Tips for how brands can win on LinkedIn
The one-time glorified job board has blossomed into a top driver for engagement.
LinkedIn isn’t just for job seekers. If used correctly, it’s a valuable tool for brands looking to grow their brand reputation and thought leadership in their business space.
The platform continues to evolve as a social media tool, today boasting a roster of over 1 billion members across 200-plus countries and 67 million active company profiles.
A new report from social media analytics tool Metricool analyzed 55,000 profiles and over 500,000 posts, revealing LinkedIn’s explosive growth:
- 99% increase in interactions year over year.
- 122% rise in clicks.
- 15% average engagement rate – 146% above industry benchmarks.
- 33% increase in impressions.
This makes LinkedIn not just a platform for job seekers and thought leaders, but a must-have for brands looking to establish authority in their industries.
“Every brand needs to be active on LinkedIn,” said Michelle Lawless, VP at Media Minefield, a PR and social media agency. “If they’re not, they should make it part of their marketing strategy now.”
Sell without selling
LinkedIn is a powerful sales tool, especially for B2B brands, Lawless said. The best-performing content offers value first, with sales as a natural byproduct. But the platform is not meant for the hard sell.
“It’s an effective sales tool, but that shouldn’t be the sole goal of posting,” Lawless said.
Authenticity and audience-first content drive successful sales outcomes on LinkedIn, Lawless said.
“You don’t use overt selling language to accomplish that goal,” she added. “It’s a sales play, but don’t overtly sell. People want to follow those who educate, inform and inspire – not those who push a sales pitch.”
Business storytelling with a human touch
Among the best ways to drive business is through personal relationships. And that’s one thing LinkedIn does very well.
Lawless noted that among LinkedIn’s most significant evolutions is its shift toward more personal, human-centric content. Brands that embrace this approach can create deeper audience connections.
About 92% of B2B businesses now include LinkedIn in their marketing strategies. That’s not just to reach consumers, Lawless said, but also for HR and company culture.
“It’s a great tool for employee-generated content,” she explained. She added that behind-the-scenes looks at the workplace can build trust and engagement. “Real, unpolished videos often perform better than polished corporate ads.”
Lawless said Amazon uses EGC effectively to engage, keep and attract employees. LinkedIn also helps brands highlight values and humanize leadership.
Someone who does this well is Daymond John, Lawless said. She described theFUBU founder and Shark Tank personality’s personal brand as being his business. John uses LinkedIn for both thought leadership on leadership and sharing trends and insights in the venture capital industry.
“Executives can use it to speak directly to employees or customers and show their human side, which strengthens company culture,” Lawless said.
Creating posts that drive engagement
People scroll fast, so the first few seconds of a post are crucial. To maximize engagement, Lawless gave some best practices for posts.
- Use strong opening hooks: Make the subject clear in the first sentence to grab attention. LinkedIn posts often crop posts after the first line giving those first few words more importance.
- Break up text: Bullet points and line breaks improve readability and flow.
- Incorporate candid visuals: “Any image is valuable, but the most effective ones are candid,” Lawless said, because they feel more real.
- Tell a story: Posts sharing real experiences, challenges or lessons resonate more than those that are about a brand.
- Put links in the comments: The LinkedIn algorithm de-prioritizes posts with outbound links. Basically, it doesn’t want to send anyone off site.
- Encourage interaction: Asking a question or prompting users to share their thoughts increases engagement.
- Limit hashtags: Hashtags don’t hold much weight on LinkedIn and can feel forced.
Use video for maximum impact
LinkedIn has made a concerted effort to prioritize video in recent months with new media players and a Reels-like carousel option.
Lawless recommended that brands focus on short, educational videos that emphasize what the company stands for. Best Buy has succeeded at this, Lawless said, by showcasing organizations it supports.
“It speaks to authenticity,” Lawless said of that video, “and frankly, LinkedIn’s algorithm favors it heavily right now. LinkedIn noted that video content gets three times more engagement than text posts.
In her experience, Lawless has found great success using even simple, phone-recorded videos. She also suggests adding subtitles, as about 80% browse videos without sound turned off.
Measuring LinkedIn success
Traditional metrics like engagement, impressions and follower growth still matter, Lawless said. But brands need to look beyond those vanity numbers. One thing Lawless advocates is looking at referrals or social listening to understand exactly what people are saying.
“Executives and businesses really feel the impact when they start hearing from people in their network about their posts,” Lawless said.
To better track LinkedIn’s influence, brands can add “How did you hear about us?” to job applications or e-commerce sites to gauge the platform’s role in conversions.
“It’s all about building brand and reputational armor,” Lawless says. “LinkedIn gets you in front of the right audiences and grows your reach – but you have to do it authentically.”
If you’re interested in learning about the latest digital trends, plan to attend Ragan’s Social Media Conference at Walt Disney World from March 19-21. You can find more details on the event website.
Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.
This article was extremely interesting! As a LinkedIn user, I always viewed the platform as a tool for individuals to network and job search, but this article showed me how it has evolved into such a powerful tool for brands as well. While it can be an effective sales tool, the article highlights how companies can use authentic content and employee engagement to build credibility and connect with their audience in meaningful ways. Overall, a great reminder that LinkedIn isn’t just for professionals, but it’s also a space where brands can thrive as well! – Evie Feinour, Platform Magazine Writer/Editor