Did you know that 53 percent of Americans earning more than $100,000 a year are on LinkedIn?
It’s a social media platform where decision-makers, entrepreneurs, influencers and business leaders connect, build relationships and look for opportunities.
If you want to grow your business, having an active LinkedIn presence and a solid marketing plan is key. The right LinkedIn marketing strategy can boost your brand awareness, expand your network, and bring in qualified leads.
In this article, we’ll walk you through five simple steps to turn LinkedIn into a powerful tool for your business growth.
Step 1: Create an optimized LinkedIn company page
Studies show that over 67 million businesses have created LinkedIn business accounts and maintain LinkedIn Company Pages. If you don’t already have one, creating an optimized LinkedIn Company Page is the first step to leveraging this platform.
Your company page serves as your official profile, which introduces your business, highlights your unique selling points, and positions you as the ideal choice, and perhaps even a thought leader, for your target audience.
An active LinkedIn presence helps you enhance brand visibility, engage with potential clients, and grow your professional network to drive growth.
For example, here’s a screenshot of the official Act! LinkedIn Page that helps us engage directly with our LinkedIn audience.
5 Steps to Create and Optimize a LinkedIn Company Page
Here’s a quick overview of the steps to create and optimize your LinkedIn Company Page.
- Set up your company page
- Log in to your personal LinkedIn account.
- Click on the “For Business” icon in the top right corner and select “Create a Company Page.”
- Choose the appropriate page type for your business.
- Enter your company details, including name, website, industry, and company size.
- Upload high-quality visuals
- Add a clear and professional company logo (300 x 300 pixels).
- Upload an engaging cover image that reflects your brand identity (1128 x 191 pixels).
- Craft a compelling “About Us” section
- Write a concise and informative description of your business, highlighting your mission, values, and services.
- Incorporate relevant keywords and hashtags to improve searchability on LinkedIn
- Add company details
- Provide your company’s location(s).
- Include contact information and operating hours.
- Customize your LinkedIn URL
- Create a custom LinkedIn public URL that aligns with your company name for easy sharing and improved SEO.
Optimizing your LinkedIn page not only helps your company get discovered on the platform but also boosts your brand’s overall SEO strength.
Include showcase pages to highlight niche areas
In addition to optimizing your main Company Page, consider creating LinkedIn Showcase Pages for specific products, services, or business units. Showcase Pages allow you to share content with your target niche audiences with tailored messaging, enhancing your ability to connect with customers interested in specific aspects of your business.
For example, a software company might have a main Company Page and separate Showcase Pages for its AI tools, cloud services, and consulting offerings.
Step 2: Grow your business network
Creating a company page on LinkedIn doesn’t automatically attract followers. You must actively spread the word about your page and grow your network.
Here’s how to start connecting on LinkedIn.
Update employee profiles
Ask your employees to follow your company page and list your business as their current employer on their LinkedIn profiles.
When they add your company to their job titles and personal profiles, it automatically appears on their connections’ timelines, acting as a subtle but effective announcement of your page. LinkedIn’s algorithms pick this up and start showing your company page to other similar LinkedIn members.
Link from your website
Add a LinkedIn follow button or a direct link to your company page on your website. Place it in the footer, header, or “About Us” section, to make it easy for visitors to connect with your business on LinkedIn.
Announce on your email list
Send an email to your subscribers introducing your LinkedIn business page. Highlight what they can expect, such as updates, industry insights, or job postings, and include a direct link to follow your page.
Invite followers
Use LinkedIn’s “Invite Connections” feature to start networking on LinkedIn and invite others to follow you. You get limited invites, so be selective and don’t spam your connections.
Step 3: Create LinkedIn content that shows your expertise
The tactics we just discussed will give your page some early momentum. But to turn LinkedIn into a source of consistent business growth, you must create high-quality useful content that positions your company as the go-to experts in your niche.
According to the Content Marketing Institute, 85 percent of B2B marketers say LinkedIn delivers the best value for their marketing efforts.
Here’s how you can leverage content marketing on LinkedIn.
Answer your audience’s biggest questions
To establish yourself as an expert, focus on solving your audience’s biggest problems and addressing their most pressing questions. Create detailed, actionable content that provides clear solutions and practical advice.
While LinkedIn supports long-form content, it’s not always the best fit for every audience. Writing short LinkedIn posts may engage some users, while others might prefer in-depth articles.
The key is to consistently provide value without expecting anything in return. When your audience finds your content genuinely helpful, they’ll naturally engage by liking, sharing, and commenting, which boosts your content’s visibility and reach across LinkedIn.
Create thought leadership content
Share insights, industry trends, and unique perspectives that demonstrate your expertise. Thought leadership content positions your company as an authority in your niche and helps build trust with your audience. Use formats like short posts, articles, or LinkedIn newsletters to share your ideas and experiences.
Use videos to stand out
Videos get five times more engagement on LinkedIn, making them the perfect content format to stand out in your audience’s crowded timeline. Use videos to share quick tips, showcase behind-the-scenes moments, or explain complex ideas in a visually appealing way.
Short, engaging videos work best — aim for one or two minutes of impactful content that grabs attention immediately. Adding captions ensures your message reaches users who watch with the sound off.
Include LinkedIn Live videos and webinars in the mix as they generally attract more engagement and interactions.
Step 4: Build a LinkedIn marketing funnel
Sharing valuable content on LinkedIn helps you create buzz and grow your brand’s presence. To turn this awareness into tangible leads and customers, you need a LinkedIn marketing funnel that directs traffic to your email list and sales pipeline.
Here’s how you can use LinkedIn for lead generation — with some help from a CRM platform like Act!
- Leverage LinkedIn content: When you publish a post or article, include a call to action (CTA) link to a free resource, trial, or lead magnet on your website.
- Create landing pages: With Act!, you can build dedicated landing pages optimized to convert LinkedIn visitors into email subscribers.
- Automate lead nurturing: Act! automatically adds new subscribers to email sequences that educate them about your brand, share valuable resources, and nurture them toward a sales opportunity.
- Enable your sales team: The CRM features in Act! help your sales team identify high-potential leads and craft personalized offers that align with their needs.
By integrating Act! into your LinkedIn strategy, you can transform LinkedIn engagement into measurable business growth, turning followers into loyal customers.
Step 5: Engage with your audience
To grow your LinkedIn Company Page and consistently drive traffic to your marketing funnel, make audience engagement a core part of your LinkedIn strategy.
Interacting with your audience by responding to comments, addressing questions, or participating in discussions builds relationships and enhances your brand’s visibility.
LinkedIn is also an excellent platform for reputation management. People often use the comments under your post content to share feedback or concerns. By addressing these openly and professionally, you demonstrate that your company listens and cares about its customers.
Start using LinkedIn to grow your small business
LinkedIn is a powerful platform that allows small business owners to demonstrate expertise and build credibility by sharing thoughtful content and engaging with customers and prospects.
By using Act! you can turn this engagement into business results by funneling traffic to your email list and empowering your sales teams with qualified leads. It allows you to extract tangible value from your social media marketing efforts.
After you get your LinkedIn page online, you can try it for yourself — start your free Act! trial today.
