SOCIAL MEDIA LINKEDIN
INTRODUCTION
LinkedIn for Photographers
Too many photographers dismiss LinkedIn as their digital Rolodex of professional contacts or a place to showcase a digital resume. Itʼs actually a great place to nurture both online relationships and strengthen in-person relationships, which can help you create stronger connections with both leads and potential business partners.
Considered a professional network, LinkedIn specializes in business- to-business (B2B) relationships. Business decision-makers and industry leaders come here to engage with each other and companies sharing relevant and useful content in their industry. This is why it is the top choice for B2B-focused business owners, with 97 percent choosing to distribute their content on LinkedIn. And according to their statistics, in the B2B realm, half of the referral traffic coming from social media is driven by LinkedIn.
There are 675 million professionals on LinkedIn, who come to the platform for industry news, advice from experts, and according to the Pew Research Center, 27 per- cent of all internet users, both male and female, use LinkedIn. Users are more likely to have completed college and live in urban or suburban areas. Income levels also skew higher with 45 percent of LinkedIn users making over $75,000 a year.
LinkedIn users are active and engaged, with nearly 47 percent of them logging in every month. This makes the platform a great place to share new, relevant content and interact with the content others are sharing. About 90 million LinkedIn users are senior-level influencers and 63 million are in decision-making positions. While your ideal client does not need to be an influencer within a Fortune 500, the fact that decision-makers and influencers with senior positions in a company are using the platform daily means that LinkedIn is a hotspot for lead and referral generation.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKEDIN - SHOULD LINKEDIN BE PART OF YOUR MARKETING MIX? As mentioned, B2B stands for business-to-business, a term that refers to a model where you make sales to other businesses, rather than individual consumers. So, a photographer who provides website or graphic design is likely operating in a B2B model, as their company is providing a service to another company. Conversely, a wedding photographer usually markets directly to consumers, making them more likely to be a business-to-consumer, or B2C, company.
LinkedIn tends to be very heavily B2B-focused by its nature, and therefore, if your business operates on a B2B business model, it will be easier to integrate LinkedIn into your marketing mix. Does this mean that a B2C business canʼt find success on LinkedIn? Absolutely not, but with a B2C model, your focus will be more on developing a strong referral network via vendor relationships, rather than marketing directly to a consumer.
Using the wedding photography business as an example, LinkedIn is a great place to connect with other professionals in the wedding industry. By attending industry events and finding business owners who have venues or who are wedding planners, DJs, and videographers, you can connect with them on LinkedIn. Then, by nurturing those relationships online and in person, you can still create a strong network of businesses that refer clients to one another.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKEDIN - YOUR PRESENCE
Your LinkedIn Presence
As with Facebook, LinkedIn offers both personal profiles and Company Pages. Too many photographers use LinkedIn as a bare-bones resume and then leave it to collect dust, which means they are losing out on opportunities to make valuable connections. LinkedIn can act much like a professional portfolio to showcase past projects and skills, and a well-optimized profile can help make a great impression. LinkedIn users can choose to connect with you on your profile and follow your Company Page. If you already have a LinkedIn profile, follow along in the sections below to optimize any section that needs work.
To edit a section on your profile: 1. Click the Me icon at the top of the page. 2. Click View profile. 3. On your profile page, scroll down to the section that needs an
update. 4. Click the pencil icon on the right-hand side of the section to edit it. h. Once youʼre done making changes, click Save. 5. SOCIAL MEDIA LINKEDIN - YOUR PROFILE
Setting up Your Profile
You will want to start with your name and headline. Just as with Facebook, LinkedIn prefers that your personal profile represents you. If youʼre creating an ac- count for the first time, follow the prompts to sign up and then youʼll be asked about your most recent job title and company. Whether youʼre working on your photogra- phy this business information in your LinkedIn profile.
Youʼll also be prompted to import contacts connected to the email account you signed up with. If you prefer, you can skip this step until your profile is completed and optimized. Use a Professional Headshot as a LinkedIn Profile Photo Next, you will be prompted to add a profile photo. Although you can import your profile photo from your Facebook or Google profile, if the image being used there is a casual snapshot then avoid using it. Also, you should avoid using a company logo for your personal profile photo. Not only is your profile supposed to represent you, but using a company logo goes against the LinkedIn photo policies.
While we all know that we shouldnʼt judge a book by its cover, having a professional headshot on LinkedIn is very important. One of the first things that potential employers, clients, and contacts will notice about your profile is the photograph. Not having a photo can be a big red flag and can signal a lack of professionalism.
As with other social networks like Facebook, your LinkedIn photo isnʼt just visible when people click on your profile. It represents you everywhere on LinkedIn: on your status updates, activities within LinkedIn, and on any posts that you make. More than with any other social network, your LinkedIn photo should represent you at your professional best. So, if you havenʼt already, take the plunge and invest in professional headshots. When uploading your photo, youʼll be able to crop, filter, and adjust it. Thereʼs also an option to change the visibility of your profile photo depending on how people are connected to you. Choose the option that you feel most comfortable with, keep-ing in mind that you will be using LinkedIn as a networking tool for your business.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKEDIN - YOUR INTRODUCTION CARD Some of the information on the Introduction Card can be edited, and some of it pulls from other areas of your profile.
At a glance, it will give users an idea of your:
1. Name–This is how other users will find you on the network. Avoid using a business name in the name field or trying to fill it with keywords.
2. Profile photo–This is the head shot that will represent you on LinkedIn. You can upload any photo under 8MB between 400 x 400 pixels and 7680 x 4320 pixels.
3. Background photo – LinkedIn launched the Background photo in 2014 as an answer to the Facebook Cover photo. Use this as another opportunity to show off you and your brand. It is recommended that Background photos be 1584 pixels wide by 396 pixels high.
4. Headline – This 120-character field is where you are able to describe what you do and entice users to click on your profile. You can use your title and business name here.
5. Current position – Pulled from your most recent position listed.
6. Education–The school you attended. According to LinkedIn, your profile is 11 times more likely to receive clicks when you add your school.
7. Location – This is the greater metropolitan area you live in.
8. Connections – A count of connections you have in your network.
9. Contact info – This shows the URL of your profile on LinkedIn and the email address you can be reached at, plus your website and other social links if you add them.
10. Summary – This is your chance to say hello and let visitors to your profile know more about you from an in- depth perspective. If youʼre struggling to write about yourself, check out this LinkedIn blog post about well-written summaries.
Look through the rest of your profile and fill in any areas that might be thin or lacking. Pay special attention to areas from which information is pulled into your Intro Card, like your Experience section. However, donʼt neglect the other areas of your profile. Make sure to include any licenses or certifications youʼve received, or skills and accomplishments you have.
If youʼve volunteered in the past, LinkedIn also gives you an opportunity to describe that information.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKEDIN - CREATING A PAGE FOR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY COMPANY
The Company Page on LinkedIn acts as the voice of your business, much as your Business Profile does on Facebook. Just as with Facebook, in order to have a Company Page on LinkedIn you must have a personal profile with your real first and last name. Itʼs important to differentiate between real people and organizations.
To create a LinkedIn Company Page:
1. Click the Work icon in the top right corner of your homepage.
2. Click Create a Company Page.
3. Select the page type youʼd like to create. Small business – Fewer than 200 employees will fit most photographersʼ situations.
4. Fill out your Page identity, Company details and Profile details. o Here you will be able to create a unique URL for your company and add your website URL, logo, and tagline.
5. Check the verification box to confirm you have the right to act on behalf of the company or school in the creation of the page.
6. Click Create page. Once your page has been created, you will be able to add a cover image to complete your branding. For your Company page, the recommended size for the cover image is 1,536 x 768 pixels. Youʼll also be able to add your businessʼ location, which can help with your local SEO efforts. Remember to make sure that your name and address are consistent with every other presence you have online.
LinkedIn Showcase Pages
You may have noticed the option to create a LinkedIn Showcase page while setting up your Company page. If you happen to have very different divisions within your company, with different target markets, this can be a good way to show off those various divisions. This way, you can build followings specific to those diverse offerings and share content that is specific to those niches. However, even if you do have diverse of- ferings in your business, donʼt worry about making different Showcase pages unless you plan on maintaining an active presence on each.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKEDIN - WHAT TO POST ON LINKEDIN
LinkedIn allows members to share through a number of different post types:
• Posts – Text limit is 1300 characters.
• Longer form articles – When you publish an article, it becomes part of your personal profile and is displayed in the Article section there.
• Photos and videos – The file size limit is 5MB and the recommended minimum size is 552 x 276 pixels.
• Documents – file must be under 100MB and less than 300 pages. PPT, PPTX, DOC, DOCX and PDF file types are all supported.
Keeping in mind that LinkedIn is a professional network, the tone of what is shared will be different from other social networks. Remember, professionals are there to learn, share relevant news, and be inspired by one another. Also think about who youʼre engaging with on LinkedIn.
If your company is B2B focused, then sharing industry news and company blog posts is a great way to engage with other companies. If your business has more of a B2C focus, you can still share similar content, but your focus should be on helping vendors in your market that you can build a referral network with.
When planning your posts, make sure that what youʼre sharing offers real value to those in your industry and network. Using eye-catching visual images helps to get people engaged, and replying to those who comment on your post is a good way to keep the conversation going.
Here are some ideas for what to share:
1. Blog posts 2. Updates from your company 3. Industry news 4. Research relevant to your industry 5. Quick tips or inspiration 6. In-depth how-to posts • According to recent research, LinkedIn posts between 1,900 and 2,000 words perform best 7. Relevant photo updates • Remember to keep the images professional • Photos from industry events are a great idea
A recent study claims that, unlike with Facebook, posts headlines with questions in them underperform on LinkedIn. This same study also claims that video underperforms, despite LinkedInʼs claim that it is five times more likely to start a conversation than any other content type.
Using Hashtags on LinkedIn
Hashtags are a newer feature to LinkedIn. Sort of. They have been introduced and rolled back a few times. However, they are a feature that looks to be here to stay. Hashtags work similarly on LinkedIn as they do on platforms like Twitter and Instagram. They categorize content so that people with specific interests can find similar content within that niche. While users can technically add hashtags to personal profiles and Company Pages, they wonʼt be searchable there. Unlike on Instagram, hashtags wonʼt be hyperlinked in profiles, so they act more like keywords. Hashtags are hyperlinked in content, however, and are a great way to help other users in your niche find your content.
You can also research various hashtags in the search bar at the top of the page and find the ones you would like to follow and engage in conversations around.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKEDIN - WHEN TO POST ON LINKEDIN
As with any other social network, one of the best ways to determine when to post on LinkedIn is by sharing content and testing the time and day that garners the best engagement. Sprout analyzed their customer data to see what time of day and day of the week their customersʼ social media posts generated the most engagement.
They discovered a few key things: • The best time to post on LinkedIn is
Wednesday between 8 and 10 a.m. and at 12 p.m.,
Thursday at 9 a.m. and 1–2 p.m., and
Friday at 9 a.m.
• Wednesday and Thursday, overall, are the best days to post to LinkedIn.
• Engagement varies per day, but Tuesday through Friday rank best.
• Sunday receives the least amount of engagement.
While there is currently no native scheduling feature within LinkedIn, tools such as Hootsuite allow you to schedule up to 30 posts across various social networks for free
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKEDIN - BUILDING YOUR LINKEDIN NETWORK Now that you have set up and optimized your LinkedIn profile, you will want to build your network. You can import your email contacts very easily, either by connecting your email service or by uploading a file of contacts. LinkedIn also provides a way to browse the people you might know based on your connections, and you can invite them to your network that way. If you donʼt know someone personally, but met them at an industry event, sending them a message to thank them for the connection and remind them of how you met is a great way to stay top of mind.
As you explore other peopleʼs profiles on LinkedIn, you will see that users are separated into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-degree connections.
• 1st-degree connections are those people who are directly in your network.
• 2nd-degree connections are people who are connected to
someone in your network.
• 3rd-degree connections are people who are connected to your 2nd-degree connections.
If you discover someone on LinkedIn that you would like to connect with, but have not met in person, you might be able to ask for an introduction if you have a mutual connection.
LinkedIn currently only allows you to message people outside of your 1st- degree network if you subscribe to LinkedIn Premium. So youʼll need to reach out to your 1st-degree contact to request that they make the introduction for you.
According to Fast Company, some important questions you need to answer in that request are: 1. Why do you want the introduction? 2. What about the personʼs background interested you? What specifically about their experience made them special? 3. What is your professional summary or background overview? 4. What do you hope to get out of the introduction? 5. Because buyers are five times more likely to engage with someone who shares mutual connections, requesting introductions from people you know is a great way to devel- op your network.
Attracting Followers to Your Company Page
For the solo photographer or small studio on LinkedIn, the line between their personal profile and their Company Page can become slightly blurred. However, having a Company Page gives you access to things like Analytics, which will give you deeper insight into what youʼre sharing and its relevance for your audience.
Focus on creating exclusive content thatʼs shared on your Company Page to help followers keep up with your business news and keep them coming back for more. Start by developing a content strategy for your business, and then share professional content that would be relevant to your ideal target market.
As mentioned before, include images with your posts in order to help capture attention. LinkedIn has found that 20 posts per month can help you reach 60 percent of your unique audience. So, if you were to post once per day, four days a week, this would bring you to the recommended 20 posts. Keep an eye on how each of your posts performs in your Analytics to get an idea of what your audience likes.
While youʼre working on growing your Company following, research competitors and other companies in your niche. Like Facebook, LinkedIn has rolled out a feature called “Companies to track” within its Analytics (which we will also discuss in a future post) that lets you keep tabs on other companies.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKEDIN - GROUPS
Like Facebook, LinkedIn offers Groups as private forums to connect with others within an industry or niche. Within these groups, you can share content and updates and engage with othersʼ content as well. By joining relevant groups, you can add your voice to conversations that are relevant to your industry or niche, as well as expand the reach of your content beyond your own network.
You can search for Groups to join either by name or keyword:
• In the Search bar at the top of your homepage, type keywords or group names and click Search.
• On the results page, click More at the top to find a dropdown menu to access the Groups tab.
When you find Groups that you want to join, make sure to read and comply with all of the rules. Make sure that the content you are sharing within Groups is helpful to the members and is never spammy. Keep your focus on being helpful, not self-promotional.
LinkedIn is all about building relationships. Used properly, it can be an important network to help you form and deepen meaningful professional connections while connecting with potential customers, peers, and future business partners. By optimizing your presence and showcasing your expertise, you can stand out as a leader in your industry and build trust with your community.
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