LinkedIn is a powerful and popular social media platform used by businesses of all shapes and sizes. It’s a great way to network with people, find and post jobs and build yourself and business as a thought-leader. Most people use LinkedIn to post resume and connect with friends. However, new features have been added to LinkedIn to allow businesses to create their own company profile/page. This is a great opportunity for businesses to not only find employees but also get their name out there. It may take about fifteen minutes to set up a LinkedIn Company page, but it is strongly encouraged for all businesses to take advantage of this free marketing opportunity.
SETTING UP YOUR LINKEDIN COMPANY PAGE:
Step #1: Go to http://www.linkedin.com/company/add/show and click on Add a Company.
Step #2: Add your full company name and company email address. Use a company email with the name of your business in the email address example: John@power4consulting.com Do not use a gmail.
Now you have a LinkedIn Company Page! Whoever creates this Company Page will have the ability to make edits to the page, so keep this in mind when deciding who will be setting up the Company Page. We suggest the CEO or CMO be responsible for this.
OPTIMIZE YOUR LINKEDIN COMPANY PAGE
1- Setting Administrators:
Company pages are controlled by the company, i.e., you. If you would like to give permission to others within your organization to make updates and changes, be sure to add them as administrators. To do this simply click “Edit Page” and assign whomever you would like as an admin of the Company Page.
**PLEASE NOTE - If specific people are NOT designated as admins of your page LinkedIn defaults, and allows anyone who has your company email address as someone who has permission to make changes to your Company Page. For this reason it is important that you assign administrative permission to specific employees.
2- Completing Company Information Section:
You will want to make sure your LinkedIn Company Page has as much information about your company as possible. Be sure to use keywords relevant to your industry, service and products. In addition, company size, website, description, location and other details should all be completely filled out. Remember this is what others will see, so be sure your page accurately reflects who you are and what your business does.
3- Know Your Tabs:
Your company page will have several tabs: Home, Careers, Services and Insights. Take advantage of each of these tabs:
The home tab is your default page where your cover page image appears, as well as your recent updates. Take advantage of this opportunity by ensuring your image represents your business and uses the entire available space. Continue reading this article to find out exactly how to do this.
Careers is where you can post jobs and showcase company culture. Similarly to the home tab, you have the opportunity to use a unique image for this page. Keep in mind the tab title, careers, and use an image that makes the most sense.
Products and services provides some fantastic opportunities to showcase your business. Here you will want to add a cover image and images to go with any products or services you list. You’ll need to select either product or service, whichever is the more appropriate category, then name that product/service. To optimize your presence be sure to add an image of the product/service you listed. The image should be 100 x 80 pixels. You will also want to clearly describe the product/service using keywords; you have 2,000 maximum characters so use it. Don’t forget to list ten key features. You'll also want to consider adding any necessary disclaimers.Finally, include a website link to the product/service. By doing this people will have the opportunity to visit your website where they can find more information about products and services and even make purchases.
The last tab, Insights, show information about company employees including, new titles, departures and previous jobs.
This tab shows employees with new titles, departures, where employees worked before and after and most common employee skills.
When you've filled out all the information requested be sure to publish your company page.
4- Include Images:
One of the most exciting additions to LinkedIn's company pages is the ability to have a header page. Social media has a strong focus on imagery; be sure to use professional images that are professional, crisp and clear. images are professional, crisp and clear. Use the entire space provided. LinkedIn allows companies to use up to 2MB and 646px X 220px. This image will be front and center on your LinkedIn Company Page so be sure it adequetly represents your company.
LinkedIn allows companies to use up to three cover images, one for "HOME", 'PRODUCTS & SERVICES" and "CAREERS". Take advantage of this and be sure to use all three! The sizing instructions provided in the above paragraph apply to all three images.
You will also need two logos. One will be used at the top of the LinkedIn company page and should be 100 x 60 pixels. The other will appear next to any updates your company posts and should be 50 x 50 pixels.
And, for your services tab, you will want to create at least three different product or service images - sized 100 x 80 pixels.
Stay tuned for more tips and tricks to help your businesses get the most out of LinkedIn.
Who Is Meaghan Edelstein?
Edelstein now shares what she learned about the power of social media to create a movement (I Kicked Cancer's Ass received national attention by the likes of Good Morning America, NPR, Cure Magazine, BlogWorld, NTEN and Mashable) as a social media speaker, conference producer, trainer/facilitator, and regularcontributing writer for Mashable.Meaghan is also the Co-founder and CMO of Mobile Dealin' and a licensed attorney in the state of Florida.
Read a more in-depth overview of her experience at www.meaghanedelstein.com
