Linkedin Archives - Crenshaw Communications

5 PR Tips To Promote Expertise On LinkedIn

Posted on September 14, 2021September 14, 2021 by Taylor Carroll

Among B2B PR teams, LinkedIn is the go-to social media platform for executives to drive positive visibility and thought leadership. But a profile that serves as a glorified CV isn’t enough to gain sought-after exposure; that takes time, strategy, and a dash of creativity. How can executives get the most from their LinkedIn profile to convey leadership and be seen as an expert?

Go beyond a resume

Your LinkedIn profile is representative of your brand. If someone were to scroll through, how would they perceive you? It may be time to review and optimize your profile to ensure that it’s presenting you and your brand in the best way. Here is what to keep in mind:

Have an updated and professional-looking profile picture, and an appropriate banner photo. Don’t use a vacation snapshot or a picture of you in black tie at someone’s wedding. And make sure the banner photo is high-resolution and eye-catching.
Instead of your job title, include a headline that describes what you do. “Experienced marketing consultant who helps nonprofits obtain funding” is better than “Director of Marketing” or, worse, “Nonprofit Marketing Guru”
Your summary should reveal your specific expertise. Be mindful of using keywords that will describe you as a leader in your sector. For example, “Built and led comms team at high-growth technology startup in advance of IPO” is more specific and a bit stronger than “Headed comms at successful startup.”
Showcasing media on your profile is a great way to represent your expertise. If you’ve spoken at industry conferences, upload the video. Linking to blogs or articles that feature your expertise are also great ways to present your brand.

Zone in on your audience

Odds are that B2B executives already know who their ideal target is, so the next step is to focus on the content that attracts them. Look at relevant media, customers, and key stakeholders. Keep in mind that interests will vary based on job title and sector. Make sure to use terms familiar to those in your industry, and be conscious of keywords and phrases that spark ideas and answer questions. For example, descriptions sprinkled with terms of interest to marketers, like “performance marketing,” “optimized campaigns” or ”lead-generation” will make your profile more searchable.

Minimize self-promotion

As a thought leader, your goal is to provide authentic insights into industry trends and business. Glaringly obvious brand and company promotion can turn off your audience and detract from your message.It’s far more impressive to focus on insights and indirectly on career achievements.

Develop engaging content

Creating well-crafted, timely content is the most important way to position yourself as a thought leader on LinkedIn. Here are a few strategies you should consider when generating content.

Publications

If you’ve been quoted in any publications, share the links to them with an introductory sentence. LinkedIn also lets you publish your own articles within the platform as updates in your feed and LinkedIn groups.

Current events and timely coverage

Provide personal observations and opinions on the latest news; for example, what privacy updates mean for advertising or lessons to learn after a company’s been breached. Google Trends is an extremely useful tool that shows what people are searching for and highlights search phrases at their peak volume. Google News is useful to understand timely coverage of what news outlets are publishing. If applicable, offer reasons why you agree or disagree with relevant stories or opinions in the news that relate to trending topics in your industry.

Evergreen content

Though timely coverage should be included in your mix, it’s important to include content with staying power. This is where evergreen content comes into play. Evergreen content will stay relevant for months or even years.

Create polls

Polls are a creative way to gauge where your audience stands on industry trends or breaking news, or common obstacles. Poll responses can spur the creation of a blog post or an article that addresses the subject at hand, providing you with even more content!

Thought leadership content is meant to be informative, not exhaustive – you don’t have to overthink it or go too broad when bit-sized topics will do. You’ll be able to reach a self-selected audience in search of practical advice that is shareable by other LinkedIn members.

Consistency is key

Set a schedule for publishing your LinkedIn posts. Social media managers like Hootsuite and Sprout Social allow you to schedule posts ahead of time. It’s also beneficial to set aside scheduled time to interact with your LinkedIn network. Pencil in some time on your calendar the same way you would for a meeting and stick with it. Just 15 minutes three times a week can build your network.

Once you’ve woven these ideas into your LinkedIn strategy, set metrics and track engagement and new followers to see if you’re making headway. Start connecting with your peers and key stakeholders. If you’re sharing relevant updates and articles, these potential connections will have context about you and your brand which will increase the likelihood of them connecting with you. You’ll be well on your way to solidifying your place as a LinkedIn thought leader in no time.

What are LinkedIn Stories and How Can PR Pros Use Them?

Posted on November 19, 2020 by Colleen O'Connor

Since LinkedIn launched its Stories feature last month, it has won mixed reviews. But PR professionals shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss it!

Of course, with over 706 million global users, LinkedIn is the go-to social platform for B2B professionals, and it’s probably still the best way to build a network with colleagues, classmates and industry professionals. It’s also a great place to have conversations around hot topics in tech, leadership and current events.

LinkedIn Stories is similar to Instagram or Facebook stories, allowing users to post an update that will stay live for 24 hours. The story feature makes sense for Instagram and Facebook where you can share real-time updates, but why did LinkedIn feel they needed this feature?

According to LinkedIn, “LinkedIn Stories enable members and organizations to share images and short videos of their everyday professional moments.” In a pre-COVID world, this feature would have been great to use during industry conferences and events. While the timing of launch may be odd, this is definitely a feature PR pros should convince executives to include in their social strategy. Here are five ways to incorporate LinkedIn stories into yours.

Share professional tips

Instagram and Facebook stories are a great place to share real time pictures, videos and updates, so why not try this out on LinkedIn Stories? Create a social schedule of quotable tips from executives that can be shared a few times a week. The goal here is to share comments or quotes that are short but impactful. You want to grab your audience’s attention very quickly. Make sure content is easy to digest and you’re not cramming everything into one story. If you want to share five tips, create five slides and space out the updates to make a bigger impact.

Highlight ‘events’ in real time

One of the big trends of 2020 was a shift to virtual events, primarily on Zoom. In PR, we believe that securing speaking events for executives is a strong way to promote thought leadership and position clients as industry leaders. Share clips from virtual conferences with short soundbites of high-impact statements from business leaders. When the event is over, if you have access to a full recording, you can tease it in stories as well encouraging connections to watch the full talk if they missed it.

Host a Q&A

A fun feature on stories is opening a question on your story and asking for followers and connections to weigh in. Consider hosting a weekly or monthly Q&A around current events in a given industry, — maybe on new tech launches or reactive comments around breaking news. Create a two-way conversation between business leaders and their connections. If you’re looking for a way to spread out content, ask connections to submit questions in advance and answer them a few days later.

Preview company announcements and launches

One of the benefits of LinkedIn Stories is that when users log on, the stories will be featured at the top of the page before they start scrolling. Sometimes user posts can be lost in endless scrolling, but if you have a story, you have a better chance of higher engagement. Did your company just acquire funding or are launching a new tech offering? Tease this announcement in your story. Perhaps preview the headline of a press release to gauge attention and direct users to your company’s page or your own – wherever the press release link is live. Continue this momentum by posting any coverage you generate from the announcement.

Highlight personal and company achievements

LinkedIn is the perfect place to share job promotions and personal achievements. Use LinkedIn Stories to highlight these wins. On an executive’s LinkedIn Stories, you can also share personnel changes and moves highlighting achievements and accolades. Connections will see how proud a business leader is of their staff, for example, and positive encouragement motivates and inspires any team to exceed expectations.

How will you use LinkedIn stories? Let me know on Twitter @colleeno_pr.

Top 10 PR "Best Practices" For LinkedIn

Posted on February 16, 2016May 6, 2020 by Marijane Funess

We asked a handful of knowledgeable PR professionals for their best tips for leveraging LinkedIn for PR and personal branding. All agree that LinkedIn is a prime destination for sharing content and building community. LinkedIn was launched in 2003 as a social networking site for the business community but it has evolved as a go-to place to publish ideas and gather “deep data” on companies, candidates and connections.

So, if you still thought LinkedIn was only good for searching jobs or candidates, read on for our top 10 ways to use it for PR and branding.

Create well-organized profiles and update them regularly. Site visitors are more savvy than ever and nothing says “red flag” quicker than an out-of-date page, a page with no photo or a user who doesn’t publish or share content. Keep your pages fresh with photos, videos and other links. Always be able to answer yes to these questions. Does my profile make a good impression? Is it up to date?

Always be linking. True to the site’s name, “linking” is the heart of LinkedIn. Think about adding links to all your social platforms. Add links to blogs, websites, and Twitter/Facebook profiles for better circulation of content. Do this daily when you’re checking in on all your sites. Robust LinkedIn pages are proven to be viewed more often.

Recommendations beget more recommendations. LinkedIn makes it simple to provide recommendations for colleagues and others. We like recommendations over endorsements since LinkedIn endorsements are a rote function and don’t really speak to someone’s skills. Recommending and being recommended is part of the successful formula that will lead to productive networking.

Work those connections. Look for mutual connections with someone and ask to be introduced; it can pay off in the long run. Be careful in following LinkedIn etiquette, however. Don’t connect to people you haven’t worked with on at least some level or haven’t been introduced to —that can be considered unprofessional.

Share content. Make a commitment to share blog posts, articles and other interesting, relevant content with your LinkedIn connections. This is a great way to communicate without asking for anything in return. If your content is compelling, you will likely get comments which can promote dialogue and help nurture a relationship.

Be a commenter. Show your connections you value their insight and thought leadership. Read posts and articles and comment thoughtfully. Look for who is commenting on relevant posts and engage them to build your network.

Tell journalists who you are. Does your profile highlight your areas of expertise? Have you “linked in” to journalists you’ve worked with or had a connection and were introduced to? Media often use the site to ferret out expert sources for inclusion in stories.

Asked and answered. LinkedIn provides users with the ability to pose business questions and get them answered by experts (furthering your connections). This is also your opportunity to answer questions in your field and up your authority quotient on the site.

Use influencer opportunities. As you spend more time infiltrating discussion groups and Q&A forums, you’ll be able to identify the real influencers – the most well-connected and powerful voices in various sectors. Often, you’ll find that these people have many “best answers” in the Answers section, and if you’ve been doing a good job cultivating and nurturing relationships, someone will likely be able to introduce you to one or more of them. Build relationships with them and see if they can become an advocate for your brand.

Put yourself out there. Seek out and join industry and special interest groups. If you can’t find the niche you need, create your own group. The best way to home in on like-minded individuals or find clients for your business is to join smaller, specialized groups. It may be time-consuming, but like all LinkedIn opportunities, the return is worth the investment.
Go deeper with LinkedIn content by downloading our free tipsheet, 7 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your LinkedIn Posts.

5 Ways To A PR-Worthy Company Linkedin Page

Posted on February 27, 2015May 15, 2020 by Michelle Han

As the most overtly “professional” of the social media platforms, Linkedin is an important and necessary part of any good public relations program. While fans look for inspiration on Instagram or Pinterest and journalists hang out on Twitter, those more focused on business — prospects, clients, partners, and employees for a given company — inhabit Linkedin. With an estimated 347 million users, and still growing, it’s not wise to ignore! Here are five ways to make sure your company’s Linkedin page is working to support your PR goals.

Have a killer front page. As the front page of your company profile, the “overview” should start with a compelling paragraph capturing your business offering in a nutshell. Make sure to highlight specialist expertise that may be a differentiator. Is yours a design firm with a special focus in sustainable design? Does your advertising intelligence company have recent expertise in mobile technology? A generic description simply won’t do it; try to take it a step further and spell out exactly how your brand is unique.

Make the most out of the “Careers” section. Now that the “Products & Services” tab is no longer, companies are using the “Careers” tab to make their profiles fuller and more robust. Linkedin is well known as a recruiting and job searching tool, and this tab is an opportunity to convey the culture and ideals of the company or brand, as well as create quality and searchable content. Include videos and other content your HR or creative team might be working on, not just the standard job openings, and make sure to have testimonials.

Content, Content, Content. Original blog posts, links to white papers and other research, commentary on published works, and videos and photos of all types related to your business — all are ways to stake a claim to the thoughts and ideas that are important to your industry today. Creating and sharing high quality content is a rule of thumb for search engine optimization purposes; on Linkedin in particular, because of its professional nature, it takes on significance in building a company’s reputation as a thought leader.

Take advantage of the “Analytics Tab” for company pages. This tool allows you to see how well each post does, measuring things like engagement, demographics, and how well your content performs vs. similar brands on the site — all valuable information. For example, if you find posting lists or tips (“10 Ways to Lose a Sale,” “The 5 Best Times of Day to Send An Email”) gets tons of clicks while updates about company promotions gets none, you know where to focus your efforts.

Promote your brand through “Sponsored Updates.” As with most platforms today, Linkedin has opportunities to push out paid posts. Sponsored updates are an efficient, affordable way to reach thousands of new viewers in a targeted manner. Use it for thought leadership content and include a strong call to action; treat it like a trial to see if it can be effective for your company.

Unwinding For The Long Weekend

Posted on February 17, 2012May 23, 2020 by Marijane Funess

If you are planning to rest and de-stress over this long weekend, why not make it a goal to catch up on all the good entertainment you might have missed working long hours at a busy job like public relations!

Here is our list of media musts to savor and enjoy over the next three days.

TV Go to Netflix or Showtime on Demand, upload the entire season of “Homeland,” the drama/thriller about a returning American soldier who may not be who he appears and the slightly unstable yet brilliant CIA agent with suspicions. Prepare to be blown away by expert writing, compelling acting and twists and turns that will keep you mesmerized until the last minute. Then, be very patient until the next season begins months from now.

Film If you haven’t seen everything that is nominated for this year’s Academy Awards, time is running out. While not a big blockbuster year, there were some “quiet” films that really resonated. And, yes I am talking about the silent film, “The Artist.” The first fifteen minutes require an adjustment to a film without human voices but the acting, costumes, art direction, dancing and poignant story will grab you and keep you until the last frame. Even if you don’t fall in love with the film, fall in love with the canine co-star.

Books The cornucopia of good reading boggles the mind! If you’re looking to be on the edge of your seat the entire weekend, you won’t be disappointed with Stephen King’s “11/22/63.” For biography lovers, of course read Walter Isaacson’s “Steve Jobs.” Looking to get that extra edge in business? Why not learn how to grow your career like a Silicon Valley billionaire with LinkedIn Cofounder and Chairman Reid Hoffman’s “The Start up of You.”

Music The Grammys celebrated much of the best of 2011 music from Adele to the Foo Fighters. Why not use this downtime to explore something from each category such as Louis CK’s comedy album, “Hilarious” or Tony Bennett’s “Duets II.” For a real treat, download the award-winning soundtrack to “Book of Mormon.”

We want to know what you consider the best of the best in recent media memory. Share here!