1. Write about what you know best.
I like to research and write about topics that interest me. Sometimes, these articles attract a lot of attention and engagement from readers. But I’ve discovered a pattern in my writing: Whenever I write about a topic I am deeply familiar with–topics I can write about without having to dip into other sources and quote experts or cite research– the article flows more quickly and easily during the writing and editing process. And it’s these articles that tend to attract the most reader engagement, as measured by comments, likes, and social shares.
Even when I do write an article that I’ve researched thoroughly, I still try to tie the results from the research back to something I know about from personal experience. I add my own personal comments about what the research means for me.
2. Write to inform, educate, inspire, and entertain.
Of the 170 articles I’ve written on LinkedIn, I could probably sort them into four main categories: Those that inform, educate, inspire, or entertain. And these are not all mutually exclusive, of course. I’ve combined two or more of these basic elements in many articles.
Articles that inform appeal to the many LinkedIn readers who are hungry for information that will help their careers, or those who simply have a desire for fresh knowledge. Articles that educate are for the readers who want to learn new skills they can apply today to their work and their lives –and in the quickest, most efficient format possible.
Articles that inspire appeal to the powerful need everyone has for meaning and purpose. And, finally, articles that entertain scratches that itch readers have for stories that express emotions and ideas they can relate to.
3. Leverage your e-mail list:
This was one of the most powerful, I believe. You can send an email to everyone that matters telling them your company has a page on LinkedIn and they can follow industry news and researches there. Link them there and all. Don’t just do this once. We did it a few times over the course of 1 year, with different messages and reminders.
4. Global goes local:
If your company is a local subsidiary to a global one (like Deloitte Brasil is), chances are your target may be already following your company under their global page. If that’s the case, ask the team behind the global page to post a message segmented to your local audience telling them about the new page and directing them there. This post should be in your language (if it’s not English) and it should make it clear that the local page will bring relevant information to the local target, unlike the global one.
If you are not a local subsidiary, the equivalent of this should be leveraging your partners.
5. Leverage your other social media channels:
If you have a Facebook or twitter base, post a reminder about your company’s LinkedIn page a few times on different days. Remember to be clear about the differences in content or whatever other advantages you’re applying to your LinkedIn following if there’s one.
6. Promote the page inside your company:
Have your people learn and understand the importance of LinkedIn, then tell them you guys are setting up a presence in the network. Ask them to link their profiles to the Company Page by updating their current job’s company name until the page is listed and they click on it. Also, leave the door open for them to contribute with content suggestions or simply comment on the communications strategy implementation. You could do this via traditional methods of internal communications (whatever it may be that you guys use) or by bringing an outside expert to speak about LinkedIn and social media. Engaged employees are a powerful force, be it because they can promote the page by sharing its content, or simply because when other people check on the employees’ profiles they will find the link to your company page on the job field.
7. Links on the company’s website, blog and whatever other channels:
If you have a rotating banner or anything like that on your homepage, make sure there’s an announcement about the LinkedIn company page right on the front and that it links properly. Make a blog post if you have one, and at the beginning and the end of company PPTs and e-books, mention your social media channels (LinkedIn among them) with proper logos and web addresses.
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