10 Reasons Your Company’s LinkedIn Account Really Matters

Business owners and company leaders are always looking for the most effective way to market their business, enhance their brand’s reputation, and bring top talent into the fold. There are a ton of platforms that can help your business accomplish these and similar goals. However, one of the most powerful mediums for reaching all of the above-mentioned objectives is (you guessed it): LinkedIn.

Of course, not everyone understands how impactful LinkedIn’s network truly is; and even believers in the platform may not realize the different ways that an optimized account can benefit their organization. With that in mind, here is a list of 10 key reasons why your company’s LinkedIn account absolutely matters to your bottom line.

1. Unparalleled Reach

As of late 2020, LinkedIn reports that it has 706 million active users: over 189 million in North America, over 190 million in Asia Pacific, and millions more in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. Of course, LinkedIn doesn’t boast the same raw numbers that Facebook does. However, LinkedIn’s platform is unique in that it attracts more business professionals, entrepreneurs, and corporate “lifers” than any of the other social media giants (at least in proportion to total user count). In fact, LinkedIn reports that some 50,000 service providers are “open for business” on its platform.

LinkedIn’s vast reach makes it an exceptional channel for reaching B2B prospects around the globe. The platform’s availability in 24 languages (as of this writing) makes it even more conducive to marketing initiatives on a worldwide scale. Granted, LinkedIn is effective for national and regional marketing, too. The bottom line is: whether you’re targeting a local audience or a global consumer base, LinkedIn is one of the best channels to deliver your message.

2. High Engagement

Vast reach is only beneficial if it comes with high engagement rates. Fortunately, LinkedIn content also has a proven track record of engaging high-value prospects and moving them down the sales funnel.

For example, as of June 2020 LinkedIn reported that content shared across the platform had increased by 50% year-over-year; that there was a 4x year-over-year increase in the number of LinkedIn Learning hours watched by users; and that between March and June 2020, there was an 89% increase in Live streams.

Since approximately 4 out of 5 LinkedIn users drive business decisions, at least to some extent, these engagement statistics show the significant impact that LinkedIn content marketing can have.

3. SEO Benefits

One of the most important aspects of digital marketing today is SEO. After all, research indicates that the first 5 organic search results on Google capture over two-thirds of all clicks. Obviously, you want your business to have a slice of that pie!

Owning a LinkedIn account can help. If a user types in your business name and you have a dedicated LinkedIn page for your company, then your LinkedIn profile will undoubtedly show up in Google Search, in a highly visible spot (such as the sidebar on a PC).

Having your LinkedIn account right there can actually move some customers down the sales funnel. For example, if a prospect wants to learn more about your company before contacting you directly, they may research your LinkedIn page first.

4. Enhanced Brand Positioning

LinkedIn gives you the power to “put your best foot forward” in terms of branding. You can share with prospects what you want them to know about your business. For instance, you can tell others what your business is about, what core values your organization has, what differentiates your brand from the competition, and so on.

LinkedIn’s powerful customization options allow you to “control the narrative,” so to speak. Moreover, as you join with LinkedIn groups (or create your own — more on that in a minute), and forge connections with industry peers, subject matter experts, consumers and potential job candidates, you’ll be able to gradually build trust among your network and enhance your company’s reputation. This open door to prestige makes LinkedIn a powerful tool for long-term business growth.

5. Employee-Ambassadors

Your LinkedIn account automatically links the majority of your employees on the platform to your organization. For instance, when an employee updates their current “Experience” section on their personal profile, and they use your company’s name, then they are automatically attached to your company page via a clickable image of your brand’s logo.

What this means is that, in effect, your employees become indirect “ambassadors” for your organization. Anyone who views your employee’s page will also be able to visit your company page by means of the embedded link. This ensures that your company will become more visible to other professionals. Moreover, as your employees update their personal accounts with new posts and share their stories, job seekers will gain a fuller understanding of your corporate culture. It’s likely that some will be motivated to apply for open positions!

6. More Networking Opportunities

As with most social media platforms, there is a certain “etiquette” associated with introducing yourself and/or your company to other LinkedIn users. While some users may welcome a “cold intro,” others will likely find it annoying, even offensive.

That’s where LinkedIn Groups come into the picture. By joining select groups (either individually or under your official company profile), you’ll be able to form connections with new people without worrying about bad manners. As other group members become familiar with you, both in terms of brand voice and expertise, you’ll be able to leverage those connections into new leads.

Of course, you also have the option to create your own LinkedIn Groups. There are certain steps you can take to attract high-value prospects to these forums, such as:

• • Incorporating keywords into your group description for LinkedIn’s search engine
  • Adding keywords to the title of the group for Google Search
  • Adding your company website or blog to the group
  • Sending a weekly message to group members
  • Introducing group members to one another, especially if the members could engage in mutually profitable business at some point in the future

When you make proper use of LinkedIn Groups, whether as a creator or a participant, you’re almost certain to see an influx of new leads for your business.

7. Top Talent Sourcing

One of the main components of LinkedIn’s platform is recruitment. High-performing professionals around the globe have LinkedIn profiles, and when they are looking for a job or career change, LinkedIn is one of the first places they go to seek out a new employer.

Fortunately, LinkedIn makes it extremely simple for recruiters and candidates to connect with one another. For example, LinkedIn’s premium packages allow employers to find prospects more quickly and enjoy unlimited browsing capabilities.

Just how effective is LinkedIn as a recruitment platform? Research shows that 2 million small businesses leverage LinkedIn as part of their recruitment strategy; that approximately 20 million open jobs and 36,000 skills are listed on the site; and that well over 4 million candidates are hired through LinkedIn every year (or 1 hire every 7 seconds). Clearly, LinkedIn is a top platform for sourcing new talent.

8. Widespread Brand Awareness

A consistent content delivery strategy on any social media platform contributes to greater brand awareness, and LinkedIn is no exception. As your company uploads new content on a regular basis, your messaging will gradually disseminate throughout your target audience — especially if your content offers great value. For instance, LinkedIn users tend to love articles that contain actionable tips.

In addition, a company’s senior officers act as the public “face” of a brand, so it only makes sense that robust, up-to-date LinkedIn profiles (on both an individual and a corporate level) will place the organization in a positive light. Interestingly, some experts feel that “having a completed and up-to-date LinkedIn Profile has a high ROI for [an executive’s] time.”

As company executives pay more attention to their individual LinkedIn profiles, any connections they make on the network will, by default, expand the organization’s overall network. In other words, the company will enjoy increased brand exposure and awareness.

9. Strong Thought Leadership Credentials

Many LinkedIn users browse the platform to find thought leadership articles that can help them address organizational alignment issues, customer pain points, and other challenges. For this reason, LinkedIn is one of the best mediums for subject matter experts to publish in-depth content for a professional audience. In fact, studies show that thought leadership pieces are extremely popular among a certain demographic of LinkedIn users, and that they are huge contributors to brand perception. For instance:

• • 48% of B2B decision makers consume thought leadership content for one hour or more each week.
  • 49% state that thought leadership has a significant impact on their purchase decisions.
  • 89% of decision makers have had their perception of a brand enhanced because of well-written and insightful thought leadership pieces.

If you consistently generate insightful and helpful thought leadership content around your areas of expertise, then your brand’s reputation will soar among industry peers and customers alike. Ultimately, of course, your company’s trustworthiness will translate into concrete outcomes: specifically, more leads.

10. Powerful Lead Generation

When it comes to B2B companies, LinkedIn is a more powerful lead generation engine than any other social media platform. In fact, LinkedIn marketing has generated 80% of all B2B social media leads, according to one study. There are a number of reasons for this, including:

• • LinkedIn’s primary audience. Since LinkedIn attracts the professional crowd above other demographics, your B2B content will almost always have a higher engagement rate compared to other social media sites. Moreover, since many professionals browse LinkedIn for solutions to specific problems, a large percentage of your audience can already be considered “high-intent” prospects.
  • LinkedIn’s reputation. Over the years, LinkedIn has formed a reputation as one of the primary purveyors of trustworthy, actionable thought leadership for the business world. Simply put: B2B prospects are more likely to trust your content when it’s posted on LinkedIn, as opposed to Facebook or other platforms.
  • LinkedIn’s versatility. LinkedIn’s platform allows you to publish content for each stage of the buyer’s journey, including high-level overviews to drive awareness, in-depth case studies and comparison charts for the evaluation stage, and special promotions to “seal the deal” with a lead. This versatility makes content marketing on LinkedIn, when executed properly, highly effective.
  • LinkedIn’s advertising capabilities. Not all LinkedIn marketing is organic in nature. LinkedIn also offers advanced targeting and reporting capabilities in the field of paid advertising, too.

Leverage LinkedIn to Grow Your Business

There are several more reasons why your LinkedIn account matters, besides the 10 discussed above. But here’s the key takeaway: while LinkedIn shouldn’t be your only B2B marketing channel, it absolutely should be one of your channels. In fact, you could be leaving a lot of money on the table if you don’t optimize your LinkedIn profile, regularly post content to your account, and explore networking opportunities on the platform.

Simply put, your LinkedIn account matters a lot to your company’s reputation, and your bottom line – so don’t neglect it!