How Your Company Can Engage Users On LinkedIn

[By Sarah Faglio]

LinkedIn is a social networking tool that is used professionally by companies and associates all around the world.  The site allows users to connect with other professionals, as well as businesses.  After connecting with another professional or following a company LinkedIn page, you have the opportunity to share, learn and network.  Companies who maintain a LinkedIn profile page also have the opportunity to connect with professionals, create an online presence, share updates as well as interact and network with current and potential clients, employees and customers.  A company profile can be very useful in establishing your brand throughout a professional social network, as well as create opportunities for new business and ways to connect with professionals that may add to your success. 

LinkedIn is a centralized location where millions of LinkedIn members go to be up-to-date on company news, products or services, business opportunities and job openings.  LinkedIn company pages have two functions:

1.) For a business, it’s the opportunity to:

• Tell your company’s story
• Highlight your products and services
• Engage with followers
• Share career opportunities
• Drive word of mouth at scale

2.) For millions of professionals, a Company Page is a place to:

• Explore companies of interest
• Get the latest company updates and industry news
• Research products & services

Status updates

Recently, LinkedIn created the option for users (individuals and companies) to share status updates with people they are connected with.  For business, these updates should include company news, industry updates and helpful information.  The platform allows you to connect your LinkedIn statuses with your company's Twitter feed, allowing LinkedIn updates to reflect exactly what you share on your Twitter profile.  Updates should be shared at least twice a day, but no more than 5-6 times a day to avoid spamming or overindulging your followers' newsfeed.  Followers are also able to comment or 'like' a share, which opens the door to having a conversation started.

Employee profiles

When professionals set up their own LinkedIn accounts, they are given the option to denote their employment history.   There is a listing of all your current employees on your company page, therefore it is important for employees to have filled out profiles.  This creates opportunity for your employees to network with other professionals for advice as well as create new business connections on behalf of your company.  Your company's Twitter account can also be connected to your employee's LinkedIn status updates, so their connections receive your shares as well. 

Group interaction

There are a multitude of groups that make up the LinkedIn network.  These groups have ranges across many industries and interests of its members.  Through research and search, your company can determine a list of groups that are relative to your business or industry.  LinkedIn allows you to start discussions on relative topics as a way to interact with the other members.  These can be created as often as twice a week in order to provoke comments and feedback on what you share.  These topics should include helpful, informative tips and advice as well as industry updates.  Discussions are another way to introduce and share a new blog entry on your company's website.  Make sure you do not sell or advertise in these groups or people will just ignore what you have to share and have no interest in reading further.

LinkedIn is a very helpful tool to companies looking to further their audience reach and share ideas and topics relative to their business.  Through group and status shares, interaction is encouraged with potential clients, customers, employees, other professionals etc.  By making the most of your LinkedIn profile through status updates, filled out employee profiles and group interaction, your company is increasing its online presence, which is a huge step in creating business online.

How to Create a Strong Twitter Follow for Your Company

[By Sarah Faglio]

Twitter is a social media platform that allows companies to share messages directly to their target audience with little to no cost.  Messages on Twitter are allocated strictly 140 characters.  Therefore, it is important that your company constructs your updates with proper keywording and hashtags as well as be enticing enough to get read or clicked on.  The larger your following, the more resources you have in spreading important company news, blog update, specials, giveaways, contests or helpful industry information.  There are many steps that your company can take to increase your following, consequently raising awareness of your brand and products or services.

Directing traffic from your other sites
Your website is a great opportunity to bring awareness to your Twitter page.  Just by simply visiting your website, you know that users have an interest in your company, brand and/or product or service. There are multiple places where you can place Twitter social media buttons to direct traffic and interest to your Twitter profile.

A Twitter follow button can be placed on your homepage or throughout your website's pages.  This will direct users to your Twitter profile and make it easy for them to follow you.

Tweet buttons can be placed near newly shared content, such as press releases, blog entries, specials and contests or giveaways.  Making it easy to share your content on their own Twitter profiles helps to bring awareness to this new information on your website.

Widgets can also be placed on your website and Facebook profile to actively share updated news feeds from your recent Twitter updates, favorited Tweets, search results in real time (i.e. live events, broadcastings, conferences or TV shows) or a list of favorite tweets in one list.

E-mail signatures

Twitter follow buttons or links to your page can also be placed within your e-mail signatures.  It is likely that a person that you are engaged with through e-mail is interested in your brand or company.  Providing a quick link to your page tells them that you have a Twitter profile and you are welcoming them to follow it.  Twitter social media buttons should also be placed within newsletter e-mails or e-mail marketing campaigns as a way to introduce your Twitter profile and generate a followership.

Hashtags are a way to show up in search results, helping people find your shares and follow your updates.  Hashtags are # signs that are placed within a Twitter share.  They consist of keywords or other unique phrases that people who searched on it would be interested in your share.  The '#' is placed before the keyword or phrases, without any spaces (i.e. #marketing #socialmedia). 

Engage with Twitter community

Another way to create a following is to actively research and follow others.  Search using keywords to find any news sites, groups or bloggers that are relative to your industry.  Do not follow competitors or random profiles that have nothing to do with your business or industry.  The key is to not just follow random people in order to create a larger following, but follow people that are relative to  or interested in your industry or business.  When you follow people, you are making them aware of your profile, and giving them the chance to follow you back.  Also, it is also important to engage with the Twitter community, such as re-tweeting or sharing other helpful information relative to your industry on your own profile.  This information can be found from your Twitter newsfeed and research from other articles shared (except from competitors) on bloggers' or news websites.

Creating a strong Twitter follow takes time and is achieved through determination and commitment to the social media platform.  Updating your Twitter status often, at least a few times a day, is essential to being an active Twitter user.  Social media is vital in creating a strong social presence and helping your business get found online and generate more sales.