these to your LinkedIn followers can actually add more value to your profile.
In fact, Hays, who took the top spot in the rankings, has mastered this art. The recruitment firm’s posts provide thirsty job hunters with top employment tips and other best practice advice.
This tactic not only labels a business knowledgeable, but also goes one step further to separate it as a thought leader. The fundamental question for any LinkedIn page is: what do people get out of following your company page? This needs to go beyond smearing marketing across people’s timelines. You need to give solutions to problems that, in the long run, cement your company as a useful and credible brand to follow.
5. Let your followers interact with you
Don’t be shy, followers feel important when you interact with them and this will significantly increase your engagement.
Digital selling platform Hotmart
(seventh)
incorporates a call-to-action in the majority of its updates. This may seem simple, but posts with links can have up to 45% higher follower engagement, according to the Content Marketing Institute.
Manufacturing technology company Biesse Group
(ninth)
similarly shared a high number of YouTube videos. But if you choose this option, be careful not to make the user navigate away from your page, as links that play directly within your feed generate higher click/share rates.
Including links isn’t the only road you can go down: people love to feel that their opinion matters. IT services company DXC technology
(fifth)
actively engages its followers by asking questions. Comments can act as reviews and provide valuable feedback for improving your product/service – just be careful to monitor any inappropriate comments left on your feed.
If your company possesses multiple arms and hence requires separate social accounts for various products/services across different regions, learn from Cisco’s
(fourth)
nifty showcase page, which is used to separate and accentuate each aspect of the company. This means followers can easily select content targeted at them rather than haphazardly explore your feed.
The top 10 best company pages on LinkedIn 2017
- Hays
- Schneider Electric
- Nike
- Cisco
- DXC Technology
- Teleperformance India
- Hotmart
- HP
- Biesse Group
- Woolworths Group
