LinkedIn provides a central hub for business professionals to connect in one place, and the numbers prove it:

  • 433 million users

  • Two new members per second

  • 200 countries and territories with 70 percent of users outside of the U.S.

  • 15 times more content than job postings in the feed

  • 57 percent of visits coming from mobile

There is no doubt that many opportunities exist within the platform but many businesses are still trying to find a way to use LinkedIn to create and amplify content and thought leadership. Promotional Consultant Today identifies some of the key features available on LinkedIn and shares tips for breaking through the clutter and getting the most out of this social media tool, as shared by content expert Ashley Zeckman of TopRank Online Marketing.

1. LinkedIn Company And Showcase Pages. Company pages are your brand identity on LinkedIn and should represent the highest-level information about your company. These pages allow you to connect with more specific audiences on the platform. Here are some action items to make your company page most successful:

  • Create a plan that enables you to post three to four times per day

  • Dedicate resources to engage with and respond to followers' comments

  • Change the header image on your page every six months

2. LinkedIn Slideshare. With more than 70 million unique, monthly visitors and 13,000 new pieces of content posted per day, businesses should take the time to leverage this channel as more than just a place to repurpose content. The most unique opportunity with Slideshare is its integration with the LinkedIn platform. The integration allows you to put a face to the people looking at your content. Make a plan to add these action items to your list to make Slideshare more effective:

  • Upload new content weekly

  • Highlight decks on profile page

  • Group content into playlists

  • Add lead forms

3. Publishing on LinkedIn. More than one million members are publishing more than 130,000 posts a week on LinkedIn. Interestingly, approximately 45 percent of readers are in the upper ranks of their industries including managers, VPs, CEOs.

LinkedIn is a great place to publish original content that aligns with your network on the platform. If you create content elsewhere on the web, you can also repurpose that content (and link to the original content) through LinkedIn to expose your community to more of the content that you're creating. Follow these action items to be more effective with publishing:

  • Create content that matches what you feel passionate about.

  • Recommend bi-weekly or monthly publishing.

4. LinkedIn Sponsored Content. Sponsored content allows you to publish relevant content in the feed, targeting audiences beyond your company page followers. For Sponsored Content, 75 percent of clicks come from mobile devices so before you dive in to content creation, make sure your content is mobile friendly. Here are a few action items:

  • Select a compelling image

  • Run two to four pieces of sponsored content per week

  • Run for three weeks, test and repeat

  • Add a URL tracking code to each piece

  • Set up campaigns by audience

  • Shift your budget to the audience with the highest engagement rate

Source: Ashley Zeckman is director of agency marketing for TopRank Online Marketing. In addition to finding innovative ways to showcase the exceptional work of her team, she is also responsible for creating digital marketing programs that drive customer acquisition and growth for the agency. Her background includes expertise in everything from content marketing strategy to branding, account management and social media.