Social Media is a massive opportunity for brands to build their presence.

But what if you don’t want to use TikTok and Instagram?

There’s a solution for that. And it’s LinkedIn.

Establishing an online presence is crucial for any brand's success. LinkedIn, widely known as a networking platform, is a powerful tool for all businesses to make connections, engage with their audience, and showcase their expertise. 

If you’re not utilizing LinkedIn to build trust and authority within your industry, you’re missing out on a massive opportunity.

Here’s how to make your brand shine on LinkedIn – This is an in-depth guide that will help you leverage the platform to its fullest potential for yourself and your brand.

Establish Your Company Profile

The first step in making your brand stand out on LinkedIn is to create a company profile. Make sure that your profile is complete by incorporating your brand logo as the profile picture, and develop a branded cover image that incorporates a Call to Action (CTA) or quote regarding your services – this should state who you are as a company, what you do, who you do it for, and the results that your services have earned for your customers. 

On this business profile, you should include your brand story in your company about section and you should highlight your brand's mission. Focus on your brand values, and highlight your unique selling points – or highlight the pain points your services solve for your customers – to attract potential clients and even potential investors and partners.

Optimize Your Personal Profile – LinkedIn is a POWERFUL search engine.

To enhance your brand's visibility, optimize your personal LinkedIn page to incorporate your brand. You brand should show up on your profile in your banner, in your experience, and in your About Section. 

Each of these profile sections will rank your profile for search engines. 

Incorporate relevant keywords in your company description and your About Section, and consider mentioning your company in your profile headline and in your LinkedIn posts to improve your page's searchability. This will make it easier for other LinkedIn users interested in your industry or niche to discover you and your brand organically.

You should also add featured items to your profile. This can include a CTA button – asking profile visitors to schedule a call with you, directing them to your website to check out case studies, or directing them to contact you if they’d like to discuss your services.

The Featured Section is also an excellent place for you to showcase any media you may be featured in. This includes podcasts, articles, interviews, magazines, etc.

Optimizing your featured section with graphics that are also branded – in a similar fashion as your banner – will build your profile’s aesthetic and guide profile visitors through your profile. Which will inform them of your experience, expertise, and your authority within your industry. 

Brand Consistency - What is it and why is it important on LinkedIn?

Brand consistency is simple: it’s maintaining your brand voice and style across different profiles and platforms – including your website and your social media.

Incorporating your brand logo across different platforms is one way to create a consistent brand image across all your online platforms, including LinkedIn. If you don’t have a brand guide, you need to get one ASAP.

Your brand guide will lay out all of the guidelines for your brand to follow, including brand fonts, color palettes, logos and logo variations, submarks, favicons, and how to use these items.

Use the same logo, fonts, and messaging to reinforce your brand identity. Consistency builds trust and recognition, which makes it more likely for users to remember and engage with your brand.

Brand consistency also requires maintaining your brand voice, tone, and messaging. When your brand story and your brand tone stays consistent between profiles and platforms, your audience is going to remember your story and they’ll start to look for your content. They’re going to develop a deeper interest in your brand which will incite them to actively look for your posts and your company posts.

Showcase Your Expertise

Position yourself as a thought leader in your industry by sharing educational content. You can also position your brand as an industry leader by regularly sharing insightful content, industry trends and changes, and educational content. 

You can do this by publishing articles, sharing industry news, and contributing to discussions within your industry. Establish your brand as an authority in its field, and your audience will be more likely to trust your products and services.

Engage with Your Audience - This is CRUCIAL

Building a strong LinkedIn presence is not just about broadcasting your message and creating content; it's also about engaging with your audience. 

Respond to comments on your posts, comment on posts that resonate with you and your industry, send and respond to DMs, join relevant groups, and participate in conversations. 

This will humanize your brand and create a sense of brand community.

Collaborate with Influencers - Not 100% necessary but gives your content a boost

If you’ve noticed influencers in your industry and you resonate with their content, you can reach out and explore collaboration opportunities. Some influencers have industry-relevant podcasts that you can be a part of. Partnering with influencers can help amplify your brand's reach and credibility. 

Whether through sponsored content or joint ventures, influencer collaboration can significantly enhance your LinkedIn presence.

Shine On

When you optimize your profile and your company’s profile with these strategies, you will establish a powerful LinkedIn presence for your brand. This will position you and your company page to effectively reach and engage your target audience. 

Remember that consistency, authenticity, and engagement are key elements in building a strong brand presence on LinkedIn. Keep adapting and refining your approach – the algorithm is constantly changing, which means your strategy will have to have flexibility as well – But starting with a strong foundation, optimizing your profile and your business page ensures your brand will start to pull ahead of your competitors as a leader in your industry.