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Businesses know they need to be on LinkedIn to find employees and interact with other companies. But it hasn’t necessarily been a pillar of brand strategy – creating an identity and finding prospective audiences can sometimes feel challenging if some consider posting on LinkedIn “cringe.”
Melanie English, director of social marketing at LinkedIn, said on stage at ADWEEK’s Social Media Week event in New York this week that marketers who view LinkedIn narrowly are limiting themselves.
“Calling LinkedIn a job search site is like calling Amazon a bookstore,” she said.
English noted that small businesses that post on LinkedIn regularly and develop a following have been able to grow their revenue.
“The reasons to be on LinkedIn, I think are very similar to what you would do on any other social media channel that you’re considering,” English said. “It’s about building a following, driving relevance, building trust with your audience.”
DeAndre Brown, also known by his 1 million TikTok followers as The Corporate Baddie and the founder of Gen Z consultancy GenXL Consulting, said LinkedIn is a powerful tool to expand his career as a creator.
“I can be respected as someone who is an influencer. There are times when I’ve spoken to people who are older and not familiar with influencing,” Brown said, noting these folks may critique influencing as not real entrepreneurship. “As people who are creators who are interested in doing panels and continuing to lead conversations you use LinkedIn to do so.”
LinkedIn can be integral to social strategy, but it’s unlike any other platform.
How to use LinkedIn for Brand Building
“I’m not going to go on LinkedIn about how I got my heart broken,” Brown said. “I’m going to do that on TikTok.”
And like any other platform, brands need to take an approach that feels fresh while still being in the platform’s language.
“Especially as the younger generation, [we see LinkedIn] as a very stuffy environment. It’s I’m doing this internship or I’m at this company,” Brown said, noting there are other ways to appear more engaging. “Let’s do some storytelling. Let’s discuss things that we don’t necessarily discuss on a day-to-day.”
English said LinkedIn is working on making sure the platform is as relevant to Gen Z as possible, especially because this generation will make its class of new members. That includes new AI tech for LinkedIn Premium to help job seekers better find the right role.
While LinkedIn will never forget that it’s a place for employers and employees, it doesn’t want companies to forget the platform is also welcome to brands. English said brands new to LinkedIn should approach joining the platform like any new social channel.
‘You do an audience analysis, understand what your audience wants to be on this platform that they’re not getting anywhere else,” English said. “Maybe take a look at your competitive set to see what they’re doing or some inspiration … Keep posting.”
