Secrets of the Fortune 500: Linking into LinkedIn

Connecting with Other Professionals

As you consider the 2021 digital marketing strategy for your business, getting active on social media platforms should be a high priority as a marketing tactic. With over a billion active users on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, these networks are begging for engaging online marketing content from you! 

One of the digital platforms that may not immediately be on your radar but should be, especially if you wish to plant your flag as an industry expert, is LinkedIn. 

LinkedIn is the platform of the Fortune 500. Presidents, CEOs, and other C-suite executives have made LinkedIn their professional network of choice. Often hosting exclusive events, posting insider articles (blog posts, but on LinkedIn), and connecting with like-minded leaders, the professionals on LinkedIn engage in growth.

LinkedIn has a “vision of creating economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce by connecting the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful."

Founded in 2002, LinkedIn has seen continual growth and expansion. In fact, in December 2016, Microsoft finalized its acquisition of LinkedIn, which brought the world’s leading professional cloud together with the world’s leading professional network. To put it more simply, LinkedIn is the professional social network where business folks go to learn about the latest happenings in their industry as well as the career developments among current and former colleagues. 

It’s a no-brainer to connect with, learn from, and engage with other professionals, and social media sites make it possible. Let’s talk about how to make the most of your LinkedIn presence.

LinkedIn's Major Growth in 2020

Similar to most other social media platforms, LinkedIn saw increased usage in 2020. According to parent company Microsoft, the professional social network saw 'record levels of engagement' - up 31% - in the most recent quarter in large part due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with 722 million LinkedIn profiles worldwide.

In addition to more users on LinkedIn in 2020, Microsoft also reports that LinkedIn Learning saw a big increase in usage in 2020. 

As per Microsoft:

"More professionals are turning to LinkedIn Learning to increase their knowledge capital, watching more than a million hours of content each week, more than double the amount a year ago. Three people are hired every minute on LinkedIn, and new features make it easier for nearly 40 million job seekers to indicate they’re looking for their next opportunity."

If you are looking to hire, to learn from other experts in your field, or interested in passing along some of your own expertise, this platform is growing tremendously. It needs to be a serious consideration in your digital marketing strategy. 

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Best Practices for LinkedIn

Recently, LinkedIn published a new guide to help social media managers and content marketers make the most of their time on the platform. Understanding and correctly using all the available LinkedIn tools is vitally important. The goal of the guide is to clearly explain why you should spend time on LinkedIn, how create brand awareness on the platform, how to maximize your social following, sell more products or services, and more. 

LinkedIn recognizes the professionals you want to reach are going to be spending time on a variety of social media channels consuming a lot of digital media. But they claim that what sets them apart is that the active users on their platform are ready to engage with brands like yours.

In terms of key pointers for how to best use and earn page engagement on their platform, some of the key things include:

• Respond to comments
• Take advantage of hashtags and @mentions to boost post reach
• Include a call to action
• Act on Page insights to grow your audience

Although some of these tips may not necessarily be new to you and can be used similarly on other platforms, it should serve to remind you that these things work!

Read through the entire “Social Media Manager’s Guide to LinkedIn”

Tap into the Professional Side of Social Media

As part of the marketing team strategy for 2021, learning how to use LinkedIn to link up with other professionals should be on the radar. Being able to bridge the gap between your brand and professionals is important; earning the trust of those you want to provide business to, employ, or learn from to further your expertise will set you apart.

One of LinkedIn's former Social Media Manager', Ish Verduzco, says,

“Companies are increasingly realizing the value that social can bring if executed properly. You’re able to reach audiences in ways that you never could in the past and because of this, the role of a social media manager is becoming more and more vital to a company’s success.”

Use the resources freely provided to you, and take the time to properly execute a social media strategy that will allow you to reach other companies and professionals.

Are You Ready to Add LinkedIn to Your Strategy to Reach the Right Professionals?

Schedule a Free Digital Strategy Consultation