It’s no secret that businesses are increasingly turning to social media to execute key business strategies. Each platform offers brands something different, but with its constant new features and increased user insights and page analytics, LinkedIn has become a powerhouse social media business tool in 2014.

Known as the “professional social network”, LinkedIn serves as a way for companies both large and small to promote their business, gain new followers, and establish strong connections with the potential to transform into sales leads or strategic partnerships. However, when it comes to creating a LinkedIn company profile, some still struggle with what information to include on their pages. Or, they become overwhelmed with how to make their brand stand out against the competition.

Luckily, there are four main ingredients to a successful business page that companies should remember when building their LinkedIn presence and striving to set it above the competition:

A Dynamic First Impression

When navigating to a company LinkedIn page, the first thing a user will notice is the banner image at the top of the page. Similar to the cover photos for Facebook, Twitter and Google+, the LinkedIn Banner serves as a company’s first impression.

In business, storytelling is what captures an audience – successful storytelling and personable connections establish customer loyalty and lead to both brand strength and competitive edge. Consider the Banner the first opportunity to tell a story and introduce page visitors to the company – whether that includes a company mission statement, legacy in the industry, or award-winning expertise and service. Choose a high quality, dynamic image that will best illustrate your brand identity and create a connection with users before they read any content on the page. The key to a successful first impression is intriguing the audience enough to keep them scrolling down the page for the introduction.

A Strong Introduction

Here it is – the big moment! The Company Introduction is your opportunity to give users the elevator pitch on why you are worth their time and why you are above the competition. When composing the Company Introduction, keep in mind that the content should be user-friendly and concise. Use keywords to pinpoint your company’s specialties, audience, and products and services. By including a strong introduction with keywords and phrases and properly linked URLs, the LinkedIn brand page becomes SEO-friendly and has the potential to catch the attention of those most likely to conduct business with you.

Engaging Content

Now that you have the audience’s attention, it’s time to start the conversation. Social media is considered an open door between online brands and consumers because it provides the ideal platform for interaction. What some brands fail to see is it’s the quality of posts, not the quantity, that is beneficial. Instead of being the company with a constant commercial for an online presence, consistently share posts that the audience will find beneficial, whether that’s a thought leadership article, a blog post on best practices, or inspirational business quotes. It’s important to find that balance between company news and updates and content that starts conversation and establishes your brand as an online resource and thought leader.

Also important to remember: content serves as a touch point between brands and the online audience. The more touch points, the better. Therefore, don’t be afraid to share a variety of content on your LinkedIn company page. YouTube videos, infographics, podcasts and articles all speak to audience members differently and have the potential to build lasting relationships with clients and prospects.

Brand Ambassadors

Look around at the people within your organization – the marketers, product managers and management team. Why did you choose to hire them? Because they are the best of the best. The employees contributing to your company’s success on a daily basis are some of the biggest assets within your organization. They also happen to be brand ambassadors. Each employee can lead to new relationships, business leads and, ultimately, sales. Therefore, it is important that employees promote the company’s digital presence and invite business contacts to follow the online conversation. This can easily be done in a variety of ways:

• Encourage employees to include links to company social media accounts in their email signatures.
• Ensure social media icons are prominently displayed on the company website.
• Work with Marketing to promote the LinkedIn page in company newsletters and on all marketing collateral.
• Encourage the Sales and Executive teams to include the LinkedIn icon on their business cards and promote the page when speaking to clients and prospects at industry conferences.
• Train employees on how to properly complete their own LinkedIn profiles and link to the company page. The more online brand exposure, the better!
• Showcase the creativity of your employees – work collaboratively with key stakeholders to produce content that will keep the online audience intrigued and show the human side of your brand.

For more insight on what makes a strong LinkedIn brand, check out this recent article released by LinkedIn highlighting the 10 most influential global brands on LinkedIn.