Have you ever wondered how a company profile gets 300+ comments on a simple post? Do you want to see your company page gain more interaction? Let’s take a deep dive into how LinkedIn’s newest features work and how they can impact your profile’s engagement!
Importance of Engagement
Engagement with an audience is vital to an account’s success. It is more than a like or comment; it is the direct result of content output. Important information can be gained from analyzing page interaction. On a platform like LinkedIn, the outcome of post engagement can take on many forms:
- Users become more informed about a subject
- Increase in sales
- Finding future employees
- Establishing a connection with an audience
The outcomes for the general network consist of:
- Opportunity for networking
- Build your personal brand
LinkedIn’s newest features have made the idea of interacting with your customers easier. Engaging with followers can lead to continued relationships and gain new followers.
New Features
LinkedIn Stories
Following Instagram and Facebook’s lead, LinkedIn has rolled out a new story feature. Stories, if utilized correctly, can be an excellent tool for companies to connect with their audience. Here are some example story posts:
- Behind the scenes footage
- A promo video
- Explaining how to use a product or service
- Employee highlights
- Company achievements
- Story takeovers, where employees can show what they work on
The opportunities this feature presents are endless; get creative!
We predict that implementing the stories on the app will alter the platform from a professional perspective to a place where users may feel more inclined to share more personal stories and ideas. The stories will become a unique way to engage with other users on a new level.
When Instagram introduced their stories feature, it gave users the ability to show more highlight clips of their lives in a new spot on the platform. When the feature was released it changed the tone of the application. We expect a similar shift for LinkedIn.
Here is quick how-to for using this new feature:
- Open the LinkedIn mobile app.
- Tap your profile photo with the plus icon in the upper left corner.
- A camera view will open to record a video or take a photo directly through the app. You can also upload a video or image.
- Add a sticker and text, if needed.
- Mention users with the @ symbol
Live Streams
LinkedIn Live is a new feature that allows the audience to have a more intimate experience with those hosting the stream. It is a way for companies to take on a more personal and transparent approach with users. Here are a few ways companies can utilize live streams:
- Product reveals
- Big company announcements
- Expert discussions
If you’re an individual user, not associated with a company page, here’s how to use Linkedin Live:
- Meet and greet
- Talking about various subjects for mass views
Before getting started on LinkedIn Livestream, you will need to apply for the feature. Once you are approved to use this feature, follow the instructions below to get started!
- Use two devices to stream on one and monitor comments from viewers on the other
- Sign up for a third party broadcasting site to stream from
- Authenticate your LinkedIn account by logging in
- Double-check to make sure your wifi is stable
- Test run the stream by having someone join the live stream from their device
- Ensure that you have good lighting, audio, and camera quality for the stream
- Happy streaming!
Polls
We have all hit a point where we question, “What does my consumer really want?”. LinkedIn’s polls can get companies one step closer to answering that question. Polls are a great way to get boost engagement.
We recommend setting up the poll question but encouraging your viewers to explain their reasoning in the comments section. The poll provides a direct answer, but the comments section is critical! The comment section lets you learn more about why your customers feel the way they do and how they view the topic. It is a glimpse into their mind, so engage in their conversations. Don’t leave their comment in the section. Respond to them or send them a direct message to continue the conversation and learn more from the individuals.
Follow these steps to create a poll on LinkedIn:
- Create a post
- Click “create a poll”
- Type your question and fill in the options.
- There is a minimum of two options and a maximum of four options on a poll, but you can click to add another option if needed.
- Select the duration for the poll from the dropdown.
- Click Next
- Click the “Edit” icon to edit the post.
- Here is where you can determine who to share the post with
- An additional option is that you can add more to the post in the “What do you want to talk about?” field
- Click “Post,” and you’re good to go!
If these features haven’t been incorporated into your marketing strategy or you are struggling to figure out the best way to go about using them, shoot us a message! We would love the opportunity to help you with your marketing needs!
