An ROI Community Case Study
LinkedIn offers a few tools to help you build a strong online presence for your initiative: a Company Page and a group. Both offer ways to connect with your audience in a professional setting; however, there are key differences between the two. By evaluating your goals and mapping your audience, you can effectively decide whether to create a LinkedIn group, Company Page, or both! Together with ROI Community, we map the differences between LinkedIn groups and Company Pages, and their benefits.
Create a LinkedIn Company Page
WHY? A LinkedIn Company Page gives an organization the opportunity to reach a new and large audience.
- Tell the world about your work. Start by writing a compelling “About Us” section that highlights:
- Your organization’s “Why?”
- The services your organization offers
- Your organization’s values
- Anything else you feel is important for others to know about your organization, its mission and its work
BOMAH Tip: Don’t forget to include a link to your website !
- Ask your employees to connect with your Page. This allows visitors to your Page to connect with them and learn more about your organization.
- Ask partner organizations to write reviews on your Page. These testimonials will highlight your success stories! Don’t forget that you can feature these snapshots of your great work on your website and other social media channels, too.
- Publish content on your Page. When selecting which content to post, keep in mind that LinkedIn is a professional network. Post frequent content about any work with influencers and networking opportunities, as well as informational posts about your organization’s initiatives . Remember that the content posted on your Company Page creates an incentive for others to follow it!
BOMAH Tip: When framing your posts on LinkedIn, it’s best to keep the tone professional. Save your hashtags for Twitter and Instagram!
In summary: A LinkedIn Company Page helps you attract a new and large audience by providing you with a platform to promote your organization. In order to ensure your Page is effective, make sure to post relevant, branded content at least three times a week. Additionally, to increase engagement, share content from your Company Page to your group and other social channels.
Create a LinkedIn Group
A LinkedIn group can help you build brand awareness, position your organization as a leader in your field, generate interest in your organization and build a community. If run effectively, you can convert group members into active followers of your organization’s Company Page.
Recently, LinkedIn modified its group settings to improve the quality of content being shared. Now, all LinkedIn groups are private, and group managers can no longer view posts before they are posted. This will improve conversations between members, but entails more work to monitor the group. Additionally, although LinkedIn’s new algorithm is set to monitor spam, it’s still suggested to keep an eye on your group. Make sure that all posts are relevant and appropriate. Encourage users to engage in specific conversations, and work together to build a strong community.
- Craft a group title and profile. Make sure to use keywords about your organization’s initiatives to attract members to join your group.
BOMAH Tip: Direct group members to your content – include links to your Company Page, social media channels and website in your group profile!
- Create group rules. What is this group for? What is inappropriate group behavior? Be sure to monitor posts in your group to make certain that your members are following the guidelines.
- Set the tone. Encourage members to work together and create a mutually beneficial environment.
- Appoint a leader. Choose a member of your team to lead the LinkedIn group. This individual should:
- Post questions, discussions and interesting content on a weekly basis.
- Tell your community’s stories, and urge members to tell their stories as well.
- Engage with group members by commenting and liking discussions.
- Encourage contribution of members by posting thoughtful questions and requests for feedback.
- Motivate members to post about their ventures, and encourage networking among them.
- Monitor the group, and ensure all activity is representative of your goals and your image.
BOMAH TIP: We recommend choosing at least two members of your team to manage your LinkedIn group! Choose people that will be attentive to the content in your group, and ensure that they monitor the group frequently.
- Post all job opportunities on your group. LinkedIn is the main network for professionals to explore potential job opportunities! Even if you have other methods of hiring, it cannot hurt to post on LinkedIn.
In summary: A LinkedIn group helps you build a strong community for your organization, and monitor that community so that it evolves continuously with your members’ dynamic interests.
LinkedIn groups and Company Pages offer different values to your online presence – by examining your goals and mapping your audience, evaluate whether a group, Company Page, or both will be most effective for your brand!