55

55

E V

AN

BU

RE

N S

TRE

ET

No.

21

5P

HO

EN

IX,

AZ

85

00

84

80

50

5 4

50

0O

FF

MA

DIS

ON

AVE

.CO

M

1

LinkedIn Updates and Showcase Pages March 2014 Overview LinkedIn has recently updated its social media platform by allowing longer form publishing and releasing Showcase pages. The new longer form publishing allows businesses and users to utilize LinkedIn to create content similar to blog posts, which will appear within the company or individual’s profile, similar to a post. Showcases have also been added as well, which add a new dynamic to the LinkedIn experience by allowing businesses to create specific pages for certain aspects of its brands, replacing the “Products & Services” tab. Content Overview and How Clients Can Use It The company recently launched its publishing platform as a tool aimed at social influencers on the website, but is now opening it to all users over the next few months. The new update will allow users to create content similar to blogs onto their pages. Everybody, even those not in the user’s network, will be able to follow the blog if they choose.

Rather than linking to a separate blog within a status update, users can instead post the blog on the site, keeping people on LinkedIn, which may increase the visibility of content. When the post is created, the content is part of the profile page and is shared with its professional network.

55

55

E V

AN

BU

RE

N S

TRE

ET

No.

21

5P

HO

EN

IX,

AZ

85

00

84

80

50

5 4

50

0O

FF

MA

DIS

ON

AVE

.CO

M

2

Unfortunately, this product is not yet open to everyone. As of February 2014, more than 25,000 members have access, mostly frequent users of the site. To obtain access to the publishing tool, users must request it on the website.

When users have obtained access to the publishing platform, they can then create longer published posts, which can include an image. The content can be simple posts or even lists. The posts also have a comment section, allowing other users to interact. Best Practices for Longer Publishing These longer posts should be treated similar to a blog and offer content relevant to the community. Most users with access to the tool are already influencers on the site, and use the platform to post advice, news or general interest topics for their followers. The posts could be from other blogs, but should also include original content for the page. Because the product is so new to the platform, it is highly recommended to embrace earlier rather than later when it becomes much more popular.

55

55

E V

AN

BU

RE

N S

TRE

ET

No.

21

5P

HO

EN

IX,

AZ

85

00

84

80

50

5 4

50

0O

FF

MA

DIS

ON

AVE

.CO

M

3

How Showcases Work The Showcases feature was created as an extension to a company’s page in order to spotlight different aspects of a brand, business unit or initiative. These were created as a way for popular aspects of a company to have its own pages for followers to interact with, and can be found on the company’s LinkedIn profile.

Each Showcase page then has its own, smaller profile, allowing users to follow different aspects of the brand. Microsoft, for example, has separate pages for Office, Bing, Visio and other areas of the company.

55

55

E V

AN

BU

RE

N S

TRE

ET

No.

21

5P

HO

EN

IX,

AZ

85

00

84

80

50

5 4

50

0O

FF

MA

DIS

ON

AVE

.CO

M

4

Users can specifically follow Showcase pages from the company, as opposed to a primary page. This allows the brand to better connect with its audience by post content specifically to their interests. How our Clients Can Use Showcase and Best Practices It is important to only create Showcases based on aspects of a brand that can produce a decent amount of content that users will find valuable over time. It is not necessary to create Showcases for all aspects of the brand, as that content may be more suitable and effective on the main page. In fact, it may not even be necessary to create a Showcase page at all, depending on whether the company has utility in the feature. Many larger brands on the website still do not utilize this option, possibly because they feel they can better express their brand with one main page. Each showcase must feature its own content to make it specific for the part of the business. Showcases can also be broad in definition. For example, an agency may have a creative Showcase that features both print and video, while having a separate digital Showcase page. How these pages are used can be up to the company, but it is important to understand whether a page is needed. As of April 14, 2014, the “Products & Services” tab on the primary LinkedIn company page will no longer be available. LinkedIn recommends all brands that use this functionality save this information, including recommendations that may have been tied to a specific product or service, prior to this date. Off Madison Ave helps clients to make the most of all social media efforts, including those on LinkedIn. For more information on how we can help make your social media perform for your company, get in touch with us today.