August 16, 2018 | Read Time: 2 minutes
As the predominant social network for high-net-worth business professionals, LinkedIn can help you reach wealthy donors, corporate sponsors, planned-giving professionals and grant makers.
Yet with so much competition for attention, money, and loyalty, you must nurture your connections. Be consistently visible and memorable to grab the attention and interest of these decision makers.
How can you do that? Post comments on articles you share, send direct messages, post essays, ask and answer questions and answers in LinkedIn Groups. There are other ways, too.
On the “company profile” page of your organization, share articles, essays, and press releases. You must stir curiosity, play on interests, and compel readers to learn about your work and keep coming back.
Here are 13 ways to build a following for your organization’s company profile page on LinkedIn.
- Announce the launch of your company’s profile page — and later, any substantive changes — to all employees.
- Urge your staff to “follow” your company’s profile page.
- Ask others outside your organization to become followers too: volunteers, members, community officials, etc.
- Ask these followers to urge the people they’re linked with to also follow your company’s profile page.
- Remind your followers to share updates on your company’s page through their individual LinkedIn networks (to inform those who do not follow the company’s profile page).
- Invite your employees to add their own accomplishments, such as project descriptions at launch time, to the company’s profile page. This gives you an organic source of content for your page, but be sure to have the administrator of your page review additions before publication.
- Welcome new employees, board members, and volunteers by asking them to follow your company’s profile page on LinkedIn.
- Have board members, donors, and volunteers ask their own connections to follow the organization’s page.
- Be consistent and energetic about adding new material to increase interest in your company’s page and make it a stopping place for others. Post content such as: annual report, photos from a gala, videos of your work in action, press releases, profiles of selected beneficiaries of your work, announcements about grants received or other awards.
- Maintain a content calendar and make this effort part of your marketing routine. Pick a theme for each month and add material weekly.
- Share anecdotes, features, and human-interest stories of your impact, especially heartwarming stories such as those showing how one person has made a difference.
- Tweet teaser messages with links to your company’s profile page on LinkedIn.
- Send a Facebook messages as well with a link allowing readers to follow your company’s profile page of LinkedIn.
It takes work to be memorable. To stand out in the fast-paced digital environment requires continuous effort, but the payoff for you and your organization can be sizable.
Marc W. Halpert is the author the book You, Us, Them: LinkedIn Marketing Concepts for Nonprofit Professionals Who Really Want to Make a Difference.
