LinkedIn is known as the go-to social media platform for business and industry related queries. It’s a place to find news, brand yourself, and most importantly – a place to build relationships, be it personal or professional. With 80 percent of members wanting to connect with businesses on the platform, LinkedIn gives those using Company Pages a unique opportunity to connect with audiences who are interested in their product and willing to hear what they have to say.

Do’s and Don’ts of Using the 5-Step Model

One of the best things about LinkedIn is that members want to connect with companies – all you have to do is know how to engage with them.

The best way to connect with customers and prospects is through employing a 5-step model that is focused on engaging followers, building relationships, and creating brand advocates. It starts you off with establishing your presence, takes you through attracting and engaging followers, then how to amplify through your network, and ends with analyzing and refining.

Using social media management platforms, like SOCi, can help you stay on track and ease you through each step.

Establish Your Presence

Do design your LinkedIn page to be an accurate depiction of your company – include logos, mission statements, and specialities. Using rich descriptive language will help readers better understand your brand’s story.

Do optimize your Company Page for SEO. When writing your description, lead with powerful, keyword-rich sentences. Doing this will help attract readers that first see your company’s page in Google search results. Google shows about 150 characters per search preview, so use your words wisely. LinkedIn also has a search bar that allows users to find businesses by using keywords, so it’s important to include words and phrases that best describe your business, expertise, and industry focus.

Do showcase your company’s products and services. Marketers who build out their offerings have twice as many company followers.

Don’t be too broad and write to the general public. Instead, tailor your company’s message to the specific audience you’re wanting to target.

Attract Followers

Do engage colleagues and encourage them to interact with posts – employees are 70 percent more likely to engage with your Company Updates. Encourage them to also add the company to their personal LinkedIn page and to their email signatures.

Do drive traffic to your company page with a compelling blog post or email newsletter announcement. Adding a follow button to your blog or website will also help LinkedIn members connect to your company page with a single click.

Do join relevant Groups on LinkedIn and contribute to popular discussions. The more people that like and reply to your comments, the more likely it is for you to become a “Top Influencer” in the group. When commenting in a group, aim to help members solve problems and insights.

Don’t get spammy or sale-y. When appropriate, link back to your Company Page. but be careful to do this sparingly and only when it will benefit others.

Engage Followers

Do use Company Updates to connect with your audience to convey your brand promise and values.

Do be helpful and friendly, but not overly promotional. LinkedIn members want informative, insightful, and inspirational content. Make sure your posts deliver a specific benefit to your followers.

Do include links with engaging content. Company Updates containing links can have up to 45 percent higher follower engagement than updates without links.

Do target specific audiences when posting Company Updates. Choosing the “target audience” selection allows you to send your update to a subset of followers based on geography, job function, industry, company size, or seniority.

Do post once per weekday, specifically in the morning or after business hours to get the most engagement and foster familiarity.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with the timing of posts to see what best suits your company’s audience.

Amplify Through the Network

Do link to relevant “best-of” lists – “Top” lists can get almost 40 percent more amplification.

Do collect findings from contact forms, call centers, and blogs comments to create content that best reflects your community.

Do post interesting videos to drive amplification. Followers who engaged with posts containing links to Youtube videos took twice as many amplification actions as posts without links.

Don’t ignore comments from followers. Be sure to answer questions in a timely manner and thank followers for their insightful and useful comments.

Don’t shy away from asking for reviews or feedback. On average, status updates that contain questions receive about 50 percent more comments.

Analyze and Refine

Do use LinkedIn’s analytic tools to track and monitor changes in the size and composition of your follower community, as well as the activity on your Company Page.

Do measure the amount of leads generated from your Company Updates and which posts get the most engagement, then tailor your future posts accordingly.

Don’t continue to post the same content over and over. What works one day might not work the next. Experiment with your type of posts – and have fun with it! You’ll be a LinkedIn pro in no time at all.

Once you establish your presence and connect to your audience you’re well on your way to grow your business. Continue to feed into establishing relationships over the platform and watch them flourish. Remember to experiment with the time and content to see what works best for your business. You’ll be a pro in no time at all.