LinkedIn is the world’s most powerful B2B social media platform that provides professionals with an opportunity to grow their personal brands and businesses. With over 900 million users worldwide, LinkedIn has become the go-to platform for business professionals to network and build their online presence. One of the most effective ways to use LinkedIn to grow your personal brand is by leveraging LinkedIn Company Pages.

If you are a sales professional or “intrepreneur” and work for a parent organization, promoting your product or service will look different than those that are “entrepreneurs” and have full control over their social media messaging. As an employee, there are likely some brand standards that you need to adhere to when it comes to sharing professional content. However, there are some incredible opportunities for you to use the great platforms created by your parent organization; opportunities that can help you grow your sales and your personal brand.

Your company’s LinkedIn page is one of these great tools in your personal branding toolbox. Your company’s page gives you incredible content options as you create your own content calendar. You also have access to connect with the marketing leaders at your organization, and position yourself as a thought leader yourself. Learn how to use LinkedIn company pages to boost your sales and your personal brand.

Before we dive into how to use LinkedIn Company Pages to grow your personal brand, we need to understand the differences between one’s Personal Profile, and their Company Page.

A LinkedIn personal profile page is an individual’s professional identity on the platform. It’s where you showcase your professional experience, skills, education, and achievements. Your LinkedIn profile is your personal expression of thought leadership and personal brand on the platform.

On the other hand,

a LinkedIn Company Page is a page that represents a business or organization on the platform. It’s where companies can share updates, promote their products and services, and build their brand on LinkedIn.

While creating or interacting with your Company Page is not a mandatory requirement, having both pages gives you more options to share information with your audience and create a stronger “know, like and trust” factor with them.

Here are some ways you can use LinkedIn Company Pages to grow your personal brand:

1. Share Company Updates: Sharing company updates on your LinkedIn Company Page can help increase your brand’s visibility and engagement. By sharing relevant and valuable content, you can position yourself as an industry expert and thought leader and position your Company as a solution-provider.
2. Promote Your Long-Form Content – If you have a personal blog, podcast, video show, YouTube channel or website, you can use your LinkedIn Company Page to promote your long-form content. This can help drive traffic to your website and increase your brand’s visibility.
3. Showcase Your Products and Services – If you offer products or services, you can use your LinkedIn Company Page to showcase them. This can help potential customers learn more about your offerings and increase your brand’s reach.
   1. Create promotional posts sparingly – a good rule of thumb is one promotional post for every 6 pieces of content
4. Highlight Your Employees and Colleagues – Your LinkedIn Company Page can also be used to highlight your employees and their achievements. This can help boost employee morale and showcase your company’s culture.
   1. Consider engaging in your colleague’s content as well to help boost organizational messaging (and it’s just good fun to help a colleague out with their content’s engagement)
5. Create advocates – whether through your shared mission and values, or through your selfless industry tips and best practices, you can create “fans” that will either want to work with you, work for you, or refer you to someone who they know can use your product or service.

To get the most out of your LinkedIn Company Page, consider the following:

1. Optimize Your Page: To maximize the effectiveness of your LinkedIn Company Page, you should optimize it for search engines. This includes using relevant keywords in your page description and updating your page regularly with fresh content.
2. Share Relevant and Valuable Content: To increase engagement on your LinkedIn Company Page, you should share relevant and valuable content that your followers will find useful. This can include blog posts, industry news, and company updates.
   1. If you are creating your own content on your personal profile, consider tagging your Company Page to drive traffic to the page.
   2. Consider creating content about your company’s mission, values and CSR strategies, especially if their values align with your own brand values – this can create an immense amount of trust with both you and your company.
3. Engage with Your Followers: Engaging with your followers is essential to building a strong brand on LinkedIn. Respond to comments and messages promptly, and encourage your employees to do the same.

As with any social media presence, following best practices is only half the battle. To get the most out of your Company Page’s activity, try to avoid these pitfalls:

1. Neglecting Your Page: Neglecting your LinkedIn Company Page can harm your brand’s reputation. Make sure to update your page regularly with fresh content and engage with your followers.
2. Posting Irrelevant Content: Posting irrelevant content can harm your brand’s credibility and reduce engagement on your LinkedIn Company Page. Make sure to share content that is relevant and valuable to your followers.
3. Failing to Measure Results: Failing to measure the results of your LinkedIn Company Page can prevent you from understanding its effectiveness. Make sure to track your page’s performance regularly and make adjustments as needed.

Don’t forget – If you are an administrator of your company’s page, you have the ability to invite your connections to follow the company page (100 invitations per month). Learn some best practices about setting up your own company page from LinkedIn here.

By creating, optimizing and engaging with your Company Page, you’re increasing your reach and creating more impact with your audience.