When social media became a “thing,” companies scrambled to create Facebook profiles, Twitter pages, Google+ pages, Pinterest boards, and LinkedIn company pages.
Why did they do that? What was the reasoning behind a B2B company creating a Pinterest board or a doctor’s office making a Twitter page?
[bctt tweet “Before you start creating original content or buying ads, you need to define your goals identify ROI.”]
It’s simple. Because everyone else was doing it. And, honestly, after working in social media for more than five years, that is one of the most ridiculous and frustrating things I have ever heard.
Don’t get me wrong. I am a big proponent of social media for brands, when done right. But a large portion of companies jumped on the bandwagon without a strategy or a goal. They wasted time, energy, and resources on building a social media presence when they weren’t even sure what they wanted to accomplish or who they wanted to reach.
LinkedIn company pages are a great example of a questionable social media investment. What are you really hoping to accomplish with a company page? How do you break through the job searching clutter and what is the value of having a robust page?
Here are three reasons why LinkedIn company pages can be a waste of time and effort:
You may be promoting the wrong thing
Bill Gates. Steve Jobs. Elon Musk. In almost every case, successful companies are synonymous with its leaders. And that’s not a coincidence. It’s incredibly powerful to put a face to a company and establish the CEO as an expert in the industry. If the leader is seen as a credible authority, then the company’s image and reputation follows. This same idea applies to LinkedIn. I would argue that it is more valuable to put your social media efforts toward making a robust profile for a person, like the CEO of your agency, than for the company itself. And, if you’ve already established yourself or someone else as a thought leader on LinkedIn (and you have thousands of followers), then a company page with 50 followers will just be silly.
You need to break through the job searching noise
It’s a challenge to catch people’s attention on any social media channel. But, it’s especially difficult when people have a set mission in mind. The majority of LinkedIn users are involved in the job search — either trying to find a job or trying to find a candidate. 10.2 million applicants found their job on LinkedIn and 89% of recruiters have hired someone through LinkedIn. So, unless you’re posting about a job at your agency, you’re not going to have a lot of luck posting about a client case study or new service you’re offering.
You need to prove value
What will a LinkedIn company page do for your agency? What do you want to achieve? Before you start creating original content for this page or buying ads to get more followers, you need to clearly identify your goals and ensure that you are ROI positive. What will a company page do for your agency that other social media channels cannot? What can you achieve with a company page that a personal LinkedIn profile cannot?
Now, you shouldn’t go and immediately delete your company page on LinkedIn. This post wasn’t meant to make you hate LinkedIn or to discredit the value it can provide. I just want you to think about the strategy and your agency goals before making a company page or choosing to continue updating it. You don’t have to create one just because other agencies are doing it.
And, if you recognize the fact that company pages aren’t going to magically bring in new clients and you’re not spending too much time updating it, then by all means, keep your company page. Whatever you choose, just remember one thing: it’s not the end of the world if you aren’t on the latest social media platform. #DoWhat’sRightForYourAgency
Are you getting the most from LinkedIn?
