linkedin.com.companies

|1CompanyPagesandFollowersRelationshipsThatDriveResults5stepstoengagingfollowersonLinkedInlinkedin.
com.
companies|2TableofcontentsIntro03EstablishyourpresenceSTEP0105STEP02Attractfollowers06Engagefollowers07STEP03Amplifythroughthenetwork10STEP04AnalyzeandrefineSTEP0512linkedin.
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companies|2linkedin.
com.
companies|3BuildrelationshipsthatdriveresultsForbusinesses,relationshipsmattermorethanever.
WhyBecausepeopletuneoutirrelevantorpromotionalmessagestofocusonuseful,engagingcontent.
Companiesthatinformandengagearen'tjustselling–they'rebuildingrelationships.
LinkedInhelpsmarketersforgerelationshipswiththeworld'slargestprofessionalcommunity.
Ourmembersarealmost50percentmorelikelytobuyfromacompanytheyengagewithonLinkedIn.
1Andawhopping80percentofLinkedInmemberswanttoconnectwithcompanies2–becausethoseconnectionsprovidethemopportunitiestoenhancetheirprofessionaldecisionmaking.
Inthisguide,we'llshowyouhowtouseyourCompanyPagetobuildrelationships,attractnewfollowers,andcreatebrandadvocates.
Socialmedialeadersemploya5-stepmodelforestablishingrelationshipswithcustomersandprospects.
Afterreadingthisguide,you'llunderstandhowtoapplythis5-stepmodeltoyoursocialmediastrategyonLinkedIn.
5stepstoengagingfollowersonLinkedIn1.
Establishyourpresence2.
Attractfollowers3.
Engagefollowers4.
Amplifythroughthenetwork5.
AnalyzeandrefineUsethisprovenmodeltofuelsuccess1.
LinkedInAudience360Study,August20112.
Ibidlinkedin.
com.
companies|4SetyourteamupforsuccessContinuous,relevantcommunicationcreatesstrongrelationships.
Herearesometeam-buildingstrategiestohelpyoucreateanddeliverstrongcontent:CentralizeAppointasocialmedia"champion"tocoordinatecontentcreationandtrackperformance.
Productandbrandmanagerscanhelpthechampionensurecontentreflectseverythingyourcompanyisdoing.
DivideandconquerSplitownershipbetweenaglobalsocialmediateamandyourcompany'sHRorrecruitingdepartmenttomeetbothmarketingandhiringneeds.
QuicktipsEnlistcolleagueswhounderstandcustomers'needsorhavespecificcontentcreationskills(e.
g.
,videoproduction,infographicdesign).
IdentifyexpertcontributorsCreateacalendarwithcampaignthemesandpostingtimelines.
Sticktoitasmuchaspossible–butdon'thesitatetothrowintimelycontentasopportunitiesarise.
MakeaneditorialcalendarBreakupbigthemesintoaseriesyoucanpublishatfixedintervalstogetfollowersregularly"tuningin"fornewcontent.
Makecontentgofurtherlinkedin.
com.
companies|5STEP01ShowcaseyourProducts&ServicesMarketerswhobuildouttheirProducts&Servicespagetendtohavetwiceasmanycompanyfollowers.
Usethispagetotellmemberswhatyoudobest–andgivethemcompellingreasonstofollowyou.
TailoryourofferingsYoucandesignmultipleconfigurationsofyourProducts&Servicespagebasedononeortwoofthefollowingcriteria:members'geography,companysize,seniority,jobfunction,orindustry.
GobeyondproductsYoucanlinktojustaboutanythingfromyourProducts&Servicespage.
Directmemberstoyourlatestandgreatestwhitepapers,casestudies,orhow-tocontent.
TellastorythroughvideoIfyourcompanyhasaYouTubechannel,embedproductdemosorcustomertestimonialvideosthattellacompellingnarrativeaboutthevalueyouoffer.
EstablishyourpresenceYourcompanypageisyourhomeonLinkedIn.
Here'showyoucanuseittotellyourbrandstory.
DesignyourpageClickthe"Edit"buttonintheupperrightofyourCompanyPagetoupdateyourcompanydescription,specialties,industry,website,andmore.
Userich,descriptivelanguagethathelpsreadersunderstandyourvision,purpose,andthevalueyouoffer.
OptimizeforsearchCompanyPagesareverySEO-friendly.
Googleshowspreviewsofupto156charactersofyourpagetext,sobesureyourdescriptionleadswithpowerful,keyword-richsentences.
MemberscanalsosearchforcompaniesbykeywordonLinkedIn,soincludewordsandphrasesthatdescribeyourbusiness,expertise,andindustryfocus.
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companies|6STEP02AttractfollowersOnceyou'veestablishedyourcompanypresenceonLinkedIn,youcanbeginfosteringrelationshipsbyattractingfollowerstoyourCompanyPage.
Herearesomesimple,effectivestrategiesforattractingfollowers.
EngageyourcolleaguesEmployeesare70percentmorelikelytoengagewithyourCompanyUpdates.
EncouragethemtoaddalinktoyourCompanyPagetotheiremailsignatures.
AnnounceyourCompanyPagetocustomersandpartnersOnceyourpageisallset,drivetrafficitswaywithacompellingblogpostoremailnewsletterannouncement.
Adda"Follow"buttontoyourwebsiteYourwebteamcanpullcodefora"Follow"buttonfromdeveloper.
linkedin.
comtoaddtoyourblogorwebsite.
ThisletsLinkedInmembersfollowyourcompanywithasingleclick.
JointhediscussioninLinkedInGroupsTargetGroupsrelevanttotheindustriesorcustomersyouserve.
UseLinkedIn'ssearchbartofindgroupsbykeyword.
FindtherightGroupsContributetopopulardiscussionsmembershavestarted.
Aspeoplelikeandreplytoyourcomments,youhaveachancetobecomea"TopInfluencer"inthegroup.
Whenappropriate,linktoyourCompanyPagetohelpinterestedmembersgathermoreinsightsandinfo.
StepuptothemicWhenyoupostinGroups,aimtohelpmemberssolveproblemsandshareinsightswithoneanother.
BeaconnectorThemembersofLinkedIn's1-million-plusGroupsoftenengagewithcompanies,soitmakessensetojointhediscussion!
Participatinginthesediscussionsisagreatwaytoattractnewfollowersfromtargetedaudiences.
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companies|7STEP03EngagefollowersThebestrelationshipsarerootedingreatconversations–andyourtoolforstartingthoseconversationsistheCompanyUpdate.
Everyupdateshouldconveyyourbrandpromiseandvalues.
Butdon'tforgetthatLinkedInmemberswantinformative,insightful,inspirationalcontent–notself-servingpromotion.
Bydeliveringusefulandengagingcontent,you'llfosterengagementandhelpyourmessagespreadfaster.
So,whatmakesagoodstatusupdatelinkedin.
com.
companies|7Behelpfulandfriendly,notsales-yOne-sidedconversationsarenofun.
Sodon'tpostoverlypromotionalmessages.
Ifyoudopostoccasionalcompany-relatednewsorproductannouncements,makesuretheydeliveraspecificbenefittoyourfollowers.
PostatleastonceperweekdayConsistentpostingencouragesengagementandfostersfamiliarity.
ThinkabouttimingUpdatespostedinthemorningusuallyearnthehighestengagement,withaslightbumpoccurringagainafterbusinesshours.
Experimenttoseewhatworksbestforyourcompany.
3.
LinkedInU.
S.
survey-basedfollowerreport,January2012LinktogreatcontentCompanyUpdatescontaininglinkscanhaveupto45percenthigherfollowerengagementthanupdateswithoutlinks.
3Justremembertowriteacompellingsentencetoaccompanythelink,inspiringmemberstoclickthrough.
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companies|8STEP03AudiencesizemattersLimityourselftooneortwotargetingcriteriaperupdatetoensurethatyourcontentreceivesmanyhigh-valueimpressions.
Targetingtoonarrowlylimitsyourreach.
EngagelocallyUseTargetedUpdatestoletcolleaguesinregionalofficescontributecontentthatspeaksdirectlytoyourcustomersorprospectsindifferentareas.
TailoryourcontenttospecificaudiencesWhatresonatesmostwithfollowersContentthat'scustomizedtotheirprofessionalinterests.
WithLinkedIn'sTargetedUpdates,youcaneasilymatchyourmessagetoyouraudience.
Whenyoucreateanupdate,youcandecidewhethertoshareitwith"allfollowers"ora"targetedaudience.
"Choosethesecondoptiontosendyourupdatetoasubsetoffollowersbasedongeography,jobfunction,industry,companysize,orseniority.
Audiencetargetingbestpracticeslinkedin.
com.
companies|9STEP03Enterprisecloudcomputingcompanysalesforce.
comusedTargetedUpdatestopromoteitsCloudforceLondonconferencetoaUKaudience.
Duringafive-weekperiod,thecompanyexperienceda30percentincreaseinfollowerengagement.
Plus,theseTargetedUpdatesshoweda30percentincreaseinamplification(theratiooflikes,comments,andsharestototalupdateimpressions).
LearnfromthebestAcrossLinkedIn,companiesareseeingthebenefitsofengagingtheirfollowers:recentresearchshowsthatLinkedInis277percentmoreeffectiveatleadgenerationthanFacebookorTwitter.
4Here'showsomeleadingmarketersareengagingtheirfollowers.
HPwantedtoengageprofessionalsandgatherrecommendationsforitsproducts.
Thecompanylauncheditsownpage,invitingmemberstorecommendandcommentonitemsintheirProducts&Servicespage.
ThecompanyalsoranLinkedInAdstogeneraterecommendationsatscale.
Theresults:morethan2,000recommendations,20,000newfollowers,and500,000viralupdatesaboutHPproductsintwoweeks.
ArelativenewcomertotheHRspace,Reconversewantedtoraiseawarenessandcreateconversationaboutitsmissiontochangethecorporaterecruitingmodel.
SpeakingtoanaudienceintheHRfield,thecompanyusedstatusupdatestostageacontest.
Thefirstupdatealonegenerated1,403likes,120comments,and87newfollowers.
Reconverseattributes90percentofitsrevenuetoitsLinkedIncommunity-buildingefforts.
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com.
companies|94.
RebeccaCorlis,"LinkedIn277%MoreEffectiveforLeadGenerationThanFacebook&Twitter[NewData]",HubSpotBlog,January30,2012,http://blog.
hubspot.
com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/30030/LinkedIn-277-More-Effective-for-Lead-Generation-Than-Facebook-Twitter-New-Data.
aspxlinkedin.
com.
companies|10STEP04AmplifythroughthenetworkNothingimpactspeople'sperceptionsandbehaviorliketherecommendationofatrustedfriend,colleague,orfamilymember.
WhenyoupostcontenttoyourCompanyPage,yourfollowerscanlike,share,orcommentonyourupdates,amplifyingyourmessagestoreachtheirfirst-degreeconnectionstoo.
Eachamplificationactsasanendorsementofyourcontentandbrand.
Infact,astudyofthousandsofCompanyUpdatesfoundthatamplificationwasaprimarydriverofoverone-thirdofallimpressions.
5EachadditionalimpressionisachanceforyourcompanytonurturerelationshipswithLinkedInmembers.
EncourageamplificationoutsideLinkedInWhileyourfollowersspendalotoftimeonLinkedIn,yourrelationshipsshouldcontinueoffthesitetoo.
Theseplugins(availableatdeveloper.
linkedin.
com)willhelpyoufurtheramplifymembers'enthusiasmintoendorsementsforyourbrandoff-site.
Recommendplugin:EmbedthispluginonwebpagesthatshowcasetheproductsonyourLinkedInProducts&Servicespage.
Withoneclick,sitevisitorscanrecommendaparticularproducttoalltheirfirst-degreeLinkedInconnections.
Shareplugin:EmpowersitevisitorswithLinkedInaccountstoshareyourcontentwiththeirnetworks.
UsingtheSharepluginturnseveryvisitorintoapotentialchampionforyourbrand.
RecommendShare5.
LinkedInstudyofallCompanyUpdateswithatleast1,000impressionspostedJune1-15,2012linkedin.
com.
companies|11STEP04HelpyourcontentgoviralHowdoyouencouragefollowerstoamplifyyourcontentHerearesomewaystogetstarted:linkedin.
com.
companies|116.
LinkedInstudyofallCompanyUpdateswithatleast1,000impressions,postedJune1-15,2012.
Viralreachmeasuredinnumberofuniques.
Best-oflistanalysisbasedonupdatesthatincludedthewords"Top"andthenumbers3,5,10,25,30,50,and100(whetherspelledoutorasnumerals).
7.
Videoanalysisbasedonupdateswithlinkstoyoutube.
comoryoutu.
be.
Linktorelevant"best-of"listsPoststhatpointfollowerstoward"Top"lists(e.
g.
,"Top10socialmediatacticsinB2Bmarketing")cangetalmost40percentmoreamplification.
6ListentoconversationsoutsideLinkedInCollectfindingsfromyourcontactforms,callcenters,andblogcommentstocreatecontentonthemostpopulartopics.
Whenyoupostcontentthatbetterreflectsyourcommunity'sinterests,yourfollowerswillfindyourupdatesmoreworthyofashare,like,orcomment.
InvitecustomerstowritereviewsTheirrecommendationsofyourproductsandserviceswillgetamplifiedthroughoutthenetwork.
AskmembersforfeedbackYourfollowerswillwelcomethechancetorespondtoquestionsaboutindustrytrends,businessproblems,newproducts,andmore.
Onaverage,statusupdatesthatcontainquestionsreceivealmost50percentmorecomments.
PostinterestingvideosArecentstudyfoundthatfollowerswhoengagedwithpostscontaininglinkstoYouTubevideostooktwiceasmanyamplificationactions(likes,shares,andcomments)astheydidwithpoststhatdidnotcontainvideos.
7DiveintothecommentsSinceconversationsaretwo-wayaffairs,itpaystoappointateamofsocialmediaambassadorstorespondtoyourfollowers'input.
Besuretoanswerquestionsinatimelymannerandthankfollowerswhoshareinsightful,usefulcomments.
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companies|12STEP05AnalyzeandrefineInanymarketingcampaign,successdependsonyourabilitytomeasureperformanceandusethatdatatooptimizecontent.
LinkedIn'sanalyticstoolsempoweryoutodojustthat,ensuringyouhavetheinsightsyouneedtostrengthenfollowerrelationships.
Experimentingwithdifferentkindsofcontentisthebestwaytoimproveengagementandamplification.
MeasuringengagementEngagementrateistheratioofclicks,likes,comments,andsharestototalimpressions.
Thisisakeymetricforunderstandinghowoftenmemberstakeactiononyourupdates.
MeasuringamplificationAmplificationrateistheratiooflikes,comments,andsharestototalupdateimpressions.
Thishelpsyouunderstandhowoftenmembersaresharingyourcontentandwhattheyfindmostinteresting.
TrackyourprogressYourCompanyPageincludeshelpfulanalyticsthatshowchangesinthesizeandcompositionofyourfollowercommunity,aswellasactivityonyourpage.
Here'showtogetthemostoutofthisdata.
YourAnalyticspagealsodisplaysmonthlyengagementmetricsforallyourpostscollectively.
Asyouoptimizeyourupdatesbasedonindividualperformance,youshouldseeanuptickinyouroverallengagementmonthovermonth.
SetengagementtargetsFindoutifyourupdatesaredrivingleadsbytrackingconversionsfromyourLinkedInlandingpages.
Yourconversionrateisthenumberofleadsgeneratedfromthesepagesdividedbythenumberofvisits.
Usealink-shorteningservicetocreatetrackablelinksforyourupdates.
MeasureleadgenandconversionSettargetsforacquiringfollowerswhomatchyouridealcustomerprofileandpostupdatesdesignedtoattractthem.
EstablishgrowthgoalsCultivatethrivingrelationshipswithyourfollowersAsinanygoodrelationship,yourfollowersrequirecareandattention.
Followthefive-stepmodelinthisguidetodeliverhigh-qualitycontentthataddressesmembers'professionalneedsandyou'llnotonlygrowyourfollowercommunity,butalsoforgebondsandfosterhonestconversationswithpotentialcustomers.
Ofcourse,there'salwaysmoretolearn,sobesuretostayontopofthelatestnewsandadvicebyvisitingourCompanyPageatlinkedin.
com/company/linkedinandourblogatblog.
linkedin.
com.
Thanksforreading,andhappyposting!